The Benefits of the Clouds of Offering Mantra

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

In this short teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the powerful benefits of reciting the Clouds of Offering mantra.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Long Life Puja, Kopan Monastery, Nepal.
Offering Cloud Mantra

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE / TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA

The Benefits of Reciting the Clouds of Offering Mantra

This mantra is not only for blessing, it also has the power to multiply the offerings. There are numberless buddhas and by reciting this mantra each buddha receives skies of offerings. That’s why it’s called the Mantra of the Clouds of Offerings. The mantra has two functions: blessing and increasing. There are eight benefits of reciting this mantra explained in the Buddha’s teachings, the Kangyur:

FIRST, the minute you remember this mantra, you gain the benefit of having made offering to all the buddhas abiding in the ten directions, equaling the number of the atoms of the sand grains of the Pacific Ocean.

SECOND, you get the benefit of having prostrated to the holy feet of all those buddhas.

THIRD, you receive the benefit of having made offering of flowers, incense, garlands of flowers, ornaments, ointments, Dharma robes, umbrellas, banners, flags, animals, sitting cloths, divine dress, food, various ornaments and so forth to all the buddhas abiding in the ten directions (as above).

FOURTH, you are freed from all negative karmas.

FIFTH, you gain all the merits.

SIXTH, you will see all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and they will “give you breath”.

SEVENTH, you will be protected by nagas, devas, nöjin, smell-eaters, asuras, garudas, myemchi, dorje chenpo, Vajrapani the Owner of the Secrecy, and the Four Guardians. They will always follow you perfectly, protect you and guide you. If others try to inflict harm, they will hide you from that.

EIGHTH, when you die, your consciousness will transfer from this world to Amitabha Buddha’s pure land, the Blissful Realm.

You receive all these qualities and benefits just by remembering this mantra once, without any need to do retreat.

The Power of Truth

When you recite expressing the words of truth, then if you have visualized numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, they actually receive skies of offerings. There is a slight difference. With the first mantra, even if you don’t visualize, they get this by the power of the mantra. With the second one, the words of truth, you have to visualize in order to collect extensive merit. Depending on how many offerings you visualize the numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas actually get that.