Set of 7 Water Offering Bowls

Water is the most common items of offering in Tibetan Buddhism. Offering any item of value (to the three jewels) is the antidote to greed and attachment and helps cultivate generosity. Detailed instructions on how to practice yonchap (water offering) can be found in various Mahayana Buddhist texts.

Water is generally offered first thing in the morning and then packed away after sunset. Buddhas and enlightened beings do not need our offerings as such, and so the practice of offering water is actually for our own benefit and to demonstrate freedom from attachment.