Marchang offering

 

…based on what was explained during the 8^th Parliament opening ceremony and what historians have said. 

His Majesty The King (Facebook: His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck)

In a common term marchang refers to chang or alcohol with mar or butter. In tantric Buddhism marching is a type of serkem offered to the deities.

In the Bhutanese culture, the marchang offering is made to launch an auspicious event, mark an important occasion or receive an honoured guest.

Alcohol is put with fermented grains in a container, often a decorated traditional vessel called trho, with a strainer and a traditional serving ladle. The container is ornamented with three butter decorations or their substitutes and the offering is made with chanting and very refined code of conduct.

The most common liturgy used in Bhutan for marchang offering, especially at formal occasion, is the one composed by Drukpa Kagyü master Pema Karpo.

The chant basically starts with the transformation of the ordinary alcohol into transcendental nectar by chanting the three powerful syllables of oṃ, aḥ, huṃ. 

 

The ordinary substance is first dissolved in the expanse of emptiness. Then, out of emptiness one visualises many transcendental offerings including the five nectars of tantric Buddhism. These five nectars are extraordinary substances, which trigger spiritual experience by overcoming ordinary prejudices, perceptions and discriminations such as mundane sense of impurity, likes and dislikes.

According to the standard enumeration, they are urine, faeces, blood, semen and marrow. They are known as pañca amrita or five spiritual nectars because, in tantric Buddhist context, their consumption helps people to overcome their ordinary biases and propensities and achieve the deathless state of enlightenment.

During marchang, one offers these five spiritual nectars firstly to the root and lineage gurus or teachers.

Then one makes offerings of these five nectars to all the deities of four tantric systems: kriya, charya, yoga and anuttarayoga.

This is followed by offerings to the powerful male and female spiritual partners who help us on our spiritual path, and to the dharma protectors and guardian deities led by Mahākāla.

Finally, one makes the offering to all the sentient beings including those who reside in the particular house or area. These groups of beings are the recipients of the offering of spiritual nectars, which are represented by the marchang alcohol. 

In the villages, the men often cry out loud in jubilation when the chanting ends. After making offering to these recipients, the marchang is offered to the human guest of honour and the chief guest receives the drop of alcohol as a token and consumes it. Alcohol is then served to other guests.

 What should one think during marchang?

When one offers the marchang, one should visualisefive spiritual nectars and myriads of offering arising from the state of emptiness and being offered to the various recipients.

If one cannot do that, one should at least think that one is making a heartfelt offering of spiritual nectar and alcohol. One should think that having received the offering, all enlightened and ordinary recipients are filled with happiness and bliss.

One should think that the marchang offering has pleased and satisfied the deities and spirits so that they commit to give one continued support and protection to live a happy life, do good and make progress on the path to enlightenment.

The marchang ceremony is today a hallmark of Drukpa ritual of inauguration and celebration.