Tsok Offerings to Begin at Rime
In her visit to the Rime Center in 2014, Lama Lena recommended that the Rime Center perform tsoks on a regular basis as a way to benefit the sangha and build stronger bonds with each other. She said that this should be a festive atmosphere with singing and dancing and of course food.
But what is a tsok?
According to rigpa wiki article on tsok, “The Sanskrit word for tsok practice is ganachakra, which in Tibetan is ཚོགས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་ tsok kyi khorlo. The word ཚོགས་, tsok means ‘an accumulation’ or ‘a gathering, an assembly or group’, and the word འཁོར་ལོ་, khorlo literally means ‘wheel.’ So the literal translation is something like ‘wheel of accumulation.’ According to the great master Jamgön Kongtrul, this term relates to the inner level of tsok practice, and the generation of vast ‘gatherings’ of bliss that are like ‘wheels’ which cut through the web of our deluded thoughts and tainted emotions.”
“The practice of tsok, which is primarily a practice of offering. It is not just a practice of offering however; it is also a powerful method for purifying our samaya. Sometimes it is said that the best method for purifying samaya is the fire offering, and tsok practice is the ‘inner fire offering.’ Tsok is a very rich practice with many layers of meaning, and it can be practised on various levels.”
Tsok As a Holy Meal
In his book, “Handbook for Half Buddhas” our Tulku Yeshe Rinpoche says, “If you are a tantric practitioner, you should attend Tsok-Kor practice with pure vision or view. In other words, you should view all phenomena as inherently pure and free from defilements of samsara. If you are not a tantric practitioner, you should attend Tsok-Kor practice with a mind focused exclusively on positive thoughts.”
“You should view all participants in the feast as male and female bodhisattvas, and if your Guru is present, he should be seen as the embodiment of Vajradhara or as Guru Rinpoche himself or as the deity to whom the feast is dedicated, such as Vajrayogini.”
Tsoks and a Strange Schedule
Tsoks are practiced on the 10th and 25th days of the Tibetan month. Because this is a lunar calendar the tsok days are never on the same day of the month according to the western calendar. The 10th day of the month is reserved for Guru Rinpoche and the 25th day of the month is reserved for dakinis such as Vajrayogini or Yumka Dechen Gyalmo.
The Rime Center will be publishing the scheduled tsoks as Facebook events. Please check the Rime’s Facebook event page for regular updates and notices about the practices.