The offering of four requisites refers to providing the Buddha and the sangha with the four daily essentials, viz. “clothing”, “food”, “lodging” and “medicine”. “Clothing” solves the problems of suffering from the cold and being bitten by mosquitos and insects. “Food” solves the problem of suffering from hunger. “Lodging” solves the problems of suffering from exposure to the elements and attacks by animals. “Medicine” solves the problems of suffering from illness. Through the offering of four requisites, the Buddha and the sangha are able to take care of their physical body, cultivate their practices and propagate the dharma to benefit sentient beings. Therefore, when we carry out the four requisites offering, we are safeguarding the triple gem and Buddhism.

With the above knowledge, we can broaden our understanding on offering of four requisites, as explained in the following paragraphs. Offering is the same as giving. Offering applies when the receiving parties are the triple gem, our elders or our equals; whereas giving applies when the receiving parties are our minors. Besides being a virtue, offering (giving) is also a practice that a practitioner should cultivate. In addition to accumulating blessings in the mundane world, it can also accomplish the supra-mundane wisdom (the paramita of giving). Thus, in performing offering, we should not focus on just “clothing”, “food”, “lodging” and “medicine”, but ought to recognise that in addition to the materialistic offering of wealth, there are also the non-materialistic offering of dharma and the spiritual offering of no-fear, so that we are on the right path towards the accomplishment of the paramita of giving. (Please refer to the write-up on accomplishing the paramita of giving in my book Nothing is Indestructible.)

The term "food" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Āhāra", which encompasses the meaning of nourishing the body and mind. There are nine types of "food", which include "segmented food", "sense-contact as food", "thought as food", " consciousness as food ", " meditative bliss as food ", "Dharma joy as food ", "vow as food", "mindfulness as food " and " liberation as food". The first four types nourish the physical body and are considered worldly food, while the last five types nourish the Dharma body and are considered supramundane food. "Segmented food" involves eating in segments. "Sense-contact as food" pertains to the sense-organs viz. the eyes, ears, nose, and body having the corresponding sense-objects viz. the visible forms, sounds, odour and tangible things as food. "Thought as food" pertains to the consciousness taking the corresponding mind-objects as food. "Consciousness as food" refers to having the discriminating mind as food. The above four types of food are considered worldly food. "Meditative bliss as food" refers to a practitioner taking the joy of meditation as food. "Dharma joy as food" refers to a practitioner taking the awakening to the Dharma as food. "Vow as food" refers to a practitioner taking their vows as food. "Mindfulness as food" involves having right mindfulness as food (the difference from "consciousness as food" lies in the latter’s lesser depth of awareness). "Liberation as food" involves having the mental state of liberation as food. The above five types of food are considered supra-mundane food.

In the context of the four offerings to the sangha, "food" typically refers to "segmented food." This includes five types of food: rice, barley rice, wheat, meat, and bread. There are also five types of chewing food: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Seven-day medicinal food consists of raw cheese, oil, aged cheese, honey, and rock sugar, among others. Finally, there is liquid food, which includes fruit juice, powdered juice, milk, yogurt, and broth, among others. In ancient India, these foods were obtained by Buddhist monks through alms rounds. Due to cultural differences, Chinese Buddhism could not carry on with the system of alms rounds but developed its own tradition of vegetarianism and self-cooking in monasteries. Despite the variations in food and practices, the intention of Buddhist practitioners to support and honour the Buddha and the sangha through food offerings remains unchanged.

When making food offerings, Buddhist practitioners can contemplate in the following way: By offering "food," one adorns the physical form of the Buddha and the Sangha and aspires to attain a dignified physical form oneself. By offering "food", one alleviates the suffering of hunger experienced by the physical form of the Buddha and the Sangha, aspiring to attain the result of an affliction-free Dharma body.