The temple is kept going by the offerings of its followers.
Tips
mistakes
The first syllable is fourth tone here. 供 read gòng is the one that means to lay out an offering, the same reading as in 供品 and 供奉. If the object is a living relative rather than a deity, the word is 供养.
culture
Central to Buddhist practice, where the standard offerings are incense, flowers, fruit and lamps. A donor who funded a temple mural was called a 供养人, and their portraits appear in the corners of the Dunhuang cave paintings.
