Does anyone have any advice on setting up and maintaining a home altar within this tradition.
Thanks
Brian
Does anyone have any advice on setting up and maintaining a home altar within this tradition.
Thanks
Brian
One of our backyard nāgas taking refuge...
Last edited by Emmet; 08-04-2013 at 12:43 AM.
Emmet
Mike, you have a neat looking altar I would like to find a bell like yours but had no luck so far :P
Piobair, I like very much your altar, I am planning a cabinet with doors like that somewhere near this summer, and your garden Buddha is great too, I have one a little different, will post a picture as soon as I get home
Thank you for your practice
To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
-Dhp. 183
My Practice Blog
Simple and sweet Myoku ... very nice! =)
Gassho
Shingen
I love seeing everybody's altars, each one is so special and unique and beautiful in its own way. I like to collect buddha figures so I have a little display cubes in the wall where I keep some of them. However, I just got a nice wooden table at Winners (discount store in North America) and set up an altar a few weeks ago. And I found my buddha on the way out the store for dirt cheap. I like to think I 'rescued' him
Anyway, here is a picture of my little altar and a picture of the hallway beside it where I (rarely) sit. I need to start sitting daily and work my way up to twice daily. Baby steps :-)
altar.jpghallway.jpg
Chatteringmokeys,
Beautiful altar! Is that In the Buddha's Words or Great Disciples of the Buddha on the lower shelf? Mettaya.
Gassho,
Mike
To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
-Dhp. 183
My Practice Blog
Thank you Mike. It's In the Buddha's Words. I just got it a week ago and I want to work my way through it (bit by bit). Although things have been kind of crazy lately with summer school, so "leisure" reading is taking a bit of a hit right now
Gassho,
Darrell
Thank you, Darrell. I very much love that book, In The Buddha's Words. Remember that the book expresses the Buddhist Teachings from the South Asian Sutta Tradition, and Buddha and Sutras come in many flavors. All lovely flavors.
Here is a little reading that may help you with a bit of history and tradition as you dive into all these "Same but different, different but just the same" Buddhas and Teachings ...
http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...-ENLIGHTENMENT
Gassho, Jundo
ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE
Hi Jundo,
thanks so much for the link! I love reading about the various traditions and different sutras.
Gassho,
D-
These last two are just lovely !!
thankyou Joyo and kidBuddha sharing
gassho,
合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"
https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1342288678.596463.jpg
Just got my portable altar sorted at last. I have a large Buddha in the centre that I like because he's touching the earth reminding me to always remain grounded in the present, there is almost a smaller Buddha towards the back which I think is more traditional to Zen, he's the guy who comes with me when I'm away from home. There are 2 stones from our local beach one has a hole through it that symbolises an Enso, of course an image of Avalokiteshvara and finally a vanilla scented candle.
Gassho
Gary
Drinking tea and eating rice.
Very nice, Gary! Love the beach stones.
Gassho,
Lisa
Lovely altar Gary - have just been scrolling through as missed this thread.
Your altar is very thoughtful Lisa - has inspired me to put a bit more thought into mine.
Gassho
Willow
Here is part of my alter ... Buddha sitting with Buddha. =)
buddha-sitting-with-buddha.jpg
Gassho
Shingen
Sat today
Last year my wife suggested that as the practice is such a central part of our lives, we rework and relocate our altar so that it is the central feature of the central room of the house; the "heart" of our home. With the exception of the Buddha, most everything has been gradually accumulated second-hand from thrift stores and whatnot. One of the things I like is the fold-down, slide-out rakuzu drawer.
Last edited by Emmet; 08-04-2013 at 12:38 AM.
Emmet
Love it, Piobair, especially the steps up to the Buddha! Now that I have access to wood, I'll need to make something similar.
Gassho,
Lisa
Thank you. The platform was originally cardboard & tape; trimmed and reconfigured until the layout and proportions suited us. The final version is 3/4" and 1/2" oak plywood, with oak veneer edge banding. I was fortunate to find a stain which very closely approximates the table top.
Emmet
This is not an altar, in the strict sense of the word. It is more of a small shrine that I keep in my front hallway. The altar in the room where i sit is less complicated.
Gassho,
William
altar.jpg
Here is mine, good old Sidharta sitting, as a reminder that Buddha is inside of all us. My "dharma pillow books" , space for inciense and my bowl. IMG_0274.jpg
Dancing between stillness and motion I find peace.
_/\_
#sattoday
合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"
https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/
I figured I would share my new "treeleaf friendly" alter for the start of Ango. The main alter is a cross section of a tree trunk that I stained and sealed. The stand was a cheap beat up flower pot stand. The small table is my laptop/candle/incense table for that hot G+ action!
IMG_2472.jpgIMG_2474.jpg
If I'm already enlightened why the hell is this so hard?
You created a nice atmosphere there Catfish! I like warm wood tones, well done!
Gassho
Enkyo
Mu
Thats sweet Catfish, very nice alter.
Gassho, Jakudo.
Gassho, Shawn Jakudo Hinton
It all begins when we say, “I”. Everything that follows is illusion.
"Even to speak the word Buddha is dragging in the mud soaking wet; Even to say the word Zen is a total embarrassment."
寂道
Wow beautiful and warm
Gassho
Thank you for your practice
knock-out beautiful table.
and neither are they otherwise.
Wow, Charles, that's really incredibly beau-ti-ful!
Gassho,
Timo
no thing needs to be added
I just moved house so have a new shrine arrangement:
Shrine (with unpacked box next to it!)
Calligraphy
Gassho
Andy
Hi Kokuu;
Please do not be so harsh on yourself. This is beautiful, the quintessensal perfection I trust I have your permission to show it to my meditation class.
gassho,
#sattoday
合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"
https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/
Very cool, Andy. And if Buddha Nature pervades the entire universe, it's also in the unpacked box.
Gassho,
William
"First you have to give up." Tyler Durden
That is a very good way of looking at it, William!
image.jpg
studio altar
Last edited by Oheso; 09-12-2013 at 08:46 PM.
and neither are they otherwise.
Very nice altars!
Shugen
Meido Shugen
明道 修眼
Really beautiful table Catfish. Actually just a really nice sitting area. Much nicer than my 70's shag.
Gassho.
Seimyo
精
明 Seimyō (Christhatischris)
Ready for Ango,
Gassho
Myoku
Last edited by Myoku; 09-04-2014 at 02:59 PM.
Of course, Zen is not about furniture or Asian flavor. Even though most Buddhist temples tend to have nice ... unbelievably expensive ... furniture.
On the other hand, it can be about Asian furniture (I have lots in my house, because I live in an old Japanese house).
Putting the Buddha on a delicate Chinese table ... a cheap formica table ... putting Buddha on an old cardboard box ... just the old cardbox box alone ... just emptiness ... all the same really, if the heart is clear.
Gassho, J
ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE
Beautiful June. =)
Gassho
Shingen
Just about to sit
This is my set up in our family room.
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Gassho, Shawn Jakudo Hinton
It all begins when we say, “I”. Everything that follows is illusion.
"Even to speak the word Buddha is dragging in the mud soaking wet; Even to say the word Zen is a total embarrassment."
寂道
Thank you everyone for sharing,
very inspiring!
Gassho
Myoku
My weekend project. This isn't my official butsudan and that's my home Buddha for here. My other stuff is in my roommate's house. There are pegs on the door for hanging juzu that I make. It's really a work in progress so far but I'm happy with it.
Gassho
Javier
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Wow, that's really nice, Javier! Did you peg the top together, or are those plugs covering screws? I love the simplicity of it, and the wood grain on the doors.
Gassho,
Lisa
Actually, it's just screws at the top but I am going to replace it with wooden pegs soon. Or keep it as is. I haven't decided. Cx
I pegged the shelf in place, and so far, I'm pretty happy with it. I'll post another picture when I have all my stuff. Thank you for the kind words, Lisa. C:
Gassho
Javier
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image.jpg
This is my altar now, Monju, Majushri in the form of a sitting priest riding a Shishi, as you would find in many Zendo.
and a lyiing down version when going for a nap...
Gassho
Taigu
Last edited by Taigu; 12-01-2013 at 07:43 AM.
Beautiful, Taigu.
One question if I may, what's the significance or meaning of a priest riding a Shishi?
Gassho
Matt
A shishi, mythical lion, is a protector often found at the entrance of temples. As the Buddhist law rides it, The Buddhist law represented by Manjushri , the Bodhisattva of wisdom, cannot be threatened or destroyed. It represents the supreme samadhi, the absolute freedom in sitting and being.Therfore it has its place in the Zendo where you typically find this representation. Not a Buddha. Just a Bodhisattva sitting.
gassho
Taigu
Last edited by Taigu; 12-01-2013 at 12:53 PM.
Nice Alter Anshu! =)
Gassho
Shingen
#sattoday