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Shrine Questions
This weekend i decided to mindfully create my shrine. I have a few questions (not sure how many there will be, sorry):
1) Are prostrations generally only done in the morning?
2) As far as I am aware offerings are mad win the morning, but can you make offerings anytime during the day if you wish to add something? With this, in morning offerings I know some have 7 bowels of water, make a blessing and sprinkle the water over the offerings. If you add offerings during the day, do you repeat this process
3) are candles regarded as offerings or do you keep them on your shrine all the time? If they are offerings do they need to be removed at the end of the day, or are items to be removed only water, and items which become "old" such as food, real flowers etc. AND if you keep fake flowers, candles, all the time on there, do you still sprinkle them with water the following morning even though they were not removed and are not "new" offerings.
4) when offering candles, should they be lit, and stay lit all day? Same question for incense, should incense be burning all day on the shrine? Silly side question, but what if you have to leave the house, and do not want to leave burning incense and candles in the house, is the a specific way to distinguish them?
5) should rice be removed at the end of the day? it is not cooked, so it won't go rotten and the fore not pure.
6) When you go for your daily, weekly, monthly meditation time, is there any certain ritual/act to perform if you are wanting to meditate in front of your shrine?
Hopefully going to be finished with my shrine today
will post a small pic when it done
thanks everyone
:om:
love
1) Are prostrations generally only done in the morning?
2) As far as I am aware offerings are mad win the morning, but can you make offerings anytime during the day if you wish to add something? With this, in morning offerings I know some have 7 bowels of water, make a blessing and sprinkle the water over the offerings. If you add offerings during the day, do you repeat this process
3) are candles regarded as offerings or do you keep them on your shrine all the time? If they are offerings do they need to be removed at the end of the day, or are items to be removed only water, and items which become "old" such as food, real flowers etc. AND if you keep fake flowers, candles, all the time on there, do you still sprinkle them with water the following morning even though they were not removed and are not "new" offerings.
4) when offering candles, should they be lit, and stay lit all day? Same question for incense, should incense be burning all day on the shrine? Silly side question, but what if you have to leave the house, and do not want to leave burning incense and candles in the house, is the a specific way to distinguish them?
5) should rice be removed at the end of the day? it is not cooked, so it won't go rotten and the fore not pure.
6) When you go for your daily, weekly, monthly meditation time, is there any certain ritual/act to perform if you are wanting to meditate in front of your shrine?
Hopefully going to be finished with my shrine today
will post a small pic when it done thanks everyone
:om:
love
0
Comments
So nothing is a should or a must. It's your shrine, you can use it when and however you like. Whatever helps you in your practice is what you should do. The attitute is more important than doing it 'right'. The suttas also mention getting stuck in rituals can be an obstacle, so just be mindful of your intentions.
This could be interesting for you:
This is just my opinion, I know some traditions are a bit more 'religious' in their offerings.
With metta,
Sabre
http://www.khandro.net/practice_shrine.htm
Check this section: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel206.html#shrine
I think you're overthinking all of this.
I'm pretty sure there's a sutta out there about being too caught up in the ritual and not focusing on the real path.
No offense @Lookingformyway, but judging from many of your posts, you seem to be more focused on/caught up in the exotic aesthetic, and I'm wondering if that's hindering the main practice - meditation.
1. Prostration are done whenever you feel like doing them.
2. don't know, it depends on the tradition you practice in.
3. Candles usually stay on the altar and don't get removed. Food like fruits and flowers and what not are generally not removed until they start to go bad. When the flowers start wilting, etc.
4. Candles and incense don't stay lit all day and incense does not burn all day. They are generally lit when you are practicing there and extinguished after the practicing.
5. I have never seen rice get removed, it usually just stays there.
6. It depends on the tradition you practice in, different traditions have different rituals. The same goes for the specifics of the offering rituals, splash water at this time, etc. It depends entirely of the tradition.