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What are the minimum items for a Vajrayana Altar?
TheEccentric
Hampshire, UK Veteran
I know you need a table but any specific tyoe or height required? and what items are minimum to place on top and any extra things?
0
Comments
Bare Minimum
On the left hand side a Dharma book.
In the middle a picture of Buddha
On the right a stupa.
In front of Buddha 7 water offering bowls.
You know what they say... when the teacher is ready the student will appear.
Then do prostrations (thus have I been advised)
:bowdown:
He advises a minimum of:
- A candle,
- a water bowl (1, 3, 5, or 7),
- a flower (it can be plastic .. in Buddhism it IS the thought that counts!),
- an offering of food,
- incense.
You can have a statue of picture of Buddha, of any of the dieties, a vajra, a bell, etc etc.
Any alter must alter us, otherwise it is decoration.
Whatever you put on an alter is you.
(to be honest I would rather have a prune as a withered fruited and dying post flower than a false or plastic nature representation)
Maybe I could with sufficient veneration cover my Buddha head with soil and cress seeds.
Then I could have a Buddha sandwich meditation . . .
However I am quite willing to use plastic, carbon fibre or even cyber Buddhas (from a tablet or laptop) and even whole cyber shrines in cyberland - loads in secondlife.com.
Alter rather than enshrine our Buddhas, I think we should cook them; edible Torma Buddha bread.
This is my Buddha Body
This is my Fluid . . .
Buddha Feast.
Is the Buddha a doughnut, how many prostrations before we dunk the Buddha?
*Statue of the Buddha Shakyamuni to represent the Buddha. You may also have other important Buddhist figures, like Tara, Manjushri, or Avalokiteshvara. If you don’t have a statue, it is fine to have a photo or a thangkha with an image of the Buddha.
*Buddhist scripture, to represent the speech of the Buddha. This can be Tibetan or Sanskrit or a scripture in your own language.
*A stupha, to represent the Buddha’s mind. (A photo is fine.)
Besides these, you will often find:
*A photo of your spiritual teacher(s). For Tibetans this almost always will be an image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
*A thangka, which is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually portraying the Buddha Shakaymuni, or other Buddhist deities or scenes.
*Seven offering bowls filled with water. Some people may have multiple sets of these seven offering bowls and fill the other sets with rice or attractive foods, but the basic offering is seven bowls of water. Of course these can be simple bowls.
*Butter lamps or candles (Collectively known as chomay — which means, roughly, dharma fire or light). You might have only one or as many as you want.
Also from Yowangdu, a special section, and video clip, about water bowls:
http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-buddhism/water-offering-bowls.html
On the left are dharma books. And on the right a picture of the stupa of our sangha. So that's cool.
It's the (lack of) thought that counts . . .
3 - Flower garlands supreme and wonderful,
Music, perfumes, parasols, and canopies,
And other decorations rich and rare,
I offer up to every Thus Come One.
Fine clothing, superior incense,
Powdered and burning incense,lamps and candles,
Each one heaped as high as mount Sumeru,
I offer completely to all Tathagatas.
With a vast, great, supremely liberated mind,
I believe in all Buddhas of the three periods of time;
With the strength of Samantabhadra's conduct and vows,
I make offerings to all Thus Come Ones everywhere.
Since this is the current Altar thread,
I'm throwing my two sents in.
Here is my current one in the Living room.....
Last set of roses for this season.
They started to wilt in 2 days.
Got stiff and started to crumble after 4 days.
Some still have their color.
Some have lost the petals.
May we all meditate on the wilting.
One of the reasons I was told for this seems similar to that of the Native American people I lived with later - a way to practice gratitude, generosity and mindfulness, and reduce greed. You don't just give food, you give the first portions, as a symbol (and reality!) showing that you place higher matters above simply filling your belly. No doubt this may have been a bigger gesture in the past than it is for many of us now with such an abundance of food in our lives.
For both Natives who I've known, and Buddhists, there has also been a component of addressing the needs of the departed, and other spirits who benefit from the essence of the offered food
trip couldn't happen this week. ( long story, hahaha).
elses'. Ill look into that.
split half between vases around the house, and the other half
for altars.
To celebrate our lack of ability I am telling of rasayana tea offering.
http://peace.wikia.com/wiki/Recipespeace.wikia.com/wiki/Recipes
This tea was taught to me by manjushri, it contains water, fragrance, healing, patience etc. and is most acceptable with the metta pulse, which is available now:
Prepare and place the tea offering as a representation of the Buddha.
Offer prostrations and practice.
Holding the hands in the pema prayer mudra at the heart chakra, intensely and single mindedly, visualise Amrita/nectar/Buddha blessing enter the tea.
The tea should then be added to milk and sugar and shared.
May all be Refreshed
OM YA HA HUM