Performing sadhana away from shrine?

Jainarayan

I know that not everyone sets up a shrine or altar. I have one that is... well... it's way out of control, but it's meaningful to me:



The picture is not very clear. It's essentially a fusion of Tibetan and Pure Land Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, because of what I consider a tight crossover, but with the Pure Land trinity of Amitābha, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta high and centered. I should probably move the two pictures on the left and right.

Anyway, my sadhana consists of this as a basis http://www.dharmata.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DailySadhana-DF2.pdf with some embellishments of other prayers. I don't do any visualization, just the prayers and japa of Namo Amitābha Buddha.

The question is... is it proper or even recommended and beneficial to perform this little sadhana elsewhere, like away from home? Maybe in a quiet time and private place at work.

lobster

Jainarayan said:

The question is... is it proper or even recommended and beneficial to perform this little sadhana elsewhere, like away from home? Maybe in a quiet time and private place at work.

It is recommended and beneficial.

Create a portable shrine, take or print a pic of your main shrine as a focus. The more sadhana the more you are filling Dukkha with the means or route to the escape from Dukkha. With some experience of internal visualisation you can do the sadhana internally, whilst for example travelling on public transport. I would tend to only do the mantra at such times.

Some teachers insist on only using 'sanctified' or set aside space for sadhana but this does not apply as it is the practice that 'sanctifies' the area.

OM MANI PEME HUM HRIH

MaryAnne

Awesome altar area!

Chaz

Jainarayan said:

The question is... is it proper or even recommended and beneficial to perform this little sadhana elsewhere, like away from home? Maybe in a quiet time and private place at work.

You can perform that sadhana anywhere.

You can visualize the consecrated space or not.

Jainarayan

lobster said:

Jainarayan said:

The question is... is it proper or even recommended and beneficial to perform this little sadhana elsewhere, like away from home? Maybe in a quiet time and private place at work.

It is recommended and beneficial.

Create a portable shrine, take or print a pic of your main shrine as a focus. The more sadhana the more you are filling Dukkha with the means or route to the escape from Dukkha. With some experience of internal visualisation you can do the sadhana internally, whilst for example travelling on public transport. I would tend to only do the mantra at such times.

Some teachers insist on only using 'sanctified' or set aside space for sadhana but this does not apply as it is the practice that 'sanctifies' the area.

OM MANI PEME HUM HRIH

This is great thanks, I am creating a virtual shrine and sadhana on my computer at work. I have the text in Word I will read from, and use a picture to focus on. I can't remember all the Sanskrit for the Bodhicitta Vow, or the dedication prayer yet, but I will learn in time. I have made a printed copy to carry with me. I may include that picture of my shrine in my virtual sadhana!

Jainarayan

MaryAnne said:

Awesome altar area!

Thanks. As "busy" as it seems, it is meaningful to me and I feel a sense of peace there.

Btw, just to the left of the pic of HHDL is a small pic of my parents. It's a Taoist custom to honor one's ancestors. It seems I've moving eastwards from my fascination with India to a Chinese and Tibetan influence.

cvalue

I like your altar.

Jainarayan

cvalue said:

I like your altar.

Thanks. I always worried it was too busy and too much a reflection of my decorative tastes. But there is a method to my madness in that as I say again, it's meaningful and gives me a sense of peace. I really would sit there all day if I could. It would be on a chair, of course because 1) it's too high for floor sitting (it's @ waist level); and 2) I can't sit on the floor due to my back.

Mani

It's great to have a shrine! It helps to remind us of the objects of refuge, and also provides some encouragement and inspiration for practice. But at the same time we should be able to do our practices wherever convenient for us. After all, I think the idea is to mentally lessen the gap between our formal "daily practices" and the practice away from the cushion as well.

Jainarayan

Mani said:

It's great to have a shrine! It helps to remind us of the objects of refuge, and also provides some encouragement and inspiration for practice. But at the same time we should be able to do our practices wherever convenient for us. After all, I think the idea is to mentally lessen the gap between our formal "daily practices" and the practice away from the cushion as well.

I printed a shortened version of the sadhana I use at home, that I can carry with me (I can't remember the prayers yet). I call it my portable version. I have tiny figures of Amitabha, Guan yin, and Mahasthamaprapta on my desk at work, in front of my monitor, so I always see them and can be mindful. I can call up my little prayers from Word and do a mini-sadhana. The only thing I can't do is light a candle and incense. I think the company would take umbrage with that.