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Altar pics .....
Vastmind
Memphis, TN Veteran
Please share your/any altar pics. How mine looks depends on what I'm going through at the time....so it was
interesting to look at old threads and how it looked...hahaha.( search tool)...This is the living room one
that we usually sit and do business at. ... 
... No fresh flowers from the garden yet .....
Please feel free to break out in chant/prayer as well ... ...
2
Comments
You've got a bigger Buddha than me!
I'll try to post some pics of my altar later.
Here is the back yard.
Easy outdoor space to do a lot of incense. ..
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Walking rocks are around the bottom.....
Found/recycled most all of the materials .....
That's two people with bigger Buddhas than me...I'm feeling Buddha envy.
I think that might be the same person...just different locations.
Okay - I wanted to post more pics, but it costs 2 minutes to email myself the photos from the cell phone.
My little shrine is on the bookshelf - not the best focus, but the lighting is horrible so I had to put one of those "put this light anywhere in your home!" lights on the altar (the one on the left) while I had my candle lit.
Upon the back wall of the shelf are three pillars - the one on the left is a little baggie with a yak-bone bracelet with the 8 auspicious symbols carved into the bone. (its one where you can adjust the tightness buy cinching up the cord - unfortunately, the "cincher" is loose so it doesn't stay tight. So I thought I would put it in its nice little baggie and put it on the shrine.
the middle pillar has my tiny little Buddha sitting serenely atop it.
the right pillar has an "Om mani padme hum" ring atop it. I'd wear the ring, but its one of those "any size" rings with the bottom removed and the sides tend to pinch my chubby little fingers (its REALLY uncomfortable) when I wear it - so on the pillar it went!
I've got two incense burners - the gold one in the back from Walmart (which isn't a very good incense burner by the way, but it does have Buddha on it) and a Tibetan silver one in the front.
On the right side there is also my candle display - the candle sits behind a glass of a jewel, with three smaller jewels intersecting the large one from the upper left and upper right angles, as well as one in the upper center. the effect when looking at the candle through the gems is an optical illusion that (seriously) looks like there are 50 candle flames when there is only one.
Also in the back there is a dragon bell/meditation gong.
The fabric is a pattern I had cut at Walmart - I've got several other colors so I can switch it our every so often.
Also included, is a poster that I've framed - based off the British "Be Calm and Carry On" with several Buddhist/Zen messages surrounding the center.
My outdoor Buddha statue disappeared off my porch one day last week, exactly when I'm not sure since I probably didn't notice it gone for a day or so. It was sitting in the center of a large plant stand where every spring and summer it's surrounded by life, including my miniature jade bonsai. That served as my seasonal altar as I often sit on the porch and meditate in good weather.
At about the same time, there was yet another Watchtower left in our door. Not saying it's related, but the statue was a chipped, cheap plaster one not worth a penny. Someone took the effort to walk onto our property, onto our porch, and carry off a fairly large statue while knowing someone might pop out the door or pull into the drive. It took determination and a sense of duty, didn't it? Of course, it was still theft. But when has a commandment against it stopped anyone from their holy mission?
I believe we have yet another statue sacrificed to the intolerance of others. Shame. Now I have to find another one same size to fit the shelf.
I love to alter my altar, I am an altar-boy at heart . . .
Here is one of my mantelpiece altars, some of the Buddhist icons you will be familiar with, the Shakyamuni Buddha who lost his body, Kwan Yin, Hotei the Taoist Maityreya and Daisy the flower Bodhi.
Also present are tantric/paisley designs, Indra web doilies, crystal earth Buddhas, the reflection of the pure dharma mirror, the vase of empty teachings, the butterfly mind, the champagne glass of death etc.
Buddha bandits .... :grumble: ...
I love how they consider our little Buddha statues to be "idle worship" but they've no problem with that bleeding Jesus on the Cross they have at the front of their churches. Or heck, just even a regular Cross sans Jesus...I always thought that was ironic....a carpenter nailed to wood...
Then there is that issue of the Ten Commandments in front of a court house - You'd think Christians would want something Christian in front of the court house, due to the fact "we're a Christian nation." Last I knew, the Ten Commandments was a Hebrew thing. BUT I guess its okay if they've their own idles to worship.
I have a Hematite Buddha necklace I wear when I go out. Just the other day there were some Christians handing out little pamphlets outside of Wal-mart. Now they were very happy to hand their little pamphlets out to everyone I saw leaving Wal-mart, except me. Now I think - they might've seen my necklace.
I didn't know whether to be happy they didn't preach at me, or bummed out because I didn't get a pamphlet!
For those that are curious, here is a photo of my necklace: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=191114370667&var=490289618364&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en
Though when I bought mine, I didn't see a smiling Buddha one...Just might have to order that one...