what to do with my buddha statue

Channah108

Hi there,

sorry to ask another question.. but i have so many

I feel like maybe im beggining to make a transition from ''hindu'' to Buddhist.. Im not totally sure yet, but in the last few weeks ive been reading a lot , as well as starting a daily morning meditation routine that ive found really helpfull.

Everything ive learned about Buddha and Buddhism so far, has been beneficial to me in one way or another...

Im a big believer in going where my instincts take me, and id like to carry on exploring buddhism and my interest in it..

so to get to my question, i have an old, sligtly damaged statue of Buddha that i picked up from a charity shop ages ago... for some reason ive hung on to it...

Id like to maybe use it as a focal point for my prayers and meditation, but i dont know how to ''worship'' it or set up a worship routine .. does that make sense ??

in the temple i go to - deities are offered food and flowers and incense etc several times a day.. i dont expect to do anything so complex, but id like to know if there is any basic thing i could or should be doing alongside my mediation ??

Also i have meditation beads that id like to start using.. maybe chanting a mantra on them or something.. are there any reccomendations for what i should chant and how many rounds i should / could chant each day as a supplement to my meditation ??

sorry to ask so much in one go but i didnt want to be cheeky and post loads of questions separatly..

please forgive my ignorance on all topics, im coming from a Hare Krishna perspective so everything kind of is being related back to that when it comes to things im not sure of ...

thanks for any help you can give me.

Dazzle

Hello Channah108,

You will probably feel comfortable with Tibetan Buddhism as you are approaching Buddhism from a Hindu background.

This site (although an online shop) is owned by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners and has 2 articles about making a shrine in the section called 'Tibetan Buddhism' which might be helpful to you. The one about a very simple shrine is in the schools section.

http://www.garudatrading.com/enter.html

There's also some information there about malas (beads)

Kind wishes to you,

Dazzle

LesC

Buddhists don't worship The Buddha in the traditional sense of the word. I have my statue on one of the shelves of my computer desk in my den, where I do my meditation. At work I have a couple of Buddhas given to me by co-workers (yes one of them is the "fat guy" - I didn't have the heart to tell the co-worker he's not the real Buddha), and they just sit on my desk keeping me company during the day.

jinzang

The usual way to pay respect to a statue of the Buddha is to do three prostrations before it while reciting the refuge prayer.

Kikujiro

I don't know very much about anything but, I only have my statue here because I like the look of it and it helps remind me of the path.

LesC

Then it's doing its job!