THE TIBETAN ALTAR
Snow Lion has received many calls over the years from
individuals wanting to purchase items for their altars. To
help answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the
proper arrangement and significance of Tibetan Buddhist altars, Snow
Lion's Gail Birnbaum recently met with the Venerable Tenzin Yignyen
of Namgyal Monastery who has offered the following guidelines for
setting up an altar and making proper offerings.
Why Have
an Altar? A proper altar holds images or
representations of the Buddha's enlightened body, speech and mind
which serve as reminders of the goal of Buddhist practice-to develop
these qualities in oneself so as to be able to fully benefit all
sentient beings. The reason for setting up an altar is not
for fame, for showing off wealth, or to increase pride, but rather
it is to reduce one's mental afflictions and to seek the ability to
help all sentient beings.
Where to Place the
Altar The best place for an altar is in a separate
shrine room, but if you live in a small place and cannot set aside a
separate room for worship, any room can be used. The size of
the altar is not mportant, but it should be in a clean and
respectful place, higher than the level of your head as you site
facing it. If it is in your bedroom, the altar should be
placed near the head of your bed, never at the foot, and it should
be higher than the bed. The altar should be either on a
separate shelf or on a table set aside for this purpose that does
not double as a coffee table or night stand.
The
Objects and What They Represent A proper Buddhist
altar holds symbols of enlightened body, speech and mind,
traditionally represented by displaying a statue or photo of Buddha
Shakyamuni, a scriptue, and a stupa. At the very least, the
altar should hold an image of Buddha Shakyamuni, the found and
source of the teachings in our time.
Regarding the placement of the
images, it is important that Shakyamuni Buddha be the central
figure. Other images are not requisite, but if you have them place
them around the central figure in this order: root lamas, yidams
(highest yoga tantra deities, performance tantra deities, then
action tantra deities), dakinis, and finally protector
deities. The order of the arrangement is never by the quality
of the material or the artistry. Often it is better to have
only a few images, as too many can be distracting.
The scripture representing the
speech of the Buddha does not need to be written in Tibetan or
Sanskrit, but can be in any language. It can be the Heart
Sutra if you wish to represent all the teachings of Buddha, or
it can be a special scripture related to your practice. If the
altar consists of three or more levels, the scripture should be
placed highest on the altar, above the Buddha statue. If the
altar is on one level, the order should be, from left to right:
scripture, Buddha, stupa.
The mind of the Buddha is
traditionally represented by a stupa of enlightenment, but you need
not go out and buy a costly silver or gold one. A photograph
or a clay model is perfectly acceptable. The stupa should be
placed to the right of the Buddha image, or below the Buddha if the
altar consists of several levels.
The objects on the altar also
represent the Three Jewels of Refuge. If there is only a
statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, think that it represents all Three
Jewels. If there is also a scripture and a stupa, think that
the stupa represents the Buddha Jewel, the scripture represents the
Dharma Jewel, and the image of the Buddha represents the Sangha
Jewel.
It is important to keep in mind
that the objects on the altar serve as a means for directing one's
mind to the Buddha and the Buddha's enlightened qualities, which one
aspires to emulate for others' benefit. In maintaining an
altar one is trying to cultivate the qualities of the Buddha-his
enlightened body, his enlightened speech and his enlightened
mind. By remembering these qualities and aspiring to develop
them, one reduces the negative qualities of attachment, hatred and
ignorance, and increases positive qualities like faith, respect,
devotion, and rejoicing.
Making
Offerings There is no limitations to what can be
offered, and there are many levels of offering. In general,
one can offer any pleasing object, particularly objects pleasing to
the five senses-form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. In the
Tibetan Buddhist tradition it is customary to offer seven bowls of
water which represent the seven limbs of prayer prostrating,
offering, confession, rejoicing in the good qualities of oneself and
others, requesting the buddhas to remain in this world, beseeching
them to teach others, and dedicating the merits. Flowers,
candles or butterlamps,a and incense are also commonly
offered. It is customary to offer a part of every meal on the
altar before eating and a portion of tea before drinking. The
things to be offered should be clean, new and pleasing. Food
should be of only the best part, fresh, and clean-never old,
leftover, or spoiled food.
It is best to offer things that
you already have or can obtain without difficulty. Don't
think that you have to deceive others in order to get offering
materials-they should not come from stealing, cheating or hurting
others in any way. Rather, they should be honestly
obtained. In fact, it is better not to offer things that were
obtained in even a slightly negative way.
As you make offerings, think that
what your are offering is in nature you own good qualities and your
practice, although it appears in the form of external offering
object.s These external offerings should not be imagined as
limited to the actual objects on the altar, but should be seen as
vast in number, as extensive as space. Offer food with the
wish that all beings relieved of hunger, and offer water with the
wish that all beings be relieved of thirst. It is important to
think that the deities accept the offerings, enjoy them, and are
pleased. Think that by making these offerings all beings are
purified of their negative edge of the ultimate nature of reality is
satisfied. The purpose of
making offerings is to accumulate merit and in particular to develop
and increase the mind of generosity and to reduce stinginess and
miserliness. By making offerings you also create the causes
for the future results of becoming naturally and spontaneously
generous.
Placing Offerings on
the Altar If you have the space, place the
offerings a little lower than the objects of refuge on your
altar. When you awaken in
the morning, it is customary to wash at least your face before
approaching the altar to offer prostrations and then offerings-this
is a sign of respect for the object represented there. One is
making offerings as if one is accepting a dignitary or a great being
into one's home, and it is important to be gracious and
respectful
To offer water on your altar, you
should have a minimum of seven bowls. Start with fresh water
every day. The bowls should be clean. Pour a little
water into each bowl before placing it on the altar. Place the
bowls in a straight line, close together but not touching. The
distance between the bowls is traditionally measured by the width of
a grain of wheat. The bowls should be filled up to the space
of a grain's width from the top-neither too little nor too
much. Pour water like the shape of a wheat grain-in a thin
stream at first, then gradually more, then tapering off at the
end. Try not to breathe on the offerings.
If you have a butter lamp, you can
place it on your altar between the third and fourth water
bowls. Lamps or candles symbolize wisdom, eliminating the
darkness of ignorance. In Tibetan monasteries hundreds of
lamps are lit as offerings. There is really no limit to the
quantity of either water bowls or lamps.
Blessing the
Offerings After pouring the water, lighting
candles and offering incense, bless the offerings by dipping a piece
of kusha grass (or a tree twig) into the water, reciting three times
Om Ah Hum (the seed syllables of the Buddha's body, speech
and mind), and then sprinkling the offerings with water.
Visualize that the offerings are blessed.
Dedication Whether
external offerings become pure or not, or whether they become a
cause for good rebirth in the next life, a cause to achieve
liberation, or a cause to achieve enlightenment to benefit all
beings depends on one's motivations and dedication.
Dedication is crucial. It will not exhaust or limit one's
store of merit but will multiply and increase it. It is
excellent to dedicate the merit of making offerings to the
elimination of suffering and its causes from all beings, to their
achievement of lasting happiness, and to world peace.
Removing the
Offerings At the end f the day, before or at
sunset, empty the bowls one by one, dry them with a clean cloth and
stack them upside down or put them away. Never leave empty
bowls right side up on the altar. The water is not simply
thrown away but offered to the plants in your house or in the
garden. Food and flowers should also be put in a clean place
outside where birds and animals can eat them. Bowls of fruit
can be left on the altar for a few days and can then be eaten when
they come down-there is no need to put them outside.
**Most of the items you may need
for your altar are available from Snow Lion in the Dharma Items
section. |