fbpx
43.3 F
Spokane
Thursday, November 14, 2024
spot_img
HomeCommentaryAskAsk A Buddhist: Shrines in my home

Ask A Buddhist: Shrines in my home

Date:

Related stories

Where does my help come from?

Find inspiration and comfort in the words of Psalm 121:1-2. Discover the source of help and support in your life.

Poem: The Great Letting Go

Experience the beauty of letting go in nature's autumn display. A poem by Christi Ortiz celebrating the vivid colors and graceful transition of the season.

Military veterans are disproportionately affected by suicide

Combatting the epidemic: Understanding the high rate of suicide among veterans and working toward prevention.

Loving Thy Neighbor in a Politically Divided World: Bridging the Gap Beyond the Yard Signs

Read the story behind the 'Harris for President' sign in Tracy Simmons' yard. Join the conversation on the intersection of journalism, values and political expression.

A tale of two states: Hope and progress vs. the hate and fear of Christian nationalism

Uncover the threat of Christian nationalism discussed at a recent conference. Explore the impact and implications of this ideology and why coalitions are important.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img

What do you want to ask a Buddhist? Fill out the form below or submit your question online.

Is it inappropriate to have shrines to people in my home?

The purpose of a Buddhist shrine or altar is to remind us of our objects of refuge—the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha— and also of our potential to attain Buddhahood by actualizing the Dharma through practice. The central figure of a shrine is typically the historical Buddha Shakyamuni represented by a statue, picture or thanka of him. The Dharma he taught is represented by a Buddhist sutra, text or commentary. And the Sangha is represented by a stupa. Sometimes practitioners include photos of their main teachers on their shrine, but it is not appropriate to include photos of family, friends, pets or non-Buddhist teachers on a Buddhist shrine.

After a loved one dies, Asian Buddhists often set up a small shrine with a photo of their dear one with a few momentos in their home. Sometimes they will put a statue or picture of the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha on that shrine, because this bodhisattva with compassion looks over beings born in the lower realms. This small shrine is separate from the larger altar for the Three Jewels—the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

I hope this answers your question. If not, please write again with more specifics.

Ven. Tenzin Tsepal
Ven. Tenzin Tsepal
Venerable Tenzin Tsepal met Venerable Thubten Chodron, founder of Sravasti Abbey, in Seattle and studied Buddhism with her from 1995 to 1999. During that time, Venerable Tsepal attended the Life as a Western Buddhist Nun conference in Bodhgaya, India in 1996 as a lay supporter. An interest in ordination surfaced after she completed a three-month meditation retreat in 1998. She lived in India for two years while continuing to explore monastic life. In 2001, she received sramanerika (novice) ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. While Venerable Tsepal was in India, some Australians friends introduced her to the 5 year Buddhist Studies Program at Chenrezig Institute (CI) north of Brisbane, Queensland, where she subsequently lived and engaged in intensive residential study from 2002-2015. As the Western Teacher at CI, she tutored weekend teachings and retreats, and taught the Discovering Buddhism courses. Prior to ordaining, Venerable Tsepal completed a degree in Dental Hygiene, and then pursued graduate school in hospital administration at the University of Washington. Not finding happiness in 60 hour work weeks, she was self-employed for 10 years as a Reiki teacher and practitioner. Now a member of the resident community at Sravasti Abbey, Venerable Tsepal is compiling and editing the many years of Venerable Chodron’s teachings on monastic training as well as leading a review on the Buddhist philosophical tenets for the residents.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img

3 COMMENTS

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
beast
4 years ago

I want to share with you a very interesting prophecy going around the web concerning the RFID chip and the Mark of the Beast from Revelation 13:16-18.

We are on the horizon of the future of a cashless money society and RFID Microchip technology is on the rise. You need to see this! It is staggering how accurate the Bible is concerning this RFID technology with the Mark of the Beast. It is right on!

Also, this article shares the hidden message behind the number 666 with compelling calculations that line up with the Bible.

Click here to read the article: https://www.biblefreedom.com/rfid-mark-revealed

Valrie Birnie
4 years ago

Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My site addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!|

Daron Tiedemann
4 years ago

Hi, I do believe this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to return yet again since i have book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.|

3
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x