Have you ever wondered ... How to set up an Altar?

by Cathy Young [re-published from previous GGBC newsletter]

Why set up an altar?

Our altars are set up to hold representations of the Buddha's enlightened body, speech and mind, which act to remind us of our goal in Buddhist practice to develop these qualities in oneself in order to reduce our mental afflictions and seek the ability to help all sentient beings.

Where do I set up my altar?


Since most of us do not have a separate shrine room for our practice, set your altar up anywhere that feels right.

Here are a few guidelines:

• The spot should be clean and respectful.
• When first setting up your altar it is good to clean the area really well and burn incense to purify it.
• The size of the altar is not important.
• Place the altar so it sits higher than your head as you sit in front of it.
• If you put your altar in the bedroom, don't place it at the foot of the bed (where your feet would be pointing to it). It also needs to be higher than the bed.
• The altar needs its own shelf or table; it should not do double duty with anything else.
• The altar should be cleaned/dusted each day and kept very neat.
• Offerings should/could be made daily.

What do I place on the altar and what do they represent?

At the heart of the altar place representations of the Buddha's body, speech and mind.

Buddha's enlightened body... represented by a statue. Usually Shakyamuni, the founder and source of the teachings of our time.
Buddha's enlightened speech... represented by some sort of scripture. It can be any sort of Dharma text. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends placing a copy of the Sutra of Golden Light on our altars.
Buddha's enlightened mind... represented by the Stupa of Enlightenment.

• The statue of the Buddha is placed in the middle of the altar.
• The scripture or Dharma text is placed to the left of the Buddha.
• The Stupa of Enlightenment is placed to the right of the Buddha.

If you can elevate these three pieces so that the offerings sit below them, great. These three objects on the altar represent the Three Jewels of Refuge. By remembering their qualities and developing them, we reduce the negative qualities of attachment, hatred and ignorance, and increase positive qualities like faith, respect, devotion, and rejoicing.

References:

• Virtual Tour of Tibetan Buddhist Altar 
• Tibetan Altar, Snow Lion, Gail Birnbaum
• The Preliminary Practice of Altar Set-Up and Water Bowl Offerings, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche