Family Altar

[pgdharma]

The gentle voice said to the boy, "It does not matter whether the altar is big and grand with lots of offerings or small with minimal offerings. Offered up whatever you can sincerely from your heart as that is the best offerings. What is important is your dharma practice, have a pure and virtuous mind and apply what you learn into your daily life and you will be fine. A paper cut out image of a Buddha is equivalent to a statue. It is a representation of my body."

[negra orquida]

Most of you got it right the gentle voice told the boy “You must remember that it is not the size of the altar nor the richness of it that is important. It is the minds and hearts of the person who stands before it. Buddha is happy just to know you are faithful.”

how tricky it is, that even making offerings to the Buddhas could fuel our miserliness and/or our ego!

i read somewhere that altars are important and very useful in our practice, however it is a means to an end and we should not be attached to our altars either.

[rossoneri]

The main function that we have an altar set up in our home is to remind us that we shouldn't forget our spiritual commitments since we the lay people bound to have other secular responsibilities. It is not a must to have a big and beautiful ones, it really depends on one particular financial capability. Start by setting up a small and simple altar and practice with sincerity and seriously. When we could afford something nicer and better, by all means do offer. With this attitude implant in our mind it'll help us to cut down our miserliness. I truly believe our offerings and statues will eventually grew.