home altar

[Tai Shi]

My alter has since changed--more electric candles, batteries as my wife is afraid of burning our home down, and still I have one small real candle with a cover for when I am over with meditation. The incense I burn in very small amounts. So I'm moving in the direction of simplicity. I have included a very small computer (netbook) so I might be in touch with Sangha, Treeleaf.

Elgwyn
sat today

Gassho.

[Jinyo]

Your altar is beautiful Ralf

Willow

sat today

[Kotei]

Oh wow, you're so kind.
Thank you all very much!

Clarisse,
actually, this was a small, unused spare room, in a small building, separate from the house. Sounds very similar to your description.
I know, I am very lucky, that there was such a room, already build out of this old oak, we found in Austria.

Martyn,
It had to be a little bigger for the small, but empty room. No boys and dogs over here, but two large cats, who would knock over the flowers in a min, if I would let them in.

There is enough room, for the very few people of our (just forming) local sitting group, so from time to time, my miniature "Zendo" gets more visitors and they also seem to like it.
Maybe it's not only the longer exposure times in the pics that makes the impression ;-).

Gassho,
Ralf sattoday.

[Dosho]

Ralf,

I'm beginning to sound like a cranky old man, but a couple things:

Never place the rakusu on the floor as it should always be on a high shelf. Since it still needs the back piece, it is technically still rags. But best to start putting it away properly at this point.

And it's not your rakusu, nor is the one I wear my rakusu. No one owns the rakusu. We are merely the current caretaker.

That said, it is a truly beautiful altar.

Gassho,
Dosho

Hello,
today, I took pictures of my to-be Rakusu for the sewing thread and also took the opportunity to take a picture of my Altar.
I thought of this thread and the inspiring pictures and stories. Thanks for posting those!
During Ango, I am spending more time in front of the Altar and it gets more and more personal.
So, this is, what the ever-changing things look like now:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3063[/ATTACH]

There are always fresh flowers/branches from the garden.
A Manjushri statue,
standing on a turned tablet, that was used 10 years for serving my wife coffee, before it got replaced with a bigger one.
A candle made of beeswax from the bees, living in my garden.
Incense bowls for burning sticks and wood.

Gassho,
Ralf Sattoday.

[Byokan]

Cranky Dosho,

thank you for the cranky reminder! I remember Taigu also saying the same thing on the video, but I had forgotten this.

Gassho
Lisa
sat today

[Jundo]

Ralf,

I'm beginning to sound like a cranky old man, but a couple things:

Never place the rakusu on the floor as it should always be on a high shelf. Since it still needs the back piece, it is technically still rags. But best to start putting it away properly at this point.

And it's not your rakusu, nor is the one I wear my rakusu. No one owns the rakusu. We are merely the current caretaker.

That said, it is a truly beautiful altar.

Gassho,
Dosho

Thank you for the beautiful reminder, Dosho. Yes.

One point about the photo, however. Since the Altar is sitting on a small, raised piece of Tatami, I would say that is not the floor, as it is not a Tatami to walk or sit on, but a kind of clean platform which is part of the Altar. So, this is fine. You would not place it somewhere one walks or sits, like the surrounding wooden floor, without a cloth or the like underneath.



Not more than common sense respectful behavior. I would do the same with a received gift, a flag, or a picture of your mother or the like. One does not put them on the floor where we walk out of respect.

Gassho, J

SatToday (on a Zafu on Tatami)

[Joyo]

Ralf,

I'm beginning to sound like a cranky old man, but a couple things:

Never place the rakusu on the floor as it should always be on a high shelf. Since it still needs the back piece, it is technically still rags. But best to start putting it away properly at this point.

And it's not your rakusu, nor is the one I wear my rakusu. No one owns the rakusu. We are merely the current caretaker.

That said, it is a truly beautiful altar.

Gassho,
Dosho

Dosho, you do. I don't think it is necessary to say this to Ralf in the first place. Let him share without correcting him. You often come across like you think you are better than the rest of us here.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today (have you sat today, Dosho? Because I've noticed everyone else on Treeleaf posts this but you, and I wonder why, as you are an Unsui here)

[Byokan]

Dosho, you do. I don't think it is necessary to say this to Ralf in the first place. Let him share without correcting him. You often come across like you think you are better than the rest of us here.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today (have you sat today, Dosho? Because I've noticed everyone else on Treeleaf posts this but you, and I wonder why, as you are an Unsui here)

Sounds like a good topic for the Precepts VIII thread

Peace,
Gassho
Lisa
sat today

[Kotei]

Thank you, Dosho.

Don't worry, it's not meant to be the place, I'll put the '"to-be" Rakusu. It's in my sewing box now, together with all the other fabric.
I took pics for the sewing-thread and took the opportunity, to take a picture of the "Altar".
Felt ok, putting the to-be Rakusu there for the pic, BUT...

Maybe I shouldn't have put the Rakusu on the Altar-mat for the pic and should've left it on the Zafu, I made the Rakusu pics on.
Hmm, yes, I shouldn't have put it there, not because being a final place, or the floor, but because of the Rakusu being nothing to be exhibited.
Showing it on the Altar pic is in part about showing the Rakusu around (me being proud).
I do understand what is wrong with that and it hits me more, than putting Altar of Rakusu 'on the floor'.

I also do remember hearing Taigu talking about putting the Rakusu on a high shelf (was it in the last sewing video?).

There is absolutely no furniture in this room. Intentionally. The highest usable flat place is the tablet, the statue is standing on (and the Zafu).
There is nearly no artificial material and the room is kept very clean and calm from a design point of view.
So, placing a table for the Altar and drilling into the old oak from an Austrian family saw-mill on the walls, placing a shelf for the Rakusu, will have to be well thought out.
I've simply tried to make the best (tm) out of what was there, not buying stuff and placing it into the room.

Btw. there is maybe also a language issue in my posting... wrote 'my to-be Rakusu' and did not mean to say 'it will be mine', but 'it will be a Rakusu'.
'My' was referring to 'the one on the pics' and not 'my belonging'.
Should watch my words better... I am usually waiting for a moment, I am not that controlled about what I write, else I'd write nothing at all, being ashamed about my bad english.

Do you remember asking about the direction of the seams? I took the 'better' cam and went into that room because of that.
Tried to do a pic with longer exposure, better light and cam to show it better this time, but was a little carried away by all that photo stuff...

Dosho, I am still learning and thankful for your hints and comments.
Yes, they 'hit' somehow, but that is nothing bad and the agitation of the first second after reading gets replaced by thankfulness and insight really soon.
Somehow this is the reason, why I came to this place after all. Learning. Growing. Hopefully.

There is still about 10m2 of the oak boards left. You made me think about building something for the Altar and an even higher place for the final Rakusu.
Thoughts have to mature a little until the beginning of next year. I promise to report back here, if there are any changes in the beginning of the next year.

Gassho,
Ralf sattoday.

[Anchi]

Wonderful Altar Shingen !

Thank you

Gassho

[Dosho]

Ralf,

I apologize if my comments seemed harsh, but I wanted to make sure others knew the procedure as set out by Taigu in the videos.

To anyone who ever thinks I am being too mean or strict or acting like I'm "all that", please drop me a PM. Anything I say can be the starting point of a conversation. Truly, I am glad to hear about anything that is on your mind.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Joyo]

Ralf,

I apologize if my comments seemed harsh, but I wanted to make sure others knew the procedure as set out by Taigu in the videos.

To anyone who ever thinks I am being too mean or strict or acting like I'm "all that", please drop me a PM. Anything I say can be the starting point of a conversation. Truly, I am glad to hear about anything that is on your mind.

Gassho,
Dosho

Dosho, I apologize for my comments being more harsh than what I intended.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Kairu]

My alter is portable. This little Hotei was given to me by a Hindu friend of mine when I was 16. I remember going to the temple with him and there being a statue of the Buddha in a corner. He explained that the Buddha deserves just as much reverence as other gods.

I turned around to walk away and he told me to walk backwards instead, because we should never turn our back on the gods.

A few days later he gave me little Hotei and told me that I should embody as much joy as him and spread it to others.

When I am able create an alter in the home I'll make sure he sits next to a rock my daughter painted a cat face on. [emoji1]



Kyle,
Sat2day.

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[Jundo]

Hi Kyle,

Anything we find beauty and significance in, such as a little gift from a friend or a painted rock, is lovely for an Altar.

Gassho, Jundo

SatToday

PS - Here, by the way, is a little information on "Hotei", the "pudgy Buddha" sometimes said to be Maitreya that is probably best known from Chinese restaurants and such ...

The image of Hotei is almost always seen carrying a cloth or linen sack. It is usually filled with many precious items, including candy for children, food, or the woes of the world. Sometimes it can be filled with children, as they are seen as some of those precious items of this world. In some scenes he may be found sitting on a cart drawn by boys.

The large, fat belly is a symbol of happiness, luck, and generosity.

The name Hotei actually means "cloth bag" or "glutton." A legend has it that if a person is to rub his belly, it brings forth wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

The Laughing Buddha, also known as Hotei in Japan, Pu-Tai in China, embodies the ideals of the good life: health, happiness, prosperity and longevity.

Monks and commercial travelers spread the Buddhist message throughout the East, northward into Afganistan and Tibet, eastward to China and Japan, as well as south into Ceylon and Indonesia. As with any religious message, changes in the nature of Buddhist practice and understanding were inevitable as the religion was absorbed within different cultures.

Scholars have long commented on the contrast between India’s penchant for lofty idealisms as against the Chinese focus on the practicalities of the here-and-now. Over the centuries within China, Buddhist notions of happiness based on self-mastery and enlightened insight were fused with popular Chinese life-ideals of happiness through material prosperity.

Iconographers in the 10th century summed up these various elements of happiness in a representation of the fat Laughing Buddha, clutching his prayer beads in one hand and with a bag of gold in the other. The large number of children usually surrounding him illustrates another Chinese virtue - a large family consisting of many children.

Moreover, there is belief, that the Laughing Buddha is in fact modeled on an historical figure, a fat wandering Zen monk named Pu Tai, who possibly claimed to be an incarnation of the future Buddha Maitreya (Chinese Mi-lo-fo; Japanese Miroku). One poem attributed to him reads:

Mi-lo, true Mi-lo
Reborn innumerable times
From time to time manifested to men
The men of the age do not recognize you

More here ...

http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/hotei_pu_tai_maitreya_all_known_as_the_laughing_buddha/

[Kairu]

Jundo,

Does this mean that even my 1970 Incredible Hulk lunchbox passed down from father to son is acceptable? Also, I was wondering if it's appropriate to have pictures of those who are still alive. I'd like to individually frame pictures of the temple's linage (teachers), but don't know if that would be weird or not. Better to say; I don't know how you and Taigu would feel about having your picture on my alter, as well as past (or in this case, passed) teachers.

Gassho,
Kyle.

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