More on Buddhist Altar and Chanting

Note: Another post I wrote before the Japan Earthquake, which I decided to leave here, for reasons I explain below.

In recent weeks, this post I wrote two years ago about Buddhist chanting and altars has been a popular read, and I wanted to revisit the subject. Also, with the stress and worry people feel right now about the tragedy in Japan, this is something Buddhists, or people in general, are welcome to try at home.

The home altar hasn’t changed much over the years, though we live in Seattle again:

This is the same altar, but now sitting inside an IKEA bookshelf we have at home. My wife’s books are in the background. Lately, I’ve changed the central image to a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha:

I have my reasons, but I’ll talk about it in another post. Also, I may change yet again, but for now, I like the updated altar.

Anyhow, this is to demonstrate that a home Buddhist altar can be something very simple. Here you can see:

• The central image/statue: Amida Buddha in the first photo, Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the second.
• On the left is a small bell. Bells are an important part of Buddhist culture. The BCA Bookstore is one of many places that can provide these if you need one.
• In the front is a small plate for offerings. Typical offerings include fruit, flowers, rice (or bread for Westerners) and so on. Incense could go here too. Meat and alcohol are discouraged.
• Also, sometimes people offer water or tea in a cup. I have a small cup of water on the right which I tend to clean out and refill daily. This could be replaced with a candle too, or a combination.

Additionally, Buddhists will often have some type of rosary (o-nenju in Japanese, お念珠). It’s not required at all, but again helps focus the mind.

For chanting, this can vary depending on one’s tradition. This can take the form of reciting the name of a Buddha (called nembutsu), a mantra, or a small verse or sutra. The Heart Sutra is probably one of the most universal sutras recited. I tend to recite it pretty frequently, sometimes more than once per sitting (it’s kind of short). More on that in a later post.

One might ask: why go to so much trouble to make an altar? Buddhism is about giving up desire, right?

In the Dhammapada, is the famous verse (trans. by Ven. Acharya Buddharakkhita):

183. To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Having an altar and chanting are two very common lay Buddhist practices for cultivating good within one’s mind, and cleansing of things like anger, greed and ignorance. Ven. Yin-Shun writes in The Way to Buddhahood (trans. Dr. Wing H. Yeung, M.D.):

Following this method [being mindful of a Buddha or Bodhisattva] can lead toward superior world-transcending dhyāna contemplation and thereby further leads to enlightenment. On a more superficial level, being mindful of a buddha acts as repentance for one’s karmic obstructions and as a means to gather good roots. (pg. 259)

Rev. Tagawa of the Hossō/Yogacara school in Japan explains in Living Yogacara while discussing applied practice in daily life (trans. Prof. A. Charles Muller):

Applied practice refers to this kind of maintenance of continual mindfulness. For instance, in the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra the term constant mindfulness appears often, advising one to be continuously mindful of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. As a result, the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara is gradually impressed strongly into the mind’s innermost depths, and the mindfulness of Avalokiteśvara is accumulated in the ālaya-vijñāna [store-house consciousness]. We develop a focused spiritual power, which becomes a support and foundation for future practices. (pg. 42)

Thus, even a small altar, and even a few verses recited, if done over the long-term provides a foundation and focus for one’s spiritual power, one’s progress in the Buddhist path, and a foundation for those around you. In the daily humdrum of life, chanting also provides a means of settling the mind, and also stops harmful trains of thought from repeating themselves. You stop adding fuel to the fire, in other words. Also, as Rev. Tagawa mentions, it leaves a positive impression on the mind, like a piece of cloth being dyed over and over again. If you do it a little, the cloth changes color a little. If you do it more, over a long period of time, the cloth has a much deeper color.

Most people equate Buddhism with meditation, but meditation is often traditionally been a monastic-oriented practice, or at least a practice done under the supervision of a priest or bhikkhu (monk). It’s harder than you might think, and really does need a mentor or teacher to make the most of it, though if you can do it, go for it! But for many, chanting and recitation have been more commonly-seen practices in Buddhism, because of their accessibility and straightforward nature. One does not exclude the other, but Buddhist practices in Asia (including Japan among many others) have evolved certain ways for good reason.