Teachings
Home Altars
during the Pandemic
CREATING A HOME ALTAR
If you do not currently have an altar, this time of social isolation, when we find ourselves at home far more than usual, might be the perfect time to create one.
I love my home altars and have many scattered throughout my house. Some are quite elaborate and others are very simple and I appreciate the opportunity to care for each one. This month I created an altar in gratitude to my dear dog Jake, who I recently lost. It is a sweet altar with a fun picture of the two of us, a candle, flowers and his collar. i miss him so much….
The first altar I ever created many years ago was made of a variety of things I found in nature- flowers, sea shells, birchwood bark, empty bee hives, the wings of a monarch butterfly that I found on the ground, fallen bird nests, and feathers.
*Think elements - earth, wind, fire, and water. Elements on your altar might be candles, flowers or water bowls, incense, or potted plants. Your altar may also have an image of Buddha or Kwan Yin. I offer everything on my altar gratefully to them. Perhaps family photos would bring peace and love to your altar.
As I recall offerings such as fruit are made in three(s). The pieces of fruit and/or three types of fruit. But don’t worry about rules so much. The only rule I have is adding something that touches my heart and reminds me of the inter-connectedness of all beings. It is a solid place of zen practice and reminds me to grateful and compassionate.
Below are photographs of some of Udumbara members' home altars.
In deep gassho
Holocaust Remembrance
75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
January 2020
My pilgrimage to Auschwitz and Birkenau was 10 years ago. At that time I created an art journal titled Do You Remember? Today, as part of my continuing vow, I share this journal with you.
Yes, we remember (click here). By Sensei Tricia
75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
January 2020
My pilgrimage to Auschwitz and Birkenau was 10 years ago. At that time I created an art journal titled Do You Remember? Today, as part of my continuing vow, I share this journal with you.
Yes, we remember (click here). By Sensei Tricia
"Although it is not fabricated it is not without speech. It is like facing a jewel mirror. Form and image behold each other. You are not it. It actually is you."
Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi- Tozan Ryokai
Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi- Tozan Ryokai
