Shrine in Multipurpose Room

Pictures of revered teachers, places, rupas, temples, bhikkhus, shrine rooms etc. that bring inspiration to our members. Pilgrimage advice, devotion etc.
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zakkenroller
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Location: Napa, CA

Shrine in Multipurpose Room

Post by zakkenroller »

Hello all,

Recently built a Finnish sauna in my backyard. Part of my goal was to build a sauna, and also a small kind of hut where I could meditate outside of sauna times. I designed and built a little cedar recess that I intended to use as a shrine.

A practitioner on another online forum commented that we weren't supposed to be unclothed before a buddha rupa however. (As a side note, in Finn culture, the Sauna is a protected space itself. Many values overlap, respect for the space, quietness, etc.)

All that said, this is my meditation space. It's a quiet, separate, special place in my home. Given the criticism above, I'm trying to use Bhikkhu Khantipalo's lay practice book as a guide.

My question is, what steps can I take to render sufficient veneration to the shrine and buddharupa? Shall I put small doors on my shrine to close during sauna times?

Not trying to be flippant, but it seems a shame that we can't have the buddharupa's company during our family saunas!

Metta,

-Aric
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Sam Vara
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Location: Portsmouth, U.K.

Re: Shrine in Multipurpose Room

Post by Sam Vara »

zakkenroller wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:52 pm Hello all,

Recently built a Finnish sauna in my backyard. Part of my goal was to build a sauna, and also a small kind of hut where I could meditate outside of sauna times. I designed and built a little cedar recess that I intended to use as a shrine.

A practitioner on another online forum commented that we weren't supposed to be unclothed before a buddha rupa however. (As a side note, in Finn culture, the Sauna is a protected space itself. Many values overlap, respect for the space, quietness, etc.)

All that said, this is my meditation space. It's a quiet, separate, special place in my home. Given the criticism above, I'm trying to use Bhikkhu Khantipalo's lay practice book as a guide.

My question is, what steps can I take to render sufficient veneration to the shrine and buddharupa? Shall I put small doors on my shrine to close during sauna times?

Not trying to be flippant, but it seems a shame that we can't have the buddharupa's company during our family saunas!

Metta,

-Aric
Interesting question. My view is that the Buddha himself had no view regarding this, and that the idea that one should not be unclothed before a Buddha-rupa is a cultural convention which developed in Buddhist societies and communities long after his death/parinibbana. You might find it useful to adopt that cultural convention if you are following a distinctively (?) Thai practice, because it fits in nicely. On the other hand, if you are not particularly interested in those cultural conventions then I can imagine it could all seem rather phoney for a Westerner to undertake some solemn little ritual of closing doors or drawing curtains just because someone else with different values told you it was the "right" thing to do. As he advised meditators to imagine their own viscera and corpse in stages of decay, I doubt that he himself would have been offended by a modern American with no clothes on.

A "middle way" approach suggests that you might want to make some effort to remind yourself that - for you personally - the Buddha-rupa is something special which plays a significant part in your life. I don't know its size, but would it be possible to keep the statue elsewhere, and carefully carry it into the room before you start the meditation session or puja? I know people who have had a portable shrine which they unpack and set up as part of their preparation for sitting. Alternatively, could you perform the puja and offerings before the Buddha-rupa elsewhere in your house, and then retire to the sauna for a quiet sit? There's no canonical reason why you can't separate the two like this, if the alternatives don't feel quite right.
SarathW
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Re: Shrine in Multipurpose Room

Post by SarathW »

If you read Satipathana Sutta, you find that mindfulness should be exercised while defecating and urinating.
So it is very clear, that you can practice meditation naked in person provided others are not around.
Furthermore, when going forward & returning, he makes himself fully alert; when looking toward & looking away... when bending & extending his limbs... when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe & his bowl... when eating, drinking, chewing, & savoring... when urinating & defecating... when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, & remaining silent, he makes himself fully alert.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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zakkenroller
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:11 am
Location: Napa, CA

Re: Shrine in Multipurpose Room

Post by zakkenroller »

Sam Vara wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:38 pm
zakkenroller wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:52 pm Hello all,

Recently built a Finnish sauna in my backyard. Part of my goal was to build a sauna, and also a small kind of hut where I could meditate outside of sauna times. I designed and built a little cedar recess that I intended to use as a shrine.

A practitioner on another online forum commented that we weren't supposed to be unclothed before a buddha rupa however. (As a side note, in Finn culture, the Sauna is a protected space itself. Many values overlap, respect for the space, quietness, etc.)

All that said, this is my meditation space. It's a quiet, separate, special place in my home. Given the criticism above, I'm trying to use Bhikkhu Khantipalo's lay practice book as a guide.

My question is, what steps can I take to render sufficient veneration to the shrine and buddharupa? Shall I put small doors on my shrine to close during sauna times?

Not trying to be flippant, but it seems a shame that we can't have the buddharupa's company during our family saunas!

Metta,

-Aric
Interesting question. My view is that the Buddha himself had no view regarding this, and that the idea that one should not be unclothed before a Buddha-rupa is a cultural convention which developed in Buddhist societies and communities long after his death/parinibbana. You might find it useful to adopt that cultural convention if you are following a distinctively (?) Thai practice, because it fits in nicely. On the other hand, if you are not particularly interested in those cultural conventions then I can imagine it could all seem rather phoney for a Westerner to undertake some solemn little ritual of closing doors or drawing curtains just because someone else with different values told you it was the "right" thing to do. As he advised meditators to imagine their own viscera and corpse in stages of decay, I doubt that he himself would have been offended by a modern American with no clothes on.

A "middle way" approach suggests that you might want to make some effort to remind yourself that - for you personally - the Buddha-rupa is something special which plays a significant part in your life. I don't know its size, but would it be possible to keep the statue elsewhere, and carefully carry it into the room before you start the meditation session or puja? I know people who have had a portable shrine which they unpack and set up as part of their preparation for sitting. Alternatively, could you perform the puja and offerings before the Buddha-rupa elsewhere in your house, and then retire to the sauna for a quiet sit? There's no canonical reason why you can't separate the two like this, if the alternatives don't feel quite right.
Thank you. Middle way is a good reminder. As a relatively new dhamma follower, I've been trying over the last year or so to shed my former Western "Secular Buddhist" identification and hew to a practice more grounded in a recognized tradition. Specifically aiming at a Theravadan practice.

I discovered "Lay Buddhist Practice" by Bhikkhu Khantipalo, and it seems to have a pretty comprehensive guide to setting up a shrine. I like the focus on maintaining respect for the buddharupa and the daily ritual as a way of reinforcing one's dhamma practice.

Anyway, I'm working on finding that middle way between westernized navel gazing practice and empty ritual. Thanks for your suggestions!
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