Questions on Altar...

[Jangchup Donden]

As you grew so did the altar? That's pretty interesting... I hope to be the same one day...

Same thing happened with mine. Almost everything on it was a gift. I started with just a couple pictures of my teacher and the Buddha put in frames.

I'm always very curious but what school are you part of? I find it very interesting.

I'm a Tibetan Buddhist, the Karma Kagyu school in particular.

[alpha]

The mice eat my rice

Is there a solution against mice apart from genocide

[PadmaVonSamba]

The mice eat my rice

Is there a solution against mice apart from genocide

Two solutions:
1. tell Buddha to eat faster.
2. If you want to offer something "foody" use something that the mice won't eat, like bran or seed husks or some other part of the plant. I know someone who uses crumpled up pine needles.

I just use water in bowls.

[alpha]

Hello friend.

I cant see any Buddha.
In fact i cant see anything.

I will follow your advice and you something that mice dont eat.
I can probably use wood chips...What do you think?

[kalden yungdrung]

The mice eat my rice

Is there a solution against mice apart from genocide

Tashi delek,

Take some cat dung and piss and throw it on those spots where there would be mice.
Other solution would be to take a cat as a house animal, because of the smell of a cat the mice will not return.

I don't suggest here that the cat must hunt on the mice, but merely that the presence of the cat would be enough

Mutsog Marro
KY

[alpha]

unfortunately i can get a cat because i have dogs...

[Chaz]

unfortunately i can get a cat because i have dogs...

There are also humane live traps that don't, or at least shouldn't, harm the rodent physically (I suppose such traps will scare a mouse shitless, though).

You have to take care to remove them far enough from you house (and others, too) so the mouse doesn't return.

There are also sonic mouse repellers - they let out a high-pitched sound that is supposed to send mice running for cover - like in your neighbor's basement. My experience is they don't work so well.

The trick is to get rid of them and ensure that they don't return. Don't leave edibles where a mouse can get to it. If they're robbing your shrine offerings, use offerings that are inedible. Semi-precious stone chips, like those used for mandala offerings would do the trick nicely and would make an appropriate offering.

[kalden yungdrung]

unfortunately i can get a cat because i have dogs...

There are also humane live traps that don't, or at least shouldn't, harm the rodent physically (I suppose such traps will scare a mouse shitless, though).

You have to take care to remove them far enough from you house (and others, too) so the mouse doesn't return.

There are also sonic mouse repellers - they let out a high-pitched sound that is supposed to send mice running for cover - like in your neighbor's basement. My experience is they don't work so well.

The trick is to get rid of them and ensure that they don't return. Don't leave edibles where a mouse can get to it. If they're robbing your shrine offerings, use offerings that are inedible. Semi-precious stone chips, like those used for mandala offerings would do the trick nicely and would make an appropriate offering.

Tashi delek,

Very good that friendly trap. Forgot it and i also made use of it a few years ago.
Yes i did drop the mice a few yards away from my home.

I realy am on 1 line with this kind resolution

Mutsog Marro
KY

[pemachophel]

Alpha,

Get a statue or picture of Ganesh, especially one that is consecrated. I learned this from Chagdud Rinpoche's daughter and it has worked extremely well in my home and shrine room. Also, if you're using uncooked rice in offering bowls as a support for other offerings (such as incense, fruit, etc.), use semiprecious gemstones and pearls -- more merit and mice can't eat them.

Good luck and best wishes.

[tobes]

Lol. I may write it, ill find a suitable English Translation and copy it, i feel like it may be more meaningful than print and ink...
As for copyright i don't think there truly exists a sutra police... If so ill fight them off!!

Well, you can always do as you please. I would offer this: take only what is given.

I don't think anyone will come and take your birthday away, but placing something ill-gotten on your shrine may present obstacles to practice.

I think the idea of spreading the dharma (and its various sutric forms) is far more important to Buddhist practice than trying to preserve some notion of intellectual property rights.

I mean, the Buddha spoke: as far as I'm aware there were no publishers and distributors trying to make a buck out of what he said.

[Adamantine]

The mice eat my rice

Is there a solution against mice apart from genocide

Are you using rice in a mandala offering plate? or in the offering bowls?

If you are doing a mandala plate offering at your shrine you should get a glass or plastic cake-cover to place over it, then the mice can not get to the rice. If you are using rice in your offering bowls, then I suggest using some inexpensive small gemstones instead. I have also seen salt used at temples with mice problems, so you could use salt. But that only works for the offering bowls since the main offering is not the rice, but what you place above the rice or salt in that case. In the mandala plate, since rice is one of the main offerings you should not substitute salt!

[Adamantine]

Alpha,

Get a statue or picture of Ganesh, especially one that is consecrated. I learned this from Chagdud Rinpoche's daughter and it has worked extremely well in my home and shrine room. Also, if you're using uncooked rice in offering bowls as a support for other offerings (such as incense, fruit, etc.), use semiprecious gemstones and pearls -- more merit and mice can't eat them.

Good luck and best wishes.

I always heard Ganesh attracted mice!

[Chaz]

Another alternative occurred to me. Why not use incense-grade wood powder of chips?

Sandalwood would be "traditional" and comes in various grades, powder and granules. It can get expensive, but ..... Also sandalwood is rather scarce and in some ways endangered, so if such things are a concern ......

Incense-grade cedar wood powder would be less expensive, plentiful and not an environmenta strain.

You could also get juniper tips from a local tree, dry the tips and pulverize them in a mortar/pestal. You could forego the grinding and just break up the tips into granules and use them like that. I like the Juniper idea enough that when I go on retreat here in a couple weeks, I'll see if they won't let me harvest some Juniper off the property while I'm there (they have lots of Juniper).

Traditional offerings such as rice or gemstones are fine, but there's no reason we can't or shouldn't use substitutes.

[Adamantine]

Another alternative occurred to me. Why not use incense-grade wood powder of chips?

Sandalwood would be "traditional" and comes in various grades, powder and granules. It can get expensive, but ..... Also sandalwood is rather scarce and in some ways endangered, so if such things are a concern ......

Incense-grade cedar wood powder would be less expensive, plentiful and not an environmenta strain.

You could also get juniper tips from a local tree, dry the tips and pulverize them in a mortar/pestal. You could forego the grinding and just break up the tips into granules and use them like that. I like the Juniper idea enough that when I go on retreat here in a couple weeks, I'll see if they won't let me harvest some Juniper off the property while I'm there (they have lots of Juniper).

Traditional offerings such as rice or gemstones are fine, but there's no reason we can't or shouldn't use substitutes.

sandalwood powder sounds nice, but expensive! not sure if that would be re-usable, when one empties the bowls- (if dust or debris gets mixed in) as opposed to colorful stones, etc. which can be washed and dried.

[Chaz]

sandalwood powder sounds nice, but expensive!

not sure if that would be re-usable, when one empties the bowls- (if dust or debris gets mixed in) as opposed to colorful stones, etc. which can be washed and dried.

Quite so. Not only expensive, but also its increasing in scarcity make using Sandalwood for just about anything becomes somewhat irresponsible as well as expensive.

The idea that gemstones can be cleaned of dust is a big plus.

I still like Cedar powder, which much less expensive and nowhere near as scarce. If there are wild cedars in your area, you could harvest leaf tips for free.

Juniper is also very common, inexpensive or free and would make a suitable offering

[Karma Yeshe]

crop1.jpg (112.11 KiB) Viewed 278 times

[Karma Yeshe]

In case it helps, this is what I have set up...

crop2.jpg (101.1 KiB) Viewed 273 times

[Karma Yeshe]

Hi all,

Had a bit of trouble resizeing the images to put in the above posts. You might need to scroll a bit to see the full picture, but I think I am going to just leave it alone so I dont make it worse.

Dan

[Chaz]

Hi all,

Had a bit of trouble resizeing the images to put in the above posts. You might need to scroll a bit to see the full picture, but I think I am going to just leave it alone so I dont make it worse.

Dan

Not to worry. Works fine.

I do have a question though.

In the front row, left to right, you have Green Tara, Manjushri, Buddha Amitabha, Chenrezig and White Tara, right?

Behind, from left to right, you have Maitreya Buddha(?), Shakyamuni Buddha, and then another Buddha I can't ID because it's hiding behind Chenrezig. What Buddha is that?

Also: The stupa to the far right, in front of the picture of Khenpo Rinpoche, appears to be fashioned after the Boudhnath Stupa in Katmandu. It looks really cool. I've never seen one quite like it. How did you come by it?

[Karma Yeshe]

Hi all,

Had a bit of trouble resizeing the images to put in the above posts. You might need to scroll a bit to see the full picture, but I think I am going to just leave it alone so I dont make it worse.

Dan

Not to worry. Works fine.

I do have a question though.

In the front row, left to right, you have Green Tara, Manjushri, Buddha Amitabha, Chenrezig and White Tara, right?

Behind, from left to right, you have Maitreya Buddha(?), Shakyamuni Buddha, and then another Buddha I can't ID because it's hiding behind Chenrezig. What Buddha is that?

Also: The stupa to the far right, in front of the picture of Khenpo Rinpoche, appears to be fashioned after the Boudhnath Stupa in Katmandu. It looks really cool. I've never seen one quite like it. How did you come by it?

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback.

I found the Stupa at an NYC street fair. One of the Buddhist stores in NY had a stand. I have not seen another quite like it ether.

The other Buddha is also Shakyamuni. I had wanted a larger one as my alter grew but wanted to keep that statue in a place of respect and not just on a bookself someplace.

The picture is actualy of my Lama, Norlha Rinpoche abbot of the KTC Monastery in upstate NY.

All the Best,

Dan