Altar in Bedroom

[Dave The Seeker]

I have a question about this.
As I have now finished remodeling the house my girl and the kids are home, hence I lost the room I had my altar in. Now the altar will be in our bedroom, same wall as the head of the bed, I am making a new altar. I am planning on making the sides high enough so that there will be a partition between the bed and the altar. In respect of the Buddha not "seeing" the bed, if that makes sense. I have no where else in the house to put the altar so I'm hoping this will be ok. I'd appreciate any comments from all my friends here.

Thanks

Kindest wishes, Dave

[PadmaVonSamba]

It's stuff.
.
.
.

[Wesley1982]

I "built" and arranged a prayer corner.

[Adamantine]

Sounds like a fine plan to me...

[Dave The Seeker]

Thanks for the replies.
Padma, I thought that the statues and stupas, as well as the Dharma text were to be considered Holy objects that deserve respect. I take it as it is stuff, in a store until you purchase it and it has been placed in a place of respect.
But then again, that's just a new comers understanding I guess.

Adamantine, thank you


Kindest wishes, Dave

[PadmaVonSamba]

Thanks for the replies.
Padma, I thought that the statues and stupas, as well as the Dharma text were to be considered Holy objects that deserve respect. I take it as it is stuff, in a store until you purchase it and it has been placed in a place of respect.
But then again, that's just a new comers understanding I guess.

Adamantine, thank you


Kindest wishes, Dave

Yes, you are right.
It depends on you, what you feel about it in terms of respectfulness

[catmoon]

Everyone goes at it a little differently. Some have no altar at all, some get pretty elaborate. I seem to recall Lama Zopa having a setup that occupied pretty much his whole living room, and I'm sure it was all just so.

What you describe seems just fine to me. If you have valuable books on your altar, you might consider wrapping them in cloth, especially if they are near a window. Direct sunlight can make cornflakes out of a book in a few years.

[Dave The Seeker]

Thank you cat, and I'll bet Lama Zopa did have it just so.
As to the Dharma texts on the altar they will be wrapped in a yellow cloth, in the book I got from FPMT on setting up an altar and water bowl offerings, it says that the texts should be wrapped as such.


Kindest wishes, Dave

[Malcolm]

Thanks for the replies.
Padma, I thought that the statues and stupas, as well as the Dharma text were to be considered Holy objects that deserve respect. I take it as it is stuff, in a store until you purchase it and it has been placed in a place of respect.
But then again, that's just a new comers understanding I guess.

Adamantine, thank you


Kindest wishes, Dave

You should put your alter in your living room, not in your bedroom.

[Bonsai Doug]

Sometimes, we don't have the opportunity to place an altar in the most advantageous spot.
My wife is a Roman Catholic, and I have taken my Refuge Vows first from a Theravadan Monk,
and again from a Tibetan Monk. We respect each others spiritual views, so I would not impose
my altar on her by setting it up in, if you will, a "public" area of our home.

So I have placed my altar in my home-office, where I also sit meditation. You just do whatever
works for you and your situation. I know a few people who do not even have the space for an
altar, and use a simple travel altar when they practice/meditate.

[PadmaVonSamba]

I used to live in a one room apartment (3 if you count the tiny bathroom and kitchen), so everything was in one room. These days i also keep a shrine (altar) in a place in the house that is my personal area, rather than in the general living area, as my spouse is not a dharma person, and neither of us wants to have to explain to everybody who comes over, or cause anyone to feel uncomfortable.

Some people keep their shrines in cabinets with doors that close.
You might want to explore that option.

If you MUST engage in more 'intimate' activity, in a room where Buddha sits,
at least make sure he's got a good seat.

[Fa Dao]

Namdrol,
I have heard that before from other teachers. Why is that?

[Malcolm]

Namdrol,
I have heard that before from other teachers. Why is that?

It is because people screw in their bedrooms.

[conebeckham]

[Fa Dao]

yeaaaah...ok..I get that. I was just wondering why that is considered bad?

[Konchog1]

Try and get doors to your altar. If you can't, it should be fine I would think.

[Adamantine]

Namdrol,
I have heard that before from other teachers. Why is that?

It is because people screw in their bedrooms.

Yeah but he said he was building a partition. . . anyway, don't Buddha's pervade space? Can we really hide our screwing from them? This kind of orthodoxy gets a bit dualistically fixated. . .

[Malcolm]

yeaaaah...ok..I get that. I was just wondering why that is considered bad?

It is considered part of sexual misconduct to screw in front of a shrine of a Buddha.

[PadmaVonSamba]

If nobody had ever mentioned it to you, it wouldn't have mattered.

It's just stuff, but we impute stuff with meaning, because in our minds, some stuff is more important to us than other stuff.
If you have a dharma book, or a rupa (statue) or Buddha image or your teacher's picture, or something like this,
you have already sort of 'invested' a kind of meaning to it, a special regard for what it is.
That is the frame of mind you are using, and that frame of mind is the tool you are using.
So, there has to be some consistency in your attitude about things.
What that consistency looks like to you, is up to you.

There is nothing bad bout sex, but some people feel that, for instance, the dining room table is not an appropriate location, because we associate that space with eating food. So, it is sort of like this.

Things are relative. This reminds me of something I encountered a couple of years ago.
I was in a bookstore in Taiwan and the floor in the kids book section was raised up a little bit, and the floor was different. people took off their shoes before stepping up into that section. I asked my friend why people did this, since they were already inside the bookstore wearing shoes anyway.

He explained that this section was "inside the inside", meaning that relatively compared to that kids book section, the rest of the store was "outside". And you always take off your shoes when going from outside to inside.

So, maybe the bedroom is not the best place to set up a shrine,
but having a shrine in the bedroom is different than making out in a shrine room.
But then , getting mushy in a shrine room is different than getting shiny on a mushroom.
.
.
.

[Dave The Seeker]

If nobody had ever mentioned it to you, it wouldn't have mattered.

There is nothing bad bout sex, but some people feel that, for instance, the dining room table is not an appropriate location, because we associate that space with eating food. So, it is sort of like this.

So, maybe the bedroom is not the best place to set up a shrine,
but having a shrine in the bedroom is different than making out in a shrine room.
But then , getting mushy in a shrine room is different than getting shiny on a mushroom.
.
.
.

What????? The dining room table is off limits?
And yup, mushy is different than shiny
Thanks for your insight on this whole matter though. You've made me think about things in different aspects.

People screw in their bedrooms

Umm if the kids ain't around then anywhere seems to work well, especially the really big comfey couch

don't Buddha's pervade space? Can we really hide our screwing from them? This kind of orthodoxy gets a bit dualistically fixated.

Great point, thanks for mentioning that.

I'll add doors to the altar I'm making as I am still in the process of constructing it. Also I really have no other place in our house but the bedroom. My girl is not a Dharma person either, but respects what I do and I also agree that in the living room may make others feel uncomfortable.

Thanks for all the replies and some good laughs.

Kindest wishes, Dave