How to Set Up a Buddhist Prayer Room – Shi Zhenlin (Master)

How to Set up a Buddhist Prayer RoomI have been practicing the Buddha Dharma for years and get to know more and more Buddhist practitioners. While on the one hand I am happy to find that most Buddhist believers make offerings to Buddha images and scriptures at home, yet on the other hand it is a pity that they do not know how to set up a Buddhist prayer room, or worst still, leave Buddhist scriptures in improper places. As a matter of fact, we need to make offerings to Buddhist images and scriptures respectfully. By doing so we not only show respect to the forerunners of Dharma practice who have attained the Way, but also cultivate good roots, and are accumulating merits. Buddhist scriptures contain the essence of the Buddha Dharma. We should show respect to Buddhist scriptures as much as we do to the Buddha, and watch our behavior following the guidance written in them. By no means should we leave the Buddhist scriptures about.Some believers are very careful about the date and time when a Buddha image is being brought to their home. They also go into details about the exact location and position as to where the image is enshrined. They certainly do not have any knowledge about how esoteric and all-embracing the Buddha Dharma is. We often say that the Buddha Dharma is boundless. Under the bliss and bless of the Buddhas, anytime is auspicious, and everywhere is of good Fengshui (Geomancy). Buddhist scriptures, in particular, are endowed with spiritual powers. Curing diseases, staying away from disasters, making our home peaceful, and fortune good can be easily accomplished by Buddha Dharma.Yes, there are rules to follow when setting up a Buddhist prayer room and regarding where to place a Buddhist scripture, but this is not about being superstitious or ignorant.First and foremost, we need to show respect. Sure, the room should be made solemn, and the scriptures be placed where it is clean and in an orderly manner.We don’t have to make the room splendid. After all, our living environment and conditions are different from each other. It doesn’t matter how we establish the prayer room, how big the Buddhist images are, or how spacious the room is. All living beings are equal. As long as we show respect, it is fine to set up the room according to our personal preference, living conditions, and the space available.Nor do we have to pick a special date or set a particular location to establish the room. The fundamental principle is that it is comfortable, and makes our mind peaceful. It should be clean, quiet, and the air fresh, with abundant sunlight. It is all auspicious as long as we show respect and sincerity. If our home is not big enough, it is fine to enshrine it where the family and guests can see. If someone in the family does not like it, we should put it in a quiet and clean corner and take it out only when we pray. We don’t want to cause any incontinence to others. If it makes them unhappy, and they turn out to slander the Buddha, they cultivate bad roots and should receive retribution in the future. That is against our intention of setting up the room. If our home is spacious enough, certainly it would be great if we can set aside a room specially for it. We may place the Buddha image at a high location or in an independent cabinet. Usually, a candle holder and incense burner is a must. We may also use smoke-free candles and stick incenses to be safe and clean.What is needed in a Buddhist prayer room includes a Buddha or Bodhisattva image, praying-related items, a flower pot, censer, candle holder, everlasting light, a glass to hold water, fruit plate, etc. We don’t necessarily have to have them all, but can choose them according to the space available. It is fine as long as they are symmetrical, and make the prayer room solemn. If there is enough space, we can also set an alter table in the room. We may also choose to have a pair of couplets on the wall of Buddhist concepts that help us to purify the heart and enlighten the mind.Some believers place several Buddha or Bodhisattva images in their prayer room. In fact, it doesn’t matter how many images there are in the room, but whether the Buddha or Bodhisattva images enshrined are consistent with how they practice the Buddha Dharma is important. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are like our teachers. They keep reminding us that we need to be diligent, reflect inwardly, and not get lost. Usually at a Buddhist prayer room, we would make offerings to Buddha Shakyamuni, Amitaba Buddha, Medicine Master Buddha, the Three Saints of the West Pure Land (Amitaba Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva and Great Strength Bodhisattva), Guanyin Bodhisattva, or Earth Store Bodhisattva. They can either be in the form of a statue or hanging scroll. It is advised that we make offerings to the Buddha or Bodhisattvas in the room that are consistent with our practice of the Buddha Dharma. Certainly it does not matter if we place more than one Buddha or Bodhisattva image.Many ask whether consecration of a Buddha image is a must. This is a ceremony that originated from over 2,000 years ago when Buddha Shakyamuni consecrated His statue. He endowed the wood statue with spiritual power and Buddha nature with His Buddha energy.It is not easy to find a Master who knows how to consecrate a Buddha image nowadays. He has to be well-advanced in his practice of Buddha Dharma, and know how to apply the energy of a Buddhist scripture and mantra, to endow the image with spiritual powers and Buddha nature. He should also be able to preach the Buddha Dharma upon the consecration ceremony, which helps the Buddhist believers to practice in the right way and from getting lost. Otherwise, the image would be no more than a piece of wood even after the consecration. If we do not know who can consecrate it for us, it is ok not to do so. As long as we show sincerity and devotion, and keep sutra recitation and practicing Buddha Dharma in the room, the figures and images will gain spiritual powers gradually.How to make offerings depends on how we practice the Dharma, and how much time we have. We may do it everyday, both in the morning and in the evening, when we recite the sutra. Or, we may choose to make the offerings with burning incense sticks on the first and 15th day of every month according to the Lunar Calendar, as well as on Buddhism festivals. The offerings can be fruits, vegetarian food, flowers, or tea water, but never ever any meat. We may choose not to light the oil lamp or candle if the room is not spacious enough or out of consideration for safety.Moreover, a Buddhist prayer room should be kept clean and solemn. It is suggested that the cleaning equipment for the room, the alter table, the censer, and the candle holder is not used to clean other stuff. There is no need to cover the Buddha or Bodhisattva figures if someone passes away in the family. If we have to be out of home for sometime so that no one is left to take care of the prayer room, we’d better make sure everything is fine in the room, with special attention paid to avoid fire or electrical accidents.If we want to update the room and use new facilities, there are several points to note as well. If the previous items or facilities are still usable, it is better to keep them. If they are too worn-out, it is better that we burn them, and transfer the merits and virtues accrued to all the sentient beings or to whoever as we wish. If we have to move to a new apartment, we’d better pray before the Buddha and Bodhisattva so that we have a safe journey. The room should be well-lighted or illuminated, with good air ventilation. When not at home, we should put off the candle. Remember a Buddhist prayer room is where we pay homage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, recite the sutra, and practice the Buddha Dharma. It is not supposed to be a place for fun or improper behavior. Otherwise, we may show disrespect.Setting up a Buddhist prayer room, in Buddha Dharma, is a form of giving practice, namely giving of Dharma and Buddha Image. It helps to make the Buddha Dharma known by more beings, and also bestow blessings and protection onto us. In the Dharma Semblance Age, after the extinction of the Buddha, it is very important to make our best efforts to establish Buddhist prayer rooms, make the Buddha Dharma known by more people, which shall bring true benefits to all the sentient beings.