Warmhearted Homes

What does your home mean to you? Some people may answer, “The place where I can recover from a hard day’s work.” Some may say, “Back at home, my family reassures me with smiles.” It’s the kind of place where you want to be.

Let us create warmhearted homes. Let us try to build harmony in our families. Our homes are where we build the foundation of our character. Through day-to-day interaction and parents’ attitudes at home, children, in particular, learn how important it is to remember the Buddha, and love other people. First of all, as family members we keep in mind what we call the Three Practices. First, we exchange morning greetings. Second, we respond clearly and positively when someone calls us. Third, we put things in appropriate places; and we push back our chairs when we stand up and arrange our footwear together neatly.

As practitioners, how we build our lives with a central focus on the dharma is very important. This is symbolized by our home altar. Each one of us can sit in front of the altar and expresses gratitude to the Buddha by placing our palms together in reverence and performing bowing, mindfulness practices, sutra recitation, mantras, or prayers. Whatever type of family you belong to, whether an extended or a nuclear family, or even if you live alone, over time these practices result in the creation of a warmhearted home.

The Home Altar

The Spiritual Support for Our Family Members’ Hearts and Minds

We setup and pay homage to a Buddha statue or image on our home altar and we treat this place as the a sacred part of our home.

Here are the basic guidelines for making a beautiful home altar: The Buddha, or focus of our aspiration, is set at the center of the altar. We can use a statue, an image of the Buddha, some inspirational artwork, or anything that inspires us of our true heart's aspiration for awakening. We can offer rice (or bread, cookies, etc.), water, and tea (or coffee, etc.). Flowers, candles, an incense burner, and a bell are also placed in front of the altar. In addition, we offer sweets, vegetables, and fruits on memorial days. 

In keeping with the saying “Faith arises from a dignified atmosphere,” our mindfulness naturally deepens when we face a home altar that has been ceremoniously and beautifully arranged.

The home altar is the spiritual support for our family members’ hearts and minds. So, care should always be taken to keep the home altar bright, clean, and simple to make it an appropriate place for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Cleaning and caring to the altar space is itself a mindfulness practice. We clean and care slowly and with mindful presence.