Offering lanterns in front of the Buddha statue is also to use the wisdom of Buddhism to drive away the darkness in our hearts, so it is better to be bright, otherwise there will be bad origins. But I think the landlord's actual situation may not allow it, because you may often be away from home, and there may be fire problems if no one looks after you. Therefore, if conditions do not permit, offer a glass of clear water in front of the Buddha.
To learn Buddhism, we must first learn from respecting the three treasures. We should regard the Buddha statue as the real Buddha in front of you, not just a statue of gold and silver. You should know that buddhas and bodhisattvas are all empty dharma circles. As long as we are respectful, we can naturally feel the Buddha and Bodhisattva.
If you want to get the real benefits of Buddhism, you must demand respect. With a little respect, it eliminates a little sin and increases a little happiness; If you are very respectful, you will eliminate your sins and increase your wisdom. You must not be disrespected by some people who don't believe in Buddhism, such as "Buddha is in your heart" and disrespect for Buddha statues and scriptures. The eminent monks and great virtues of past dynasties have given us too many examples of respect, and we should learn from them.
Good luck, Amitabha.
Burning incense is not for Buddha and Bodhisattva to eat, nor for Buddha and Bodhisattva to smell. Used to remind yourself that if you never forget the teachings of Buddha and Bodhisattva, you will never do anything wrong or regret it.
People have troubles inside, temptations outside, wealth confuses wisdom, and color confuses wisdom. Offering incense is to remind themselves to have the wisdom and heart of Buddha and Bodhisattva when judging others.
Hua Yan Jing of Dafang Guangfo (Volume 927) 2003/ 1/8 Australian Jing Zong College File Name: 12- 17-0927.
Burning lanterns is to support the public with wisdom and light, and help them break myths and become enlightened. Burning incense is to help the public turn evil into good. Look at the meaning of this sentence "Incense" means teaching by example. Everyone who studies Buddhism knows that there are precepts in the incense praise that are really fragrant, and the five-point dharma body is fragrant. So we burn incense and play lanterns in front of Buddha and Bodhisattva every day. You should understand what it means, not what Buddha and Bodhisattva want. "Incense lamp" is to remind ourselves. When we see cigarettes and smell incense, we should think of quitting; When you see the lamp offered to Buddha and Bodhisattva, you should think of wisdom. Jieding will be a triple gem, "with many precious colors."
Hua Yan Jing of Dafang Guangfo (Volume 734) 2002/6/1The file name of Australasian Chunzong Society is 12- 17-0734.
It is common to offer flowers and fruits in front of the Buddha. It is often seen that people come to temples with fragrant flowers and fruits to offer sacrifices to buddhas and bodhisattvas. What do you mean? Flowers represent cause, and fruit is fruit. Flowers are good, career is good, and fruit is good. If fruit is good, it will be good. Flowers and fruits represent cause and effect, so you can see that you often think that planting well leads to good results. If you can think of this, the light will shine and your heart will shine! It's not for flowers to be seen and appreciated by buddhas and bodhisattvas. All buddhas and bodhisattvas are clay sculptures. How can they appreciate it? Buddha and bodhisattva will not eat fruit, so we must understand this truth. This is teaching. Don't misunderstand the meaning! Someone asked, which flowers can't be dedicated to Buddha and Bodhisattva? What fruits can't be offered to buddhas and bodhisattvas? Then this is superstition. In Buddhism, no matter what kind of flowers can be sacrificed, no matter what kind of fruit can also be sacrificed to the Buddha. Why? Table method! You will know the reason when you see the flowers. What is the reason? Six degrees in all directions. Flowers represent six degrees of radiance. In Hua Yan Jing, flowers represent ten paramita and fruits represent Bodhi nirvana. In Jingzong, the fruit represents the pure land of death, and the pure land of death proves the fruit, and the fruit is a flower and fruit.
Our most common water supply, water is the most important of all offerings, provide a glass of water. It is best to hold water in a transparent glass. Why? Let's see, this is the best, it shows the law! What does water stand for? Water represents our hearts. This glass of water is clean and pollution-free, showing a clean heart. There are no waves in the water, it is flat, representing equality. So this glass of water is for us to see. We often think that my own heart should be pure and equal, that's what it means. Water can always be supplied, as can flowers, fruits and lanterns. Teaching you to watch during the day and at night, no matter when, will cause Tathagata to teach us. It always reminds me that I am in that place, which means this. Just because food can't be preserved for a long time, because there is less expression for food and more expression for gratitude. When we eat three meals a day, we don't forget: I want to support the Buddha and all sentient beings in the dharma world. Buddhism calls eating out. Eating out is for all ghosts and gods, and we don't forget to eat. But you should know that all buddhas and bodhisattvas eat once a day, so sooner or later they decide not to provide food, but to eat once a day. Provide at noon, and withdraw after the supply is completed; Just like you invite people to dinner, of course, you should take the rest of the dishes away after dinner, and you can't always put them in front of the guests. Run out at any time and withdraw at any time. So offer food to Buddha, and withdraw immediately after feeding. It must be understood that after abstinence, it is for the public, first for the Buddha, then for the public. Fragrant flower fruit display, display methods can often be placed there.
Now we have seen some Dojo. Their incense and candles are made of electric lights and look like candles. There is a red light bulb on it. I've seen a lot. The same is true of incense, not really fragrant, but the front end of incense is a small light bulb, a very small light bulb, and what you see is a red light spot. This one is tangible and odorless, but it's OK. I'll show you how to learn. Flowers and fruits are also for fake flowers and fruits. In this business, why? This is a symbol, so you can often see it and think of it, but you won't forget it. That's what it means. It can be said that there is nothing in the venue and Buddhist temple that is not expressive. If you can see it, you can certainly understand it. If you go in without saying a word, the Buddha and Bodhisattva can explain the scriptures to you. That's really a "profound and subtle method"! Everything is in solemn silence, you understand it carefully.
What does the incense burner show? Incense burner is burning incense, incense represents faith, and faith is fragrant; Incense represents abstinence and wisdom, and abstinence is the real fragrance; Incense is also a five-point fragrance, as I said before. So when you see the cigarette lingering around you and smell the fragrance, you remind me: I want to take three lessons of abstinence from wisdom and five dharmas, that is, "the light shines." There is no burning incense. You see, there is no incense in the incense burner. I think of burning incense when I see a censer. When I saw candles, I used to worship lanterns, oil lamps and candles in front of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. That expression is obvious, that is, burning yourself and illuminating others. In modern times, you say that you sacrifice yourself and dedication for others. It is convenient and clean to switch to electric light now, but the notation is not easy to detect. Therefore, you must know that support is teaching and must receive teaching results.
As long as the incense is lit one (branch) to three, as long as there is light in the candle, some people don't understand the truth, thinking that the more incense is burned, the bigger the candle is lit, the more merits there will be, and they will be blessed by the Buddha and Bodhisattva. This is a misunderstanding of the meaning of some incense sticks. Moreover, in some places, in order to prevent fire, even if you don't light incense, as long as you have a sincere heart, you can still get the merits of supporting.
Individuals who support Buddha and Bodhisattva icons at home do not need to tell the public and do not necessarily need to hold a ceremony to open the light. All they need to do is to put up an icon for worship with piety and respect, and then offer incense, flowers, fruits and other offerings day after day to keep it fresh, neat and clean, so as to show the sacred atmosphere where the icon is located, thus arousing the moral heart of practitioners.
In order to keep the indoor air fresh, the incense should be fine. It is advisable to burn incense once in the family Buddhist temple. Don't light a lot of incense sticks, so as not to cause indoor air turbidity. Natural sandalwood and agarwood are the best fragrance types, and it is not suitable to use chemical spices or animal spices to prepare thread or stick incense. In the Buddhist temples of modern families, electric lights can replace candles, and sacrificial tables, incense burners and candlesticks should be cleaned frequently and new offerings should be provided. At the very least, there should be no dust or withered and rotten flowers and fruits. It is best to have regular morning and evening classes every day, at least burn incense and provide water in the morning and evening. Before going out and after arriving home, you should also worship the Buddha to show your gratitude, respect and concern.
The feast master revealed:
It depends on personal circumstances. If the residence is very small, or if you live in a public dormitory, it is definitely inconvenient to share one room and one house with your colleagues and classmates. Then, only when you recite the scriptures regularly in class, you can temporarily show the Buddhist scriptures as Buddha statues and put them in a considerable position. There is no need to set incense burners and candlesticks, and there is no need to provide water, flowers and incense. Just ask questions and worship before and after class to show piety and respect. If both roommates and roommates believe in Buddhism, of course, you can set up a Buddhist altar or hall with the same name; If you are the only one who studies Buddhism devoutly, you should not arouse public anger by forcibly entering the Buddhist altar because of your special performance.
If you set up a Buddhist altar, you should choose a suitable position in the living room, that is, the direction in which the owner sits. Don't face the window behind the Buddha statue, but face the doors and windows so that people can see it at a glance when they enter the door. The Buddhist altar is the center of the family and should have the function of stability and security. As for the location determined by geographers, it can be used as a reference, but there is no need to stick to superstition. As long as you don't point the Buddha at the toilet, the stove or directly at your bed. When setting up a Buddhist temple, you should choose a quiet room, not a place where children, cats and dogs play; Nor is it a place for people to gather, laugh and have a feast. It is only used for chanting and meditation, and it is not used for other purposes.
After buying the icons of Buddha and Bodhisattva, most people advocate holding the opening ceremony. From the Buddhist point of view, the opening ceremony is not necessarily necessary. Because the Buddha-Bodhisattva statue is only a tool for practice, the feelings of Buddha and Bodhisattva are everywhere, and the icon is the object of worship. Without idols, there is no object to worship, support and respect. Through this kind of practice, you can get the benefits of practice and get the induction of Buddha and Bodhisattva. But the most important thing is the feeling of confidence, piety and respect, not the icon itself. So it doesn't matter whether the icon is bright or not.