Setting up the altar

You should have some altar. The altar is important. It is not for worshipping purposes, as the western mind
reads it, but it is to remember the kindness and compassion of all buddhas and bodhisattvas. It represents
your supreme field of merit, that is why the altar is important.

It does not have to be a big, show-off altar. You can hide it or you can make a big show out of it,
whatever suits you best. If your show-off altar does not create any problems with your companion or the
people around you, you can make it; no problem. If you have a problem, make a small hidden one. [Rim-
poche tells how he had his altar more or less hidden, high up in a cupboard.]

What should be on the altar? The order of the statues or pictures is:

• The Guru [Tib. lama]. This is Tibetan Buddhism, so the Lama occupies the first line. That includes Buddha Sakyamuni, the present buddha.
• The deities [Tib. yidams]. The deities are only enlightened deities; the word we use for that is yidams.
• The buddhas.These are all the buddhas, except Buddha Sakyamuni. Like the Medicine Buddha, the past buddha, the future buddha, the buddhas of the ten directions, the thirty-five purification buddhas, etc.
• The bodhisattvas, the sangha of the Buddhas
• Dakas and dakinis, the sangha of Vajrayana
• Arhats, the sangha of Sutrayana.
  
• Dharma protectors [Dharmapala]. They are the lowest category on your altar. Here the word ‘protec-
  tor’ is not used like in when we say that Buddha, dharma and sangha are protectors – they are guardian
  protectors. You include only non-samsaric dharma protectors, like Mahakala [Tib. Nagpo Chenpo],
  Kalarupa [Tib. Dharma King Chögyal] and Kali Deva [Tib. Palden Lhamo]. (These dharma-protectors are wrathful manifestations of the deities Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Tara respectively.)
  
  

That is the normal order. You can put them from high in the back to low in the front or however you think
it is most respectful.

It is important not to include any spirits or ghosts in there. These type of things are not to be included!
Underline three times: not, not, not to be included! Why? Because, number one: the spirits (elemental spir-
its as well as the ghost type of beings) may not be able to help you much. Number two: even if they would
be able to help you a little bit here and there, spiritually they may do more harm than good; therefore they
should not be included. The samsaric dharma protectors, even though they are dharma protectors, should
not be included. You can make something separate for them if you want to, but they should not be in the
general order.

You don’t have to have all these categories on your altar. If you have all of them, fine; if you don’t,
also fine. If you want a picture of the supreme field of merit, that’s fine too. In Liberation in Our Hands,
vol. I, you will find a detailed picture.

The altar should also be slightly higher and it should be a respectable altar place, not the place on
which you empty your pockets, or where you put your necklaces and earrings and jewelry; it is not a
dumping ground. This is the place where you are going to collect your own attainments [Skt. siddhis].
There is a linkage, so it should have a little value and respect. It should not be the worst corner of the
room, where you dump everything, nor should it be low, covered with dust, scarves remaining forever,
malas or books lying around.

If you don’t have a big, fancy altar, that is fine; you can also have a traveling altar. You don’t need a real
altar. Recommended is a picture of Buddha Sakyamuni or Tsongkhapa or your own spiritual teacher and
when you have a deity practice, the deity that you practice. That itself is enough, one little piece is enough.
This is the place where you are supposed to communicate with the enlightened beings, so it should be a
nice, clean and good environment. Through cleaning the environment and laying out the altar, through all
these different things that make you feel good, you can do the practice better. If you feel dirty and stinky,
the practice will be dirty and stinky. If you have a clean, clear, nice and looking-forward-to preparation,
your practice will be clean and clear, nice and looking-forward. As much as the preliminaries shape it, that
much the actual practice will be.