Altar:Finding a spiritual spot inside the room

Altar –Finding a spiritual spot inside the room

Choeshum is a center of spiritual object of refuge seeking or that opens your mind and heart for the cause of Enlightenment. It is a special place that embodies the living truth of blessings from the great beings and the Buddha particularly in Buddhist traditions.

Going back to my childhood memories, moment I woke up from the bed, I could hear the morning chants and pouring of water in the seven lines of bowl in another room, that one who did was my grandmother. Her,morning prayers and worship was the very highlight of the days’ activities in our family. This an act of seeking the day's blessing was inherited by me to this age. I do in a similar way. Right after getting up from the bed, I clean the room that houses my Choeshum and make some offerings of light and water.

At my home, Choeshum is a must to house the statues of Guru Rimpochey and Lord Budhha. My grandmother would seek everyday blessings infront of  the altar and pray with open heart to help the beings. She also offers whatever she gets along the daily living and working in the village.

I feel, it was such a blessings to know the idea of setting up Choeshum and its significance at home. Having not imbibed in such rich cultural and spiritual energies, I would have resorted idolizing Salman Khan or Osama Binladen. But having brought up in the strong Buddhist believes and  culture, I know who is Guru Rimpochey and Lama Zhubdrung Rimpochey or Lama Drupa Kuenley and some of their doctrines to my age.

In one sense, Choeshum is a road map for one’s enlightenment and the greatest endeavor of this life. It reminds one pointed devotions amidst the worldly concerns and activities. It is an art, and we bring to it an artist’s delight and fertility of invention upon the wishes. In Buddhist approach of taking the devotions and meditations in heart, there are so many ways of making the approach to practice as joyful as possible. A home can be a temple and rooms can be the deity’s rooms. 

It is a place where you lit a candle or a stick of incense, and transform the rooms into an intimate sacred space, into an environment where every day you come to the meeting with your true self with all the joy and appreciations. It emits the spiritual light for the members in a house and the outside viewers. It blinds you to nowness and forgets you questioning the origin and history of Choeshum.

Recently, my friend also afforded one new Choeshum costing twenty-five thousands. And after painting with rich sign and symbols of Buddhist images, it‘s total cost was around 45 thousands. To my surprise, he bought it for credits and I could make out how much he has yearned for it. Now it is his lifelong spiritual wealth and eye opener for his appreciation for the Buddhist cultures and practices.

In every house hold, rich or poor, man or woman would like owning a Choeshum to their higher respect and veneration.

Finally, it is a source of seeking blessings and venerating your devotions to the Buddhas, Boddhisatavas and the great beings. By the power of your devotions and blessings of those great  beings, you are never away from the path of enlightenment,because you have beautiful Choeshum in your heart and house.

Note:  Written for my writing pleasures.