Set Up an Altar & Make Offerings | Step 2

The altar is our workbench.

What’s on the altar is that which we aspire to become.

The purpose of offering is to exercise or cultivate good qualities that will hasten maturation or manifestation.

With a pure heart offer anything - pure water, fresh fruit, flowers, lit candles, sweet incense - to the ones you love and admire.

Two principles are at play:

1) What we put in front of our mind, we become. Another way of saying this is that which we focus on we become.

2) Karmic efforts or activities develop mental qualities. Actions induce states. Repeated states become traits. Offering builds the muscles of generosity and creates good energy (merit).

Buddha statue or a divine representation = awakened body.

Buddhist text or any sacred scripture = awakened speech.

Stupa or reliquary = awakened mind.

All three represent the new body, speech, and mind we are sculpting.

Of course put on your altar anything that inspires your evolution. It’s your workbench.

Reflections (Contemplate or journal about the following) :

What’s on your actual altar at home?

More importantly, what’s your altar in life (what are you focused on), is it virtuous, and what qualities are you exercising?

Specifically, on what do you get fixated when using social media, and do you notice competitiveness, worthlessness, jealousy, etc being cultivated?

Reminder this is NOT a 30 day challenge. This is a 30 steps process. I want my offerings to be as pure as possible and I don’t want to feel pressured.

Post inspiring photos on instagram with #gradualpath for us to follow.