大宝法王：你不能不知道的摆设家中佛堂的秘密

日期：2016年11月13日

问：如何摆设家中佛堂？

法王答：我一直想和大家说，但没有机会说，当我们在佛堂中，蛮多人问我怎么摆设佛堂，如果有人信仰汉传、有些人信仰藏传时，佛堂摆设时也要注意一下形象，不要因此增加矛盾或争吵，这样不好。

我觉得佛堂而言，一般以密宗本尊相而言，现在画像是随处可请得到的，但其实按照密教而言，护法、本尊像是非常秘密、不能轻易给人看的，不是像现在一样把本尊像都当广告了，大家都可以看到，以密宗而言，有点算是违法了。

除了像是莲师、不动佛、度母、观音等等大家熟知的本尊外，其他不是广为人知的密宗本尊，尤其无上瑜伽的双身像等，我觉得是不应该广示于众的，这样对密法而言是不对的。你要摆佛堂时，可以摆比较简单、一看就可认出来的释迦牟尼佛、阿弥陀佛、观音菩萨、药师佛等佛像。但如果你自己有修本尊，则可放在例如课诵本中，也不用太多，放在那边即可。

而对于上师的法相，这也很需讲究，我希望大家如果有我的照片，我不希望照片被放在佛堂中，不仅是我，一般上师照片也不要和佛菩萨放在一起，如果要放，也稍微放旁边墙壁上，不要放在中央或混在一起，这样不太好。

「上师」有很多种，有些上师有证悟，有些尚未证悟，但仍是具德上师，对于这些尚未证悟者而言，若相片被和佛菩萨放在一起，对他们也不太好。当然对我们而言，是具备如佛一样的恭敬心，但对别人而言，看起来不太好。

这里有一个故事：佛陀有两大弟子：目犍连与舍利子，目犍连有神通，因此到处跑，有一次，他跑到地狱中，看到一位印度教大师投生于地狱中。这位大师请托目犍连传信说，他在人间的弟子们，把他的骨头等建成一个塔，且很多人去转绕，因为位于十字入口，因此也很多人、包括佛教徒、佛陀等都去转，当佛陀经过去转时，对他造成很大痛苦。

当目犍连尊者去传话时，这位大师的人间弟子怒说「我们大师是何许人也，你分明是侮辱我们大师」，因此大家把他打得半死不活，后来尊者因此去世。

当然我们想不通，他不是神通第一？怎么会被打得半死不活呢？当时他被救下来时，目犍连尊者就说「我连想要神通的想法都没有」，因为这些声闻缘绝的阿罗汉要神通时，必须要入定，而他入定时观到，因为往昔他曾有一世打死过人，故今生果报是被人打死，因此尊者虽然神通第一，但神通仍不敌劫难的业力。

因此，我觉得我们不要在佛堂上随随便便摆放上师照片，或装藏时，有时会放入上师名字或施主名字等等，这样都不太好，大家要注意。

当把照片、密宗本尊像放在佛堂时，我们要注意一下。我看到有些台湾不正宗的、自称佛教的团体，把所有佛教佛菩萨和道教神明都放在一起，可以认出很多例如哪吒三太子、观音菩萨、土地公等等，都放在一起，会觉得「你今天怎么跑到这里？」，一起请客一样。

传承皈依境也不会是随便乱放，先有上师、佛菩萨，左边有僧众、下方有护法等，虽然实际上是众生平等，但我们表象上，还是需要有一些规矩，这样会好一些。

当然，摆设佛堂时，每次都要请示上师是有些困难，自己大概有方向，除非上师说一定要放就没办法，如果没有明确指示时，放在旁边会保险一些。

The Karmapa answers: I’ve always wanted to talk about this subject as many people have asked me how to arrange a shrine. Some people believe in traditional Chinese Mahayana and some people believe in Tibetan Buddhism, and so in this case, you need to be aware of the different images when you set up a shrine. It is not good to create conflict or have argument over this. 

These days it is easy to find images of numerous vajrayana deities but we need to be careful, he said. For example, the protector deities are confidential and we are not allowed to exhibit them to everyone. Showing them like an advertisement violates the principles of the vajrayana. This is also true for anuttara yoga deities, which should not be displayed to just anybody.

If we want to set up a shrine, we can place on it images of famous deities, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, Guru Rinpoche, Tara, Bhaisajyaguru （Medicine Buddha）, and Akshobhya. These are all widely recognized and simple. But if we are engaged in a special deity practice, it is better to place the image inside our text or resting on the text holder.

We also need to pay attention to our teacher’s photo. If you have my photo, please do not place it in the shrine along with images of bodhisattvas. The same is true for other teachers. If you want to have an image of a teacher, then please place the image on a wall nearby. It is not appropriate to place it in the middle of the shrine or mix it with replicas of bodhisattvas. There are different types of teachers (lamas or gurus): some of them are enlightened and some are not, but they still can be qualified teachers. If you place a photo of teachers who are not enlightened mixed but in with images of bodhisattvas, it is not good for the teachers, even though we may see them as being the Buddha.

To illustrate his point, the Karmapa related the story of Maudgalyayana, who along with Shariputra was one of the two most famous disciples of the Buddha. Maudgalyayana possessed the six types of higher cognitions, which, among other things, allowed him to move around freely. One time he went to the hell realms and saw an Indian master who had been reborn there. This master pleaded with him to take a message to his disciples. They had built a stupa containing the master’s bones and many people were circumambulating it, which caused the master great agony, and so he was requesting them to stop.

When Maudgalyayana delivered the master’s massage to the disciples, they became incensed: “You do not even know our great master and just want to insult him.” They beat him half dead and not long after that he passed away. How could some one with psychic powers like those of Maudgalyayana end up like this? He remembered that he had beaten someone to death in a past life, creating that same negative karma in this present life. We can see, therefore, that no matter how excellent his psychic power might be, it could never be more powerful than his karma.

For these reasons, I feel it is better not to place a guru’s photo or name, or for that matter, the names of sponsors, on the shrines. These are not appropriate. Please pay attention when placing photos and images of tantric deities on the shrine as well. Just as in the Refugee Tree, there are rules about how to place deities in the right order—the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, guru, yidam deities, dakinis and protectors. Although all beings are equal, in appearance they need to take their proper places. Of course, when we are arranging our shrine, it is not always possible to consult our teacher, so we need a basic knowledge, a sense of how things should go. Unless your teacher instructed you otherwise, it is safer to place guru’s image on the side.