In Japanese homes a household altar has stood for centuries — 仏壇 Butsudan. It is not décor. It is a place of connection: with one's own practice, with the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, with the ancestors. In the Shingon tradition the altar plays a particular role — it is the centre of daily practice. The place where the Three Mysteries come together.
This article describes how to set up a simple Buddhist altar for your Reiki practice. Not as a museum reconstruction — but as a living place that carries your practice.
Why an Altar? なぜ
The simplest answer: because the place where you practise shapes the practice. An altar creates a space that is different from the rest of your home. When you sit down before the altar, your body knows: practice begins now. This threshold is no luxury — it is part of the ritual.
In the Shingon tradition the altar is a 道場 Dōjō in miniature — a place of practice. Here Kaji happens, the mutual interpenetration of Buddha-force and human practice. The altar is not only symbol of this. It is the physical place where it happens.
The Elements 要素
A Buddhist altar in the Shingon context is made of a few but meaningful elements. You do not need much — but what you place should carry meaning.
A figure or image of the Buddha, bodhisattva, or guardian being you practise with. In Shingon Reiki often Dainichi Nyorai or Yakushi Nyorai.
Light stands for wisdom and insight. The candle's flame reminds you that practice lights up darkness — within you and around you.
Incense sticks or cones. Fragrance purifies the space and marks the beginning of practice. In Shingon it is said: the scent reaches all Buddhas at once.
Fresh flowers stand for impermanence and beauty. They remind you that every moment is unique — every moment of practice too.
Optionally, you can place a small bowl of water — 水 Mizu — as an offering and symbol of purity. Some add a singing bowl or Rin 鈴, whose sound marks the threshold into practice.
The Arrangement 配置
The traditional arrangement is simple: the Buddha image stands at the centre, raised. In front — a little lower — the candle and the incense. Flowers stand to the side. Water in front, as the first offering.
In Japanese temples the altar is a 曼荼羅 Mandala — a three-dimensional image of cosmic order. Dainichi Nyorai at the centre, surrounded by the four directions and their Buddhas. You do not have to reproduce that at home. But it helps to know: the altar is not arranged at random. Every position has meaning.
A small table or shelf is enough to begin with. No elaborate furniture. More important than the form is the intention: this place is reserved for practice. Nothing else stands here. No mail, no keys, no charging cables. The altar is a space within the space.
Start small. One image, one candle, one stick of incense. That is enough. The altar grows with your practice. Some practitioners begin with a photograph from a Japanese temple and a single candle — and after some months it has become a complete Butsudan. The altar is alive. It develops with you.
Altar and Reiki Practice 実践
In Shingon Reiki you sit before the altar for your daily practice: Hatsurei Hō, meditation, mantra recitation. The altar is the starting point. You light the candle. You light the incense. You sit in Gasshō. And then you begin.
This frame is not formalism. It is support. On days when motivation is missing, sometimes lighting the candle is enough. The body remembers: here practice is done. Habit carries you when willpower wavers.
Some practitioners place images of the Buddhist spirits they have been initiated into on the altar. Some add crystals — as Eileen recommends in her practice. Some write a mantra in calligraphy and hang it above the altar. There is no "right" and no "wrong." There is only: what nourishes your practice.
What Your Altar Is Not 注意
An altar is not a display case. It is not there to demonstrate your spirituality to visitors. It is for you — for your practice, your connection, your silence. In Japan, household altars often stand inside their own small cabinet whose doors are opened and closed. The practice is intimate. The altar too.
An altar is also not a magical object. The power does not lie in the figure or the candle. It lies in the regularity with which you sit down before the altar and practise. The altar reminds you. But you are the one who practises.
And an altar is not a requirement. You can practise Reiki without an altar. But many who have once tried no longer want to be without. Because the altar creates something hard to put into words: a place that waits. A place that is ready when you are ready.
Your Path Into Daily Practice
An altar is a beginning. The daily practice — Hatsurei Hō, meditation, mantra — gives it meaning.
Your Path in Shingon Reiki How a Session Unfolds