Alters at Empty Mountain
In the early days (read: years) of my practice, I didn’t really have any understanding about the presence and use of alters. Having grown up in a non-religious household here in the U.S, alters were simply not a thing in my own small world, nor common in mainstream culture. I had no personal reference point by which to hold them as something with the capacity to be deeply meaningful. I knew enough to have respect for them based on others assigning value to them, but that was as far as it went.
Flash forward to present day 2024 and here at Empty Mountain, we have not one but two lovely alters. One inside our cabin and another one outside, at the foot of a young tamarack tree. Oh wait! We have three! I also have one I set up inside our Chevy G20 conversion van, since the van also doubles as my morning meditation space. Here at EM, we like to make creative use of what we have on hand. And since we only use the van to fly south for the winter, it’s a great little space for us to utilize for other things. Wonderfully, the van is also our guest bedroom.
Through the years, since I first began practicing sitting meditation and mindfulness in the Plum Village tradition of our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, over 22-years ago, I’ve developed a close personal relationship with alters. They are an integral part of meditation halls in our tradition, as is common in other Buddhist-based sects. Since any new undertaking takes time to feel our way in to and find grounding, my journey with alters was no different. It felt clunky and awkward for a while, which is just very simply part of the deal, based on how unfamiliar I was with them. It took me a while before I was able to relax into my friendship with alters. It’s worth mentioning that alters aren’t for everyone - because nothing is - but something about them drew my interest, so I decided to put the effort into cultivating my own connection.
I dearly value them and whole-heartedly enjoy them now, and have for a long time. They help to create a sacred energy for me, and serve as a kind reminder about how I want to live. They are a symbol of my deep commitment to walk a spiritual path. And when I bow to the alter, I am bowing not from a place of rote routine or because that’s what one is supposed to do, I am bowing in gratitude for the ability I have to practice, for the teachings, my many teachers, and the noble sangha within and around me.
In certain other Buddhist traditions, it is not uncommon to place small objects at the foot of a Buddha statue, particularly when the statue is placed outside. In my own way of thinking, this practice is a way of making a heart-felt offering of thanks to the teaching body of the Buddha, although I’m sure others have their differing reasons for leaving items behind in such places.
While this practice is not incorporated in the Plum Village tradition, when I placed our small-ish sized crumbling outdoor Buddha statue by a tamarack tree here at EM, setting small personal objects around him just felt like a natural thing to do, so I went with it. Now it’s become an outdoor alter, which has collected all sorts of treasures. Visiting friends have placed items on it, but mostly the items you see in the pic below were placed there by me. And most of the items were gifted to us by friends and family, so I think of all these folks often when I pass by the alter, or when I sit down beside it.
For me, the presence and use of alters in my practice is a lovely one. It helps to nurture and inspire my practice. It waters good seeds within me and good vibes around me. I also enjoy changing up my alter from time to time. I like to move stuff around and add different things to it once in a while, to help keep my alter feeling fresh and alive. An alter that never changes has the tendency to just become part of the furniture, so to speak. I think it’s important to stay in touch with how the alter feels, and make adjustments to it’s flow when it feels fitting.
If creating and making use of an alter in your living or meditation space is something that calls to you as maybe a thing you’d like to do, I would encourage you to keep your alter simple. It need not be anything big or elaborate or fancy. There’s no need to place any particular statue or picture on it, or even have any particular spiritual or religious bent to it, if that doesn’t speak to you. It could simply be a small space that helps us remember our intentions of being skillful and kind. Alters can be a gentle friend on the path, supporting us in our efforts to live our best life.