○ Can Buddhas and Bodhisattvas be enshrined together?
◎ This is possible. A complete Buddhist altar must have at least one statue of Sakyamuni, a Buddhist sutra and a stupa to express the body, language and meaning of the Buddha respectively. In addition, other Buddha statues and Bodhisattva statues can also be worshipped, but other Buddha statues should be placed next to or slightly lower than Sakyamuni statues (or paintings) and Bodhisattva statues should be placed next to or lower than them. If it still enshrines the protector of the world, it should be lowered. As long as the Buddha, Bodhisattva and Dharma Protector are arranged in different places as mentioned above, they can be worshipped together. We Sambo disciples should not stop at the gods, ancestors, dragons and earth gods in the world. If you have something to worship, you can't put it on the altar, you can only worship it separately from other places, and you shouldn't have the idea of converting by faith. In fact, offering sacrifices to the dead ancestors can't bring them real benefits. Instead, it is better to support the three treasures to benefit their hearts and return their merits. Sacrificing ancestors is a folk tradition in China, not Buddhism.
Why should we supply water to the Buddhist altar?
◎ We can offer many kinds of offerings to the Buddha, such as water, flowers, incense, incense, food, lamps and so on. But what is important is the purity of the source of the offering and the purity of the heart when offering. "Purity of dedication" means not to be stingy when giving, or not to regret after giving expensive dedication. Pure source of support' means that you can't provide support in exchange for killing, prostitution, lying and other evil deeds, and monks can't attract supporters to prove it by lying about having great magical powers and other improper methods. Clear water is something that can be obtained without effort, and it has no valuable value in the secular world. We can almost certainly say that when supplying water, suppliers will not feel stingy and regretful, and they don't need to use various bad methods to obtain it, so clean water has become one of the best sacrifices. Water has eight functions and eight meanings, so the origin is also very auspicious: (1) cool-Italy, Germany, clean; (2) sweetness-expressing meaning and enjoying all kinds of food; (3) lightness-meaning physical and mental health; (4) Soft in quality-soft in meaning; (5) clarity-clear meaning; (6) Eliminating odorless ideographic obstacles; (7) to express the meaning of the throat and achieve the punch line; (8) Nourishing the stomach-means healthy and disease-free. When supplying water, you can supply one cup or seven cups. Before putting the cup on the altar, put a little water in it, and then fill it up. This is because the origin of empty cups is unlucky, so it is advisable to avoid putting empty cups on the altar. When adding water, it should not be too full or too little, but should be added to the thickness of one meter from the side of the cup. The distance between cups should not be too narrow or too wide, and a distance of one meter is also appropriate. When you put down the cup, you should put it down respectfully and gently, and don't throw it rudely. When adding water, you should hold it in your hands, as if it were a respect for the emperor's tea. We usually supply water in the morning, throw it out at night, dry the cups and put them away. The above details are for my own virtue, not for the buddhas. Don't think that these jokes are unnecessary persistence. For ordinary people, section is the key to success.
○ What should I do with the food donated to Buddha? What if one day I forget to support?
◎ If it is still fresh food, you can use it yourself or give it to others; If the product has gone bad or expired, you must throw it away! The food offered on the altar doesn't need to be preserved for a long time, even if it is only preserved for one minute and supported in the heart, it is enough. The Buddhist scriptures don't say how long it will take, but the buddhas don't need secular food at all, so you don't need to wait for a long time for the saints to run out before taking it back. Just give it a while. When supporting the diet, don't leave your good self to the poor. Inferior food and drinks that even you will not benefit from are certainly not suitable for the purpose of offering Buddha. Although the Buddhas will not really benefit from these offerings, you still have to provide appropriate offerings for the sake of auspicious origin and merit, otherwise you would rather not provide them. There is nothing wrong with forgetting to support. Buddha is different from other living beings. You don't have to worry about their anger or revenge, and they won't starve because you forget to provide for them. Support is only for self-accumulation, not for saints. However, the key to practice is perseverance, and it is best not to interrupt daily practice and support, so that perseverance can produce results. Especially those who live at home, they have to buy food and things every day anyway, as long as they return the food they bought or didn't eat. In this case, it is convenient and easy. As long as you don't forget to eat every day, you won't forget to testify.
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