The meditation shelf

I have a friend who is not very idealistic, but the other day when I came to visit, he was struggling to build an altar. I was surprised, then my friend explained:

- This is not an altar, it is the ancestral altar at my parents' house, I don't worship gods or Buddhas. You can think of this as a meditation shelf!

It would be better not to explain, but the more I explain, the more confused I feel. Why is there no one worshiped on the altar? Isn't that blasphemy? Don't people worship their ancestors or gods to show their respect, to be protected from misfortune, and to receive good things?

- I don't think so. The good luck and fortune that come to us in life are not given by any gods or ancestors, but are the result of our own outlook on life, brought about by ourselves.

My friend was drilling holes in the wall to install a "meditation shelf" and calmly replied.

- People often say "If the father eats salty food, the son will be thirsty" in the sense that cause and effect are passed on from generation to generation. If the parents do bad things, the children will have to suffer the consequences, in other words, "karma". Or vice versa, "A green tree has green leaves, a kind parent leaves virtue to their children" is understood as parents living well will leave sweet fruits for their children later. In general, these views seem to be correct in reality, but in fact we are misunderstanding the nature of the problem. The so-called "If the father eats salty food, the son will be thirsty" is actually the father eating salty food, the son will also eat salty food, thirst is because we ourselves eat salty food. Cause and effect are real, but we have determined the wrong cause that leads to the immediate result. Each person has his own karma, the misfortunes or good fortune that come to us in this limited life are the result of a series of actions that reflect our philosophy of life in the past, present and future. A correct outlook on life will yield sweet fruit, a distorted outlook on life will yield bitter fruit. Children's outlook on life is often influenced, controlled, and inherited from their parents' outlook on life. So it is not wrong to say that parents leave virtue to their children, but it is an indirect cause, not a direct one as we think.

That sounds reasonable! But I wonder, what does this have to do with my friend suddenly setting up an altar, oh no, a “calm-down shelf”?

- An altar is fine, a meditation shelf is fine. It looks the same, but each person's heart is different. Some people set up an altar to show their respect to their ancestors and gods. Some people set up an altar to seek benefits. As for me, I don't worship any entity, I "worship" my own ego. It is often said that the lines of the palm reflect destiny, when you open your hand you can see your whole life, when you close your hand, isn't your life still in the palm of your hand? Having this corner is to create for yourself a habit, a bond, a responsibility. To have two days a month to face yourself, put everything aside and question yourself. Because even the most steadfast person sometimes forgets his ego.

I kept quiet and asked no more questions, because I was also waiting for an answer for myself.