Shrine rooms

I took Andrea and Jo—the Welsh Assembly Government representatives—up to see our shrine room.  This beautiful room which we are so fortunate to be able to accommodate in our house, is decorated in traditional Nyingma Buddhist style.  When describing this room verbally it sounds a little wild: "The ceiling is dark blue; the lower part of the wall is maroon and the upper part yellow; between the maroon and yellow are bands of orange and green; details such as coving are picked out in gold."  On entering the room however, one is struck with its extraordinary atmosphere.  The colours themselves create an ambience that is conducive to practice.

The practice room at Aro Ling—our centre in Bristol—is decorated in the same manner and new visitors always comment on how wonderful it is.

Andrea and Jo liked the shrine room and  enquired whether there was a particular image or icon that should be present in a shared faith room with regard to Buddhism.  I suggested that probably the most universal image would be the wheel or Shakyamuni Buddha.