Grace’s private altar
Four years ago, Grace and husband CK Leong discovered Kechara through Su Ming. Grace owns a hair salon at Bangsar Village 2 called Grace Salon, where Liaison Su Ming is a regular customer. When Su Ming spoke about Kechara to Grace she took an interest in it…
The first teaching Grace and CK Leong attended was in 2009, when I gave a teaching on pilgrimages in Nepal. Since then, they have regularly volunteered at Kechara Soup Kitchen and Kechara House. Very nice people. They regularly bring their two beautiful children, Melissa and Matthew, to feed the homeless and urban poor on KSK’s Saturday night rounds…
Grace recently moved into a new house where she specially built an outdoor altar! She did it specifically to have a private space to do her prayers. She designed her own altar and offered it up to the Buddhas… how wonderful! It shows her real devotion to the Buddha. She really takes her practice seriously.
Tsem Rinpoche
In a private corner of her home…
… is a cosy private altar house!
It looks like a modern secluded cave surrounded by lush greenery.
What a beautiful, modern altar!
The two paintings below are specially-made cupboard doors from Nepal.
Statues: Vajrayogini, Tsongkhapa, Kuan Yin
Tsa-tsa: Dzambala, Tara, Setrap, Tsongkhapa, Shakyamuni
Picture frame: Vajrayogini
Grace doing her hard Tsongkhapa prayers.
What a cosy, private area to pray.
Grace’s altar at night… beautifully lit up by candles.
Tsongkhapa surrounded by flower offerings.
Vajrayogini with a garland of flowers around her.
A calm and serene corner of her home…
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Wow ……such a beautiful alter, looks simple ,tide and marvellous surrounding tag at a quiet corner of
Her house . A private out door corner ,where she can do her prayers , a beautiful idea to have it outdoor indeed.
Thank you Rinpoche and Grace for sharing this.
I have came across this beautiful altar but didn’t know whom it belongs to. Now only I realized it belongs to a wonderful dharma couple named Mr and Mrs C.K. Leong. 🙂 I really love your private altar. It really shows that you take your practice seriously and have the initiative to build a private altar away from noise. I really wish to have a similar altar like yours in the future 🙂
Wonderful idea to build an altar at Garden, this look like a small temple and able to be blessed surrounding all sentient beings. I like this design ,just simple and nice . Is very happy to see someone put some idea and decor for their own altar, put more effort to practice Dharma. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
感恩仁波切的分享
这是如此美丽的佛龛呀，随喜功德，如此特别的设计，同时把佛龛顿时变成庄严无比，想必在这样的环境里做早课，是如此的祥和宁喜，加上佛龛设在家的外面，每每我们念诵心咒时，也能利益到四周围的一切有情众生
祈愿我们所有的人都能设立起一个美丽的佛龛，无论用怎样的一个设计，我们都抱着好的发心，并是以最真诚的心迎亲各位佛菩萨的到来，并献上我们的供养，好让我们能累积更多的福德资粮，好使我们在佛法的修行道路上顺缘圆满
感恩仁波切，祈愿仁波切长驻在世常转法轮
随喜和羡慕Grace有个漂亮和设计独特的佛龛，设计漂亮的佛龛供佛也是供养的一种，无比殊胜。但愿大家参考后陆续还有设计更好的佛龛出现。
It is really nice to see people having a place/room just specially for their prayer purposes. It shows their respect towards their spiritual practice. I rejoice for Grace and her family to have such a beautiful alter. I hope that Grace and her family will also be able to meet the dharma in their next life.
I know to practise covetousness is to break one of the 10 refuge vows…but OMB I WANT!
I <3 looking at people's altars. Unlike some people who will look at altars to get ideas for their own, most times I can only marvel at and rejoice in how creatively people have arranged their altars because I'm not a very creative person.
I think altars really reflect the practitioner who set it up. One common theme runs throughout all the altars I like. The ones I like the most have had a lot of love, care and thought put into setting them up. Because no matter how beautiful an altar is, if the practitioner who created it isn't real in their practice, somehow it doesn't have the same draw as an altar for a devoted person.
So how jealous I am of someone's altar is generally a good indication of how serious the person is about their practice (or so I'd like to think hahaha). Grace's altar is so beautiful and elegant, and a real reflection of the practitioner.
It’s so nice to have an altar in the garden, so peaceful and serene with trees around to do prayers and meditation in private,very well planned and i liked it very much.Thank you Rinpoche for posting on the blog and Grace for sharing.
From my own very personal experience, it’s very important to plan a place for the Buddhas (if you are Buddhist) in your home and especially in your new home when you have the opportunity to. It helps to keep our priorities in tact! Before Kechara, I used to have an altar in my rented place talking up one whole wall space and that serves as a reminder to do offerings and prayers. When I finally move to a new place, I did not plan a space for my altar. That was when I stopped making offerings because there was just no altar to do so! 🙁
Always always make space for an altar no matter how small your place is. This is coming straight from first hand experience. 🙂
What a beautiful place. The candles flickering at night give it a special warmth. Grace really put her heart into designing this altar. May she and her family always be blessed by the Buddhas.
That looks so nice, peaceful and zen! I would love to have a place like that in my own home, but unfortunately there’s a severe lack of space.
It’s very inspiring to know that people take their practice so seriously, and plan their home renovations around their spiritual needs. I hope more people who have the means do this too. After all, the more we offer to the Buddhas, the more merits we will gain. So if we have the means, then why not?
What’s more, we are fortunate that its easy for us to find the necessary expertise and items to create such a spiritual space. Those in Malaysia can drop by Kechara Paradise (http://www.kechara.com/shopping) and speak to our in-house experts. And those abroad can visit http://vajrasecrets.com and contact our online experts too…
For a preview of how to invite Buddha home properly, see here:
English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPoOJPt7qMs
Chinese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5gq4zmOS98
It is very beautiful altar, that at outside the house. Their house looks so peaceful and it is nice place to do meditation 🙂
Thank You Rinpoche for sharing all this nice picture..
It is really good to hear that people have been thinking about adding spirituality to their homes especially when moving into a new one. It really warms my heart.
When someone has such thoughts, they are being less selfish and they are working towards a life where life is not a selfish thing but rather a beautiful and kind thing.
The altar is extremely beautiful. When I went there, the place felt perfect for an altar, especially with it’s glass windows. Animals who even tread across their land may see the glorious face of the Buddha and be blessed and karmic imprints are planted.
Dear Rinpoche and Dharma friends ,
Thank you so much for all your kind words and good wishes . I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to have met such a great Guru and the Dharma . My sincere wish for everyone to have a wonderful spiritual journey in their precious life .
wow this alter is beautiful and aunty Grace is a very nice women. she is a very kind and happy women. I hope she has a very long life so she can continue in the Dharma. 😀
Such a nice place to set aside for the Buddhas. I do feel it is missing an iconic Big buddha to go with it hehe, having a big buddha image will bless the surroundings even much much more. Grace is always a great supporter of Kechara and just recently she came to cut hair for a few hardworking people at KFR!
Very beautiful altar. I like it very much. I would like to have one too. Hehe. Thank you Grace for sharing your home altar to us. It gives inspiration to other how we can create a personal creatively. 🙂
Very nice altar outside the main house,
Especially at night, looks ready serene and peaceful. May Grace and family always be blessed by the Buddhas!
从 Grace Leong 的 altar 就已经可以看到他与家人的用心！
Grace 与丈夫孩子， 风雨不改的帮助做义工。 让我觉得很感动！
最近， Grace 介绍了他朋友来 Kechara Blooms 当义工。 Event 完成后， Jennifer 还是有再来！ Grace 的好榜样，让朋友从中学习！ ：-）
This is a very well thought design and it is a very unique concept of having the prayer room outdoor in the garden. I am very impressed by her creative of having this beautiful serene prayer room. May she and her family be blessed always:)
It is a brilliant concept to have a stand-alone altar outside the house. Happy Grace, CK and family can offer prayers in such a beautiful environment.
When someone takes the trouble to plan and create a special place dedicated only to their practice, it shows how important the practice is to them. So I am not at all surprised to see Grace’s having a very beautiful outdoor altar.
Grace, CK and their son Matthew are regular faces as KSK food distribution and recently they have added KFR to their list of practical Dharma, and are there very frequently to help out, very often doing the most difficult jobs which others shun.
What a beautiful and serene altar. It really reflects the character.
Thank you for sharing this Grace.
I love the altar and it is always my dream to have this private altar to do my puja and praying.
Wow, it is a beautiful and cozy altar that Grace has. It is very nice while doing her daily prayer at the outdoor, enjoying the fresh breeze :)in the morning. Rejoice for Grace and her family, She is blessed by the 3 Jewels.
It is a very beautiful altar & offerings. Nicely setup and arranged. It’s so serene, calm and beautiful. WIth the altar outdoor, it will also bless all the birds and insects and animal passing by and have the imprint of Buddha in them. So blessed!
Grace has been volunteering a lot in Kechara. She is also attending Lamrim classes without fail. Rejoice to see her with her new altar and progressing in her spiritual journey. Best of all, she is practicing with her husband & son too! That’s a model Dharma family!
Rejoice for Grace and her family for having such a nice place to do prayers and meditation.
It’s so exclusive and simple. It must me very peaceful especially at night.
If I have an area to build my own altar, I might build it the same way, maybe bigger so I can prostration retreat inside as well.
Thanks Grace for the good idea!!
An altar is said to be a sacred place where we go to connect the divine spirit within us. It is this special place that helps us to withdraw from the busyness of life to rejuvenate and connect our ernegy with the divine spirituality of our choice. Therefore, an altar can be considered as a place of our choice to which one goes to, to concentrate his/her energy for many purposes. Altars generally are a part of ancient traditions and have been used as places of worship for thousand of years. It is said that a good development and frequent use of an alter can also bring about family harmony,peace and a happy unity. The development and use of altar in your home can certainly enrich your life and bring about many good blessings. Therefore, what Grace and CK leong have done are wise moves, and may they receive deserving powerful, fulfilling and enrich blessings always.
The first time I saw Grace’s altar, I must say that I was totally impressed! I love it how she actually set such a beautiful altar to do meditations and her sadhana daily. Her family are very devoted to Dharma, and it is not only by words but they show it by action! I wish her and her family much spiritual advancement!
Wow, such a nice outdoor altar. Everyone should have a “peace” corner like this, to contemplate, to talk to inner self.
Very nice prayer room and well thought out. It is nice to see some people taking their spiritual journey as priority. It is never about the size of one’s home. With some, they can have big statues and altars in their apartments while with some people, a one foot statue is said to be too big to fit into their sprawling mansion. So it all boils down to where one’s priority is.
Grace is very fortunate to have her own private space for something so precious. Very nice indeed.
Wow! Grace’s altar is so unique and special! Any birds or insects that passes by will also be blessed! It looks so nice at night with the lights and candles. And the part where she used the 2 cupboard doors made it even more special! Cool and breezy! I wish I have a house that big to have a garden altar. Hehe..
Wow ! Wonderful ! Grace had show us the good example which we can build outside alter in the garden, It is so special to do the Sadhana in night time. I am really rejoice on it ! Thank you Rinpoche Sharing.
very nice and beautiful altar, it make us felt calm and i can felt Grace sincerity towards Buddha.
Its a very beautiful prayer house. So serene especially at night with candles flickering on the altar. I love the garlands of jasmine offerings on the holy images. May the Buddhas continue to bless Grace and family in their new home.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.Grace was very meticulous from the time she plan the alter until the final touches she add on to the altar finishing.She was very mindful in the position of the altar and the benefit it will bring to the entire surrounding.I am sure she is very deli gent to maintain the altar as most people would not consider outdoors. She is a true inspiration for us all when come to setting up a modern altar.
OMG Aunty Grace, I didn’t know that there would be a post on your altar! hehe. Ever since I stumbled upon your altar, I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s really serene, and comforting. It brings a sense of calmness even gazing at your altar. It’s really done up well and very nice. Blesses all the guests that comes to your house weekly, as well as your family and your pets on a daily basis. I am sure it must be really stress-relieving to do meditations and prayers in there.
There have been many times that I have seen Grace doing her Sadhana as well as sitting outdoors and reading the Lamrim. She is committed and dedicated to learning the path towards liberation, and have ignited the same interest in her husband CK and children as well. As a family, they partake in the many activities of Kechara. CK Leong even came up to Kechara Forest Retreat one day to cook for the volunteers over there! 🙂 Not the first time though…he did it in the Kechara House Wesak Fair too, to raise funds. His fried rice is superb.
Anyways, it’s nice to see another family in Dharma practising and applying the teachings of Lord Buddha in their everyday lives. They are the best landlords you could ever have! 🙂
I really like the altar being in a separate unit by itself. It looks so calming and serene to do prayers and to meditate there.
The modern and simple looking altar is just fabulous. The altar has so much more room to expand itself in the future.
Rejoice for Grace.
Grace is a quiet and elegant person and the altar reflects her. Its inspiring, private and serene yet will bless the surrondings and all those who walk by. Beautiful idea. Thank you Grace for sharing. May the Buddhas bless you and your family always.
Rejoice for Grace, ur altar is so beautiful yet cozy… Thanks Rinpoche for sharing with us. The outdoor altar may benefit even more sentient beings in that area…
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this beautiful altar pictures.Grace’s altar really very beautiful and creative at outdoor,I like it very much!!May Grace and whole family blessed by 3 jewels everyday !!
I first saw Grace’s outdoor altar when she sent in for the altar competition, I was like wow, so zen, so serene and I like it very much. Altar can be very cool also, and not suppose to hide in one small corner of our house. Thanks Grace for the great idea!
What a beautiful beautiful altar and in such a lovely setting. I’ve always wanted to create an outdoor altar, unfortunately, my neighbors will just tear it down. 🙁
I am so happy that Grace lives in such a place where the Dharma is respected and cherished. She is so blessed.
Wow! How nice is this! Grace is obviously serious about her practice to have thought so thoroughly in making an altar home for her to do her sadhanas. I’m very impressed with her creativity and thank her for showing such good example to all of us. When we take something seriously, there is no way for us to not do it with all our heart!
Grace’s altar is very beautiful and is very private for her practice. I love it being outdoors where she can pray, meditate in the outdoors and have fresh air. Grace, CK and their son Matthew are very supportive of Kechara. The whole family goes to help and distribute food to the homeless with KSK every Saturday! What a committed family!
Very nice altar Grace! I can imagine doing Saddhanas in the private outdoor prayer room. It is so beautiful and cosy. Must be very nice to be surrounded by greenery scenes and have a private moment while praying.. And we will be able to do that in KFR soon! hehe
Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche!
Such a Beautiful and simple altar. Wonderful idea and it’s a wonderful offering to the Buddha. Rejoice for Grace and CK Leong. 🙂
Regards : Erickksiow
Setting up altar for Buddha Statue is not where you simply get a space to put it, it is not the altar which arrange around other things but if set the place best suit the altar, then other things arrange around it. Altar is the more important than any other stuff, because it is our spiritual practice.
It is nice to see Grace set up such beautiful Altar in the garden, an Altar within the trees, a mini KFR in Grace’s house?? hehe…
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the pictures of Grace’s beautiful altar! Grace had really put in much thought in the whole design and concept of this very sacred place, it’s cozy,modern,practical and very private.Being built in the garden , with glass walls would surely bring in the most peaceful energies of nature.
Beautiful !!! Love it !
Beautiful offering to the Buddhas. Her prayer house is such a peaceful place for prayers, neditating n comtemplation. The careful planning and construction shows how much importance Grace and her family placed on their Dharma practise. May be continually blessed by the Buddhas.
I came across pictures of Grace’s private altar during Kechara’s altar competition and I really like them very much.
I feel that it is really very creative to have altar set outdoor, and the thought of building a house specifically for Buddhas is precious. Furthermore, Grace only comes to know about Buddhism purely a short 4 years ago, so this kind of dedication and creativity is very valuable in my eyes.
I wish Grace much advancement in her spirituality and that her whole family is blessed by Three Jewels continously.
Grace Leong built the outside altar with lots of details in mind. She even planned for the 2 Tibetan cupboard doors. That planning takes time and detail. The altar is simple, elegant, comfortable and private, blessed too. Thanks for sharing your home with us, Grace.
It is really nice to see people to have special thoughts for Buddha when doing their house renovation. I think it is a step towards selfless, where we don’t only think about me me me.
I like the altar because it is simple and especially at night, it is really cozy. With mosquito netting, it will definitely a very nice place to do Sadhana, contemplation and meditation.
From the photos, I would like to suggest Grace to have a wooden seat which will be more comfortable when sitting cross legged, and it will be more durable for “outdoor” and not afraid of rain/water.