[home altar]

Thank you so much, Master Lee, for your comprehensive explanation. I have made some changes according to your knowledge and I feel much better about my apartment now!
Kind regards
Jelle

[home altar]

Dear Sir
Six years ago my father passed
away and I always had a beautiful picture of the two of us. I had it in
my room for a long time next to a picture of my mother, who is still
alive, next to a buddha statue. I was not born a Buddhist but I have
been a member of a traditional buddhist kung fu school for some time and
although I have no profound knowledge yet, the buddhist philosophy
explained in my school has more appeal to me than any other philosophy. I
am now integrating the pictures and the statue into an altar in a more
visible part of my appartement (before it used to be tucked away in the
corner of my bedroom). I layed down both pictures on the top shelf of a
cabinet and put a small decoration with stones and water flowing through
a pump, in between the pictures. I also placed some pictures of both
deceased family members and deceased friends and living family members
and living friends on the shelf below next to the buddha statue. Finally
I placed a large frame with the depiction of my kung fu style on top of
the cabinet.
Although I am not of eastern descent I do feel that
paying tribute to both the dead and the living will improve my quality
of live and that of my family members. I have some questions regarding
the placement of the objects:
1) Is it ok to put pictures of both deceased and living persons on an altar or should they be separated?
2)
My kung fu school has given a new direction to my life and my highest
personal aspiration lies there. Is it ok to put a large frame (40 cm x
80 cm) the depiction of my kung fu style on the altar?
3) If I put a bowl fruit on the altar, can I eat the fruit afterwards?
4) Is it ok to put the Buddha statue on the lower shelf or should it always be placed on the upper shelf?
5) Can I lay down the pictures or should they be placed upwards?
Kind regards
Jelle