Blog: practice, offerings and temple customs

Plain guides to bowing, lanterns, incense, meditation, mala beads and temple etiquette, and how to try each one in an online temple.

• How to visit a Buddhist temple online from homeCan't get to a temple? Here is how an online temple visit works, what you can really do in one, and how to make the time feel set apart, for free.
• How to do the three bows in Buddhism, step by stepWhat the three bows to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha mean, how to do a full prostration step by step, and what to do if your knees or back won't allow it.
• Lotus lantern offering: what it means and how to light one onlineWhy Buddhists offer lanterns, the story of the poor woman's lamp, how lantern festivals differ by country, and how to light a lantern with a wish online.
• Candle and incense offerings in Buddhism: meaning and how to offerWhat candles, incense and flowers symbolize on a Buddhist altar, how many incense sticks to use, safe etiquette at a temple, and how to offer them online.
• 5-minute meditation for beginners: a simple way to startA simple 5-minute breath-counting meditation for complete beginners: how to sit, what to do when your mind wanders, and a quiet place to practice online.
• Bedtime meditation with temple sounds: a calm night routineA gentle 10-minute bedtime routine using temple sounds, slow breathing and body awareness, plus when to put the screen away and when to seek help for sleep.
• How to use mala beads: Buddhist prayer beads explainedWhy a mala has 108 beads, how to hold it and count step by step, what the guru bead is, shorter wrist malas, and how to count beads online.
• The moktak (wooden fish): its meaning and how to play it onlineWhy Buddhists strike a wooden fish, what the moktak or mokugyo symbolizes, how it keeps time in chanting, and how to play one free in an online temple.
• Buddhist temple etiquette: a guide for first-time visitorsWhat to wear, when to remove your shoes, how to act around Buddha images and monks, photo rules, and customs by country for your first Buddhist temple visit.
• Buddhist symbols and their meaning: lotus, stupa, bodhi tree and moreWhat the lotus, bodhi tree, stupa, dharma wheel, temple bell and hand gestures mean in Buddhism, and where to find them when you walk through a temple.