If you sit down anywhere within sight of an altar or Buddha statue, tuck your feet beneath you or sit cross-legged, never stretch them out toward the image. Standing and walking through is fine, it’s specifically the seated, feet-pointed posture that reads as disrespectful.
If someone is kneeling or standing in prayer facing an altar, don’t cut through the space between them and the statue to get past, go around behind them instead. It only takes a couple of extra steps, and skipping it is one of the more noticeable ways a visitor can disrupt someone mid-prayer.
- Offering incense has its own small protocol — use three sticks, not two, hold them between your palms with thumbs at the base, raise them to forehead height, bow, then place them upright in the urn; if you need to put a flame out, wave it rather than blowing on it.
- Keep your hands out of your pockets and your voice down near any altar — both read as casual in a space that’s meant to feel the opposite, even when no one’s actively praying nearby.