The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (155 page)

 
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(Lat.,
altare
, ‘to raise up’). A structure, often raised, either natural or humanly made, usually with a flat surface, on which offerings are made to God or gods. In Hinduism, the
vedi
(altar) is the centre of the world,
axis mundi
, because the divine comes into the world at that point. The word
b
ma
(Gk., ‘altar’) may refer to the whole sanctuary,
hiera/hagia trapeza
(‘sacred/holy table’) being reserved for the altar.

 
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Altar of Earth
.

A structure built to the north of the old Inner City of Beijing (Peking) in 1530 CE, as a counterpart in symmetrical relationship to the
Altar of Heaven
in the south. The original name of the complex was
fang tse
(literally, ‘square watery place’) altar, indicating that Sovereign Earth, worshipped there by late Ming and Ch’ing emperors on the summer solstice, was conceived as the chthonic spirit which ruled over the entire sublunary world, and thus the counterpart of Heaven.

 
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Altar of Heaven
.

An architectural complex located south of the old Inner City of Beijing (Peking), just to the east of the north-south axial way. Venerated Chinese writings such as the
Classic of History
and the
Book of Rites
mention the Shang and early Chou emperors worshipping at ‘suburban altars’, and each of the succeeding dynasties built an Altar of Heaven south of their capital city for this purpose. Although Beijing's Altar of Heaven is the most recent example, a roofless, three-tiered circular platform constructed of concentric circles of paving stones. See also
ALTAR OF EARTH
.

 
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Altered States of Consciousness
.

Neurophysiological states in which ordinary consciousness is suspended or replaced by other states. In this broad sense, sleep itself is an altered state of consciousness, but the phrase is used more often of induced states, ranging from those induced by drugs to those induced by meditation practices. Controversy has arisen over whether the states so induced are identical, or whether there is a difference in those which occur in religious contexts. However, the debate has made it clear that the phrase itself may be a category mistake, by giving the impression that there are discrete brain states which can be subsumed under this single heading.

 
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Alternative Service Book 1980
.

Church of England
service-book. It is an ‘alternative’ to the
Book of Common Prayer
to which it corresponds in content.

 
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