Praying with incense

[gristan]

Hi, newbie here.

I have a quick question.  When we start our practices, how many incenses do we light up.  I know in my country (theravadan), we light up 3 incense (joss sticks) in one go when we pray to Buddha.  But I am not sure how many would I use for my practice of water offering, guru yoga and prostrations.  Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
G

[Blueberry]

Hi G...welcome aboard!

In my practice which i follow KH, then i will do this

Daily prayer which i do Guru Yoga, Vajrasattva, Prostration, Setrap Prayer and close with dedication prayer then i use one stick incense.

On weekend which normally i wud spend more time cos apart of prayer above that i also recite power of regret prayer till power of promise, hence when i come into Setrap prayer then i need to light another stick of incense cos first one already finished na.

How abt u guys?

[Crazywisdom]

Hi G,

I only burn a bit of one stick while i do my vajrasattva practice in the evening so as not to bother my family with the smoke. I don't burn any with my morning practice for the same reason.

Jon 

[goat]

3 at time

[spiritnoname]

Unless it actually has something to do with your practice, probably doesn't matter.

 I tend to keep three in each incense bowl,.. but only burn one at a time, throughout the day, almost always incense burning here. I just do that because it makes me happy.

[gristan]

Thanks guys for your reply.  But another question arises, are there suppose to be many incense bowls?  I was thinking of just using one.   

[Blueberry]

i think you can use one bowl for those 3 sticks ...

Oh ya.. normally we use rice hence we can put stick into bowl... do we change the rice anytime we burnt out the incense or how?

[spiritnoname]

Lama uses two incense bowls, one filled with ashes where he burns incense, another with just incense standing in with clean rice.

I used to use one bowl with rice originally, but eventually you have enough ash you can remove the rice.

[spiritnoname]

I personally love incense, I really really like it, I love seeing it billowing through the air. I like putting incense just out the front door when a lot of people are walking past, it seems to make them happy and I've resolved conflicts in the neighborhood by doing that at the right times:P

 Besides lama and me everyone in our complex isn't Buddhist, but some things smooth everything over and make things harmonious.

 In China incense got a bad reputation as a superstitious practice for good luck, and I know for a fact it was used that way. But when a Buddhist burns incense as a representation of their virtue and freeing beings from the smell of death, people smell it and they know you're going the right way and they encourage your efforts. Seems strange, but incense has become a way to introduce people to the Dharma way.

[gristan]

I personally love incense, I really really like it, I love seeing it billowing through the air. I like putting incense just out the front door when a lot of people are walking past, it seems to make them happy and I've resolved conflicts in the neighborhood by doing that at the right times:P

 Besides lama and me everyone in our complex isn't Buddhist, but some things smooth everything over and make things harmonious.

 In China incense got a bad reputation as a superstitious practice for good luck, and I know for a fact it was used that way. But when a Buddhist burns incense as a representation of their virtue and freeing beings from the smell of death, people smell it and they know you're going the right way and they encourage your efforts. Seems strange, but incense has become a way to introduce people to the Dharma way.

Does the type of incense matter?  I read somewhere that there are a variety of incenses.  I just realized that there specific deity incenses.  I think the type of incense you use matters because some just really don't smell nice.  If one has a particular diety, should they use that specific incense?

[Blueberry]

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[spiritnoname]

 If the type of incense is important it would say it in the teaching materials or your teacher would point it out.

[wmw111]

I typically make sure incense is lit during the invocation part of the sadhana when we are inviting the deities. I suppose by having incense when Lama Tsongkhapa or any other deity visits us , it creates a pleasant environment for them.

[spiritnoname]

...

[sharonsaw]

Incense is lit to purify the environment. Whether you use one stick or three, it doesn't really matter.

When you light the incense depends on what prayers you are doing. For example, usually we light incense when we make our offerings at the altar to purify them. When we do Dharmapala Setrap's prayer, there are certain points during the puja when you have to light incense. Those points are marked in the prayer book.

The type of incense is not critical for beginners. If we are doing Protector Puja, it's best to burn Setrap's incense. If we are doing a Tara puja, it would be nice to burn Tara incense but in general, just burn whatever incense you like the smell of. Personally i LOVE Setrap's incense!

Hope this helps