Can non-Buddhists worship Buddha? Is it necessary to burn incense when worshipping Buddha?

There is always a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in the temple, which makes people feel awe. Therefore, many people now choose to worship Buddha in order to pursue spiritual peace. However, among so many people who worship Buddha, there are always a few who do not believe in Buddhism.

Can non-Buddhists worship Buddha?

People who do not believe in Buddhism can worship Buddha. When believers in Buddhism worship Buddha, it is a form of conversion. When people who do not believe in Buddhism worship Buddha, it is also a form of respect.

1. True Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are detached from all forms and do not cling to any form. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas treat all sentient beings equally and will not blame you whether you worship them or not. The retribution received by those who truly go to the temple to worship Buddha, those who do not worship Buddha, and those who do not respect Buddha are completely different. What really determines how much blessings and misfortunes we have is actually ourselves, not the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

2. The Lotus Sutra uses a metaphor that goes like this: "Heaven sends rain equally to the world, but flowers, plants, and trees absorb water in different amounts according to the size of their own roots." This is telling us that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas save all sentient beings and treat all sentient beings with compassion without any discrimination, but because the roots and behaviors of sentient beings are different, the benefits they receive are also different.

3. Buddhism is actually a mirror, and Bodhisattva is ourselves in the mirror. How we treat Buddha and Bodhisattva is how we treat ourselves. If you often respect Bodhisattvas, are grateful to Bodhisattvas, and establish good relationships with Bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, you will naturally receive good results. If you do not respect Bodhisattvas, do not believe in Bodhisattvas, or even slander Bodhisattvas, you have already planted the seeds of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt.

4. What truly determines our destiny is the cause and effect in the world. You will reap what you sow. We go to the temple to worship Bodhisattvas and respect them. This is how we respect our saints and teachers. It is okay to go to a temple and not worship Buddha, but you cannot have any disrespectful thoughts in your heart or do anything that slanders Buddha.

5. Ignorance is not a crime. For those who do not believe in Buddhism at all, there is no sin even if they do not worship Buddha when they go to the temple. If you are a Buddhist disciple, when you see your teacher at this time, you must treat him with respect. Even if you do not worship, you should have a respectful and grateful heart. Good causes will naturally lead to good results.

Is it necessary to burn incense when worshipping Buddha?

It is not necessary to burn incense when worshiping Buddha. Many people believe that they must burn incense and worship Buddha in a temple. Some even believe that the more incense they burn, the better, and the more devout they worship, the better. These are actually folk superstitious behaviors and are not desirable ideas. True Buddhists believe in going with the flow.

1. Go with the flow That is to say, when we arrive at the temple, we can choose to burn incense and worship Buddha, or we don’t have to. Even if we don’t burn incense, Buddha will not blame us, and will not think that not worshiping Buddha is disrespectful to Buddha.

2. Buddhism talks about cause and effect, and also about self-cultivation. Cause and effect tells us that the factors that determine whether our wishes will come true are our thoughts and actions, not how much incense we burn or how much we worship Buddha.

3. Cultivating the mind tells us that our heart is more important than our actions. If we light a stick of incense in our heart, it is better than burning more incense to pollute the air. Similarly, if we have Buddha in our heart, worshiping our own heart is equivalent to worshiping Buddha. It is not necessary to worship devoutly in front of the Buddha statue.

4. Buddha will not take special care of you just because you worship him or burn a lot of incense. Buddha will not punish you just because you don’t worship him, don’t burn incense, or even disrespect him. When we burn incense and worship Buddha, we must first understand the purpose of our burning incense and worshiping Buddha. We cannot burn incense and worship Buddha blindly.