The correct way to burn incense and the taboos of the order of offering incense to Buddha

In addition to going to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha on specific days, many people also burn incense and worship Buddha at home every day. So what is the correct way to burn incense? Are there any taboos? What is the order of offering incense to Buddha?

The correct way and taboos of burning incense

—— The correct way to burn incense:
1. When worshipping Buddha, take three sticks of incense, light them in the light, hold them in your hand, and walk to the worship stool;
2. Face the Buddha statue, stand respectfully, and hold incense in both hands;
3. When holding the incense stick, hold the incense stick with your index and middle fingers, and place your thumbs against the end of the incense stick.
4. Hold the incense sticks horizontally between your eyebrows, level with them, look at the majestic Buddha statue with your eyes, visualize yourself in harmony with the Buddha, look at your nose with your eyes, and look at your heart with your nose;
5. Put the incense down, hold the incense base with your right hand, and insert the incense with your left hand. The distance between the two incense sticks should be five centimeters.
—— Taboos of burning incense:
1. Don’t ask monks about their age . In the temple, whether you meet young monks or old monks, if you casually ask them their age, even if you are respectful, they will generally just smile and not answer you. Buddhism emphasizes nirvana and enlightenment, and does not care about the concept of age.
2. Do not step on the threshold of the temple .<br/>When entering a temple, you will find that the threshold of the temple is generally quite high. The threshold was a symbol of etiquette in ancient times. The higher the threshold, the greater the power. If you step on the threshold of a temple, it means you have no respect for the temple. Not only can you not step on it, you can't even sit on it.
To show respect, men usually step with their left foot first and women with their right foot first when crossing the threshold.
3. Dress elegantly and appropriately . A Buddhist temple is a quiet and solemn place. When we go there to burn incense and worship Buddha, we should pay attention to our dress and appearance. Male tourists should dress appropriately and not wear vests or bare-chested even in hot weather. Female tourists should not wear revealing clothes or even heavy makeup. This not only affects others, but also constitutes an unintentional blasphemy against the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is best to wear simple clothes. Although you can dress fashionably, you should not be too flashy. This is the civilized way to worship Buddha.

Order of offering incense to Buddha

1. When burning incense, it is sufficient to burn only one stick. When offering three incense sticks, first insert the middle one, which represents taking refuge in the Buddha; then insert the one on the right hand side, which represents taking refuge in the Dharma; and finally insert the one on the left hand side, which represents taking refuge in the Sangha.
2. When burning incense, hold the incense between your thumb and index finger, and close the other three fingers. Hold the incense horizontally with both hands to the level of your eyebrows. Visualize the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appearing before your eyes and accepting the incense offering. If there are many people, place the incense sticks straight up to avoid burning them.
3. Then walk to a distance of three steps away from the Buddha statue, hold up incense and visualize worshiping the Buddha. When burning incense, it is best to use one stick. If you want to burn three sticks, insert the first stick in the middle (recite aloud to offer to the Buddha), the second stick in the right side (recite aloud to offer to the Buddha),
4. Insert the third branch on the left side (recite offerings to monks), and put your palms together (offerings to all sentient beings. May this cloud of incense and flowers fill the ten directions, offering to all Buddhas, and honoring all sages and saints).