What should I wear when I go to a temple to burn incense? What do one stick of incense, two sticks of incense, and three sticks of incense represent?

Temples are pure and sacred places. For Buddhists, burning incense and worshiping Buddha in temples is a very common thing. However, there are many rules in temples that ordinary believers must abide by when they go to burn incense and worship Buddha, especially in terms of clothing.

What to wear when going to a temple to burn incense

When going to a temple to burn incense, it is best to wear neat and simple clothes, and light colors such as gray or light yellow are fine. Ladies should not wear miniskirts or clothes that expose their chests or backs, and men should not wear shorts or clothes with large stains. This is impolite and disrespectful to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

What are the taboos when visiting temples?

1. Avoid inappropriate address

After entering the temple, remember not to address them randomly. We should respectfully call the monks and Taoists in the temple "Master" or "Master", and call the presiding monk "Elder", "Abbot" or "Zen Master". The monks in the Lama temple are called "Lama", which means "Master". It is taboo to call them "monk", "renunciate" or even other insulting names.

2. Avoid improper etiquette

When we meet monks in the temple, the common way of greeting is to put your hands together and bow your head slightly, or put one hand upright in front of your chest with your head slightly lowered. Avoid inappropriate etiquette such as shaking hands, hugging, and touching the monk's head.

3. Avoid inappropriate conversation

When talking with monks or Taoists, you should not mention words about killing, marriage, or eating meat, so as not to cause disgust to the monks.

4. Avoid inappropriate behavior

When visiting a temple, you should not make loud noises, point fingers, make sarcastic remarks, or walk around or move things in the temple. In particular, you should avoid touching or carving the statues of deities. If you encounter any Buddhist activities, you should stand still and watch silently or leave quietly. At the same time, you should also look after your children to prevent them from doing impolite things out of ignorance.

What do one stick of incense, two sticks of incense, and three sticks of incense represent?

1. A stick of incense shows respect to the sky

Because ordinary people depend on the weather for their livelihood, no matter what era they live in, they hope that God can give us better fortune and hope to have a life with good weather and good harvest. Most people believe that this is all a gift from God, so in order to thank God, the first stick of incense is to express admiration for God.

2. Two incense sticks to show respect to the earth

The two incense sticks express respect for the earth, hoping that the land can be more fertile, that the land resources can be more abundant, and that a good harvest can be achieved.

3. Three incense sticks are for respecting the elders

That is our ancestors. No matter what kind of circumstances we live in, it is given by our ancestors. Without their foundation, we would not be where we are today. After all, our country is still a country of etiquette. Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a traditional virtue in our country. We have an indelible admiration for our ancestors, so it is natural to worship them, and it is also to express our respect for them.