What are the rules and taboos of burning incense and worshipping Buddha?

What are the particulars of burning incense and worshiping Buddha? Today I will introduce to you the etiquette and taboos of burning incense and worshiping Buddha. Please take some time to take a look with me.

In today's society, more and more people believe in Buddhism. According to our country's traditional customs, every Spring Festival and some important festivals, many people will go to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha to pray for peace and happiness. It has become an indispensable activity in our lives.

Today, let's talk about what etiquette we should pay attention to when we go to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha.

1. Entrance

There are many doors in the temple, and ordinary people can only enter through the door on the left. When entering the door, male guests should step with their left foot first and female guests should step with their right foot first. The bigger the step, the better.

When entering a temple, you should follow the principle of entering from the left door and exiting from the right door. Because the threshold represents the shoulders of Buddha, you must not step on it.

The ceremony of ascending the first and sixth steps signifies single-minded devotion and good luck.

2. Pray to Buddha and make a wish

Before worshiping Buddha, you must wash your hands first. Incense cannot be called "buy" but "invite".

Ordinary people hold the incense with their left hand when burning it. Three sticks are for praying for yourself, six sticks are for praying for two generations, and nine sticks are for praying for three generations. Thirteen is an extreme; thirteen incense sticks are high incense that represents complete merit.

Burn the incense first and then kowtow, holding the incense in your left hand and the candle in your right hand. When burning incense, first use your own fire to light the incense. The stronger the fire, the better, so that the incense will be more popular.

Hold the incense with your left hand on top and your right hand on the bottom, and raise it above your head to bow. After bowing, put the incense in the ashes and you can enter the door and kowtow.

It is best to burn three incense sticks, which represent the three non-leakage studies of "precepts, concentration, and wisdom"; it also represents offerings to the permanent Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This is the most complete and civilized way of burning incense and offering. When incense is put into the incense burner, it should be at a horizontal angle, which means peace and safety.

Kneeling posture: Kneel on the cushion with both knees and put your hands together. Note that the palms should be hollow. Raise them above the head, then lower them to the mouth and pause. You can make a wish; then lower them to the heart, recite silently, then open your palms with the palms facing up, and bow down.

3. Burning Incense

Light the incense with your own fire, pinch the incense stick with the middle and index fingers of both hands, and press the end of the incense with the thumb. Place it in front of your chest, with the incense head facing the Bodhisattva statue. Then raise the incense to your eyebrows, and then put it down as follows:

Start by inserting the incense sticks with your left hand, with the first stick placed in the center, the second stick placed on the right, and the third stick placed on the left.

After offering incense, one should stand solemnly in front of the Buddha statue, put one’s hands together, and worship the Buddha respectfully.

If you are burning incense in a ring, you should face the Buddha with the lit part, and hold it with both hands as if you were holding a long incense stick.

When burning sandalwood, you should hold the two ends of the incense with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, and stretch out the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, raise them to the level of your eyebrows, and put them into the incense burner from front to back. If you have bad luck, add the master’s WeChat (nxzfs68) to help you live and work in peace, cultivate your inner self, and increase your wealth!

Pick up the first sandalwood stick with the left hand, take it with the right hand and put it in; pick up the second stick with the right hand and put it in with the left hand; the third stick is the same as the first one.

The methods of visualization and silent recitation are the same as when burning long incense. Burning incense is an offering, and burning sandalwood is the best!