Incense is an indispensable part of the spiritual culture of the Vietnamese people. Especially during Tet, every family constantly burns incense and brings it to the temple. However, choosing and burning incense without skill can cause great harm. Burning incense on the ancestral altar is to connect people with the spiritual world, grandparents, and send prayers through the smoke to ancestors and Buddhas.
However, when burning incense, we need to pay attention to the following things to avoid harm:
Avoid buying incense rolls made with chemicals
In folk beliefs, if the lit incense does not fall apart or roll up, it is considered a sign of luck and spirit. However, in the old days, incense was made from very natural materials such as agarwood, frankincense, and pomelo… Therefore, rolling up incense was extremely rare, burning a thousand times may only have one chance, so people have such a belief. However, because of this belief, in modern times, people deliberately add chemicals to make every incense roll able to roll up. And many families buy these rolls to wish for a prosperous new year with many rolled up incense sticks to make it look luxurious when guests look up at the ancestral altar. But the chemicals used to make the rolls are very harmful to health. The substances used to make the rolls can cause sneezing, coughing, bronchitis, pneumonia, frequent burns can cause cancer… Burning too much incense in a small space can also cause suffocation, especially for the elderly and young children.
According to feng shui, burning incense rolls in this way is not spiritual because it is dishonest and not in line with feng shui principles. Moreover, toxic substances in the rolls on the ancestral altar are said to cause negative influences and disrupt the Qi field because it is not clean.
Avoid inserting the incense coil into the incense bowl
On Tet, many families want to burn incense coils to make the atmosphere in the ancestral hall always fragrant, creating a solemn and warm atmosphere, especially when the descendants come to offer incense to ancestors. The incense coil burns for a long time, so there is no need to light more incense sticks immediately.
The incense coil is usually available at religious establishments, so many families think that burning incense coils in the ancestral hall will be more solemn.
However, since ancient times, only the incense bowl in temples and shrines is high enough to insert the incense coil with a metal stand and hold the incense coil. Moreover, sticking a sharp object with a satiating function into the incense bowl on the ancestral altar is very superstitious according to feng shui principles. The incense coil holder is also often made of metal, so inserting it into the incense bowl is even more superstitious and can cause health problems, passive negative energy in business and have a negative impact on luck and fortune. If it is necessary to burn incense coils, light them on a separate plate outside the incense bowl.
Handle incense carefully to avoid dropping and breaking the incense stick
According to feng shui beliefs, a broken-headed incense stick or a damp incense stick that does not burn is very unlucky. Therefore, when placing incense into the incense holder or removing the incense stick, it is necessary to be careful, avoid getting it wet and causing the incense not to catch fire or causing the incense stick to drop and break.
Burning too much incense can cause the incense bowl to catch fire and create smoky conditions
Many families welcome many groups of descendants to come and burn incense, with everyone lighting incense sticks at the same time, making the incense bowl containing many incense sticks burn at the same time, increasing the risk of fire and creating a lot of smoke. Therefore, homeowners should pay attention to avoid burning too much incense at the same time, and pay attention to prayers without the need for incense if there is already incense burning on the incense bowl.
Be cautious with scented incense
Normally, natural incense will have a light and pleasant fragrance of agarwood or sandalwood. However, many production facilities add fragrances to make them more attractive to customers. Chemical incense sticks and strongly scented incense are extremely harmful. The chemical smell not only harms the health of the living but is also not in line with feng shui principles because it makes the area of worship impure, making the air in the worship place less clean and causing discomfort in spiritual and feng shui matters.
Pay attention to burning incense in the evening
It is advisable to limit burning incense in the evening because this is the time when the ancestors rest. Moreover, burning incense at this time can lead to the entrance of evil spirits into the house. Burning incense in the evening before going to bed can cause difficulty falling asleep, especially for families with small living spaces that do not have a separate ancestral hall.
The information is for reference and consideration only.
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