About Incense and Incense Offering
Across all Buddhist traditions, incense is one of the most common and basic substances used as offerings to the Buddhas and enlightened beings. Within Tibetan Buddhism, incense is typically used as an offering to the Three Jewels — Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. It is also employed as part of Buddhist ritual to purify offering substances such as water, food and light.
In traditional Tibetan Medicine, incense is often used as a medicinal substance to treat certain ailments. Due to the healing qualities of its ingredients, Tibetan incense can soothe and calm a mind affected by depression, restlessness, anxiety and stress. Specific incense formulas can also be beneficial for common complaints such as migraines, cough, dizziness and insomnia.
On a spiritual level, the offering of incense reminds us to hold our vows purely and creates the causes for us to do so. In Buddhist thought, morality is considered to be one of the Six Perfections of a Bodhisattva practitioner. As such, it is one of the keys to reaching full enlightenment.
“Incense offerings should be done daily and consistently with great confidence in the supreme Dharma that liberates our mind from all sufferings and to the holy sage Buddha who has traversed over samsara.”
– Tsem Rinpoche
As we make incense offerings to the Buddhas, we generate the merits to become like them and hold our vows perfectly. This collection of merits is based on our Bodhisattva aspirations, and will lead us to the realisation of higher views which sees the faults of serving oneself as opposed to serving the needs of all sentient beings.
Therefore, offering incense of the best quality with the highest motivation may seem to be a simple spiritual act, but it leads to higher insight, integrity of practice, consistency of practice, generation of merits, and the ability to hold our vows which leads to the generation of higher attainments and insight within our mindstream.
About Nagas
Nagas are a type of serpent spirit that generally reside in woodlands, forests and jungles, as well as areas close to natural water bodies. These powerful beings are endowed with magical powers and are custodians of great wealth.
Their abilities include controlling the weather, bringing good fortune, and enhancing fertility and positivity. Conversely, they can also inflict diseases, obstacles and natural disasters.
When nagas are unhappy, they can cause many problems and harm us like a vengeful enemy. They are highly sensitive, extremely clean and are easily displeased by pollution, construction, destruction of nature, killing of animals, disharmony and broken samaya.
However, if we please and befriend them, nagas can bring immense benefits and help us, just like a powerful friend. Naga pujas and offerings are primarily performed to appease nagas that may have been offended, or to please nagas that are active in areas where we wish to live, work or conduct business.
