What are the rules for burning incense in a temple?

Nowadays, more and more people believe in Buddhism. Every year during the Spring Festival and the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the general public has the habit of going to temples to burn incense, worship Buddha, and pray for blessings and peace. It is normal to burn incense and pray to Buddha when visiting famous temples and temples during travel. However, many people do not know how to burn incense and worship Buddha. In order to enable believers from all over the world to plant fields of blessings, obtain widespread Dharma benefits, and do good deeds and fulfill their wishes, we will burn incense and pray for blessings. The correct method is briefly introduced to everyone, so as to pray for the benefit of the law. Listen to me and explain to you the rules of burning incense and worshiping Buddha.

1. Entrance etiquette

There are many doors in temple buildings, and there are particularities about which door you enter. It is said that only temples that have been opened are qualified to build thirteen gates. The three doors in the middle are for people to enter and exit. Ordinary tourists can only enter through the door on the right. The door in the middle is called the empty door, and only monks can enter and exit. When entering the door, the male guest steps with his left foot first, and the female guest steps with the right foot first, and the steps need to be as wide as possible. At the same time, when entering the temple halls, you should follow the principle of entering through the left door and exiting through the right door. Note: You must not step on the threshold (it is said that the threshold represents the shoulders of Buddha, of course you cannot step on it). The salute when ascending the 1st and 6th steps means single-mindedness and great success.

2. Burn incense and worship Buddha

Before worshiping Buddha, you must first purify (wash) your hands. Incense cannot be called "buy" but should be called "please". When ordinary people offer incense, they should hold it with their left hand (it is said that the right hand is unclean, and ordinary people use their right hand for most killings). Three sticks are used to pray for oneself, six sticks are used to pray for two generations, and nine sticks are used to pray for three generations. Thirteen is the ultimate, and thirteen sticks of incense are the incense of perfect merit. Burn incense first and then kowtow. When burning incense, you should hold 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 more powerful the incense, the better. People often say that the incense is strong. The left hand is on top, and the right hand is on the bottom holding the incense stick, raising it high above the head to bow. After bowing, put the incense in the ashes, then go in and kowtow. When kowtowing, be sure to identify the Buddha, Bodhisattva or Arhat. For example, you cannot kowtow vigorously to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It is advisable to use three sticks of incense, which represent the three indispensable learning of "precepts, concentration, and wisdom"; it also means making offerings to the three eternal treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This is the most complete and civilized offering of burning incense. The amount of incense does not matter, the most important thing is sincerity. As the saying goes, "burn three civilized incense and pay respect with a sincere heart." When the incense is put into the incense burner, it should be at a horizontal angle, which means it is safe and sound.

The posture of kneeling is like this. Kneel on the futon with your knees and put your hands together. Note that when you put your palms together, you should pay attention to the hollow shape in the palms. Raise it high above your head and pause down to your mouth. , you can make a wish, then go down to your heart, say it silently, then spread your palms, palms upward, and bow down with your upper body.

There is also a blessing ceremony called "consecration", which of course is best presided over by an eminent monk. Things that are usually consecrated must be placed at home with clean hands and burning incense on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, otherwise it is disrespectful. But if it is a very special kind of light, it is different. The lighted object can be carried with you. The objects for consecration can only be ivory, gold or jade products.

Wrap the consecrated items and the paper with the name of the person being prayed for and the horoscope of Sheng Geng (if you can’t remember the horoscope of Sheng Geng, you don’t have to write it) in red paper or a red brocade bag, and hand it over with a congratulatory gift. (preferably related to the numbers three, six or nine), please ask the master to help you consecrate it. Your words must be respectful, otherwise you will offend the master and you will not be consecrated.

The process of consecration is to put all the consecration objects on a tray and place them in front of the Buddha. The master chants several sutras, which is considered to be the Buddha's light. Your objects are endowed with aura and magic power, and can be taken with you to bless you.

Professional way to hold incense

1. Use your own fire to light the incense stick; 2. Hold the incense stick between the middle and index fingers of both hands and hold it up with your thumb The tail of the incense; 3. Place the incense head on the chest, level with the statue of Bodhisattva; 4. Raise the incense to the level of the eyebrows; 5. Then, put it down as in step 3; 6. Start inserting it with your left hand.

The first method of inserting incense: insert the first incense in the center, and silently say: "Offer to the three treasures of the ten directions and three generations." Put the second incense to the right side, and silently say: "Offer to the parents and teachers of all previous generations." "(Note: The method of burning incense in this article was all written by lay people, so it is different from what monks meditate on. However, monks can use this method when they personally offer incense and worship Buddha.) The third incense stick is placed on the left side. , while inserting the incense, silently recite: "Offer to all sentient beings in the ten dharma realms and to the grievances and debts of such and such a person."

The second method of inserting incense is to right the incense first and recite: "Swear to renounce all evil." Second left, recite: "Pledge to practice all good deeds." Second middle, recite: "Pledge to save all sentient beings."

The third method of inserting incense is the simplest, the same as the first method, but The recitation is relatively simple. Put the first incense in the middle and recite: "Offer to the Buddha, be aware but not confused;" Place the second incense on the right side and recite: "Offer the Dharma, which is righteous but not evil;" Place the third incense on the left side. Thought: "Making offerings to the monks will make you pure and uncontaminated." Summarized and simple.

After putting on the incense, stand in front of the Buddha statue, put your palms together, and bow respectfully to the Buddha (put your palms together and say silently in your heart: "May this cloud of incense and flowers go straight to the Three Jewels (or read: "Go straight to the places of all Buddhas") to pray for great mercy. , giving happiness to all living beings”).

If it is a ring of incense, you should point it towards the Buddha with the burning point, with both hands as if you were holding a long incense. When holding the incense, just silently say in your mouth: "Offer to the Three Jewels of the Ten Directions and Three Times."

"May this cloud of fragrant flowers go straight to the Three Jewels, praying for great mercy and giving happiness to all living beings." That's it.

If you are using sandalwood (that is, twigs split from sandalwood), you should hold the two ends of the incense with your thumb and index fingers of both hands, with your middle finger, ring finger, and little finger all open and straight, and raise them to eyebrow level, front and back. Put it into the incense burner; pick up the first stick of sandalwood with your left hand and take it with your right hand; pick up the second stick with your right hand and send it with your left hand; and the third stick is the same as the first stick. The method of visualizing and silently chanting should be the same as when burning incense. Burning incense is an offering, and burning sandalwood is the best!

Methods of Prostration

Prostration is an act of devout respect for the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva. The method is:

1. Stand solemnly and put your palms together, with your wrists touching With the heart and mouth flat, the heels of the two feet are about two inches apart and the toes are about eight inches apart, forming a figure eight. After standing up, immediately put aside your confused thoughts, close your eyes and visualize: My father who has endured countless kalpas in the past is on my right, my mother who has endured countless kalpas in the past is on my left, my children and their families are behind me, and all enemies, enemies and obstacles are in front of me. My parents, relatives, friends and relatives for countless kalpas are all around me, surrounding me, worshiping the Buddha together with me. I hope you will be reborn in the Western Paradise with good karma. (Note: This method of visualizing and worshiping the Buddha is the supreme method of tantric Buddhism. If you often visualize and worship the Buddha in this way, you will not only be able to transcend what you are visualizing, but also eliminate obstacles and disasters for yourself. That is, chanting sutras, chanting mantras or chanting The same is true when chanting the holy names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which cannot be ignored.) After visualizing, bend your arms, extend your right arm diagonally, and press your right palm upward on the center of the prayer mat. If your left palm is still motionless, kneel down immediately (this is the second step). One prayer).

2. After kneeling down, stretch your left palm down and press it on the left front of the prayer mat (this is the second prayer).

3. Move the right palm from the center of the prayer mat to the front right, with the two palms about six inches apart (this is a half-bow together, which is called "two and a half prayers").

4. Bow with your head down on the worship mat between the two palms.

5. Turn the two palms over, palms facing up. It means to hold the Buddha's feet with both hands for blessing and wisdom. This is called the head-to-face ceremony. (Another way of saying it is: In ancient times, when children or lower-ranking people asked for items or money from adults, superiors or elders, they would open their palms like this to accept the requested property. In other words, they would accept the blessings bestowed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. meaning of wisdom).

6. Make fists with both hands and turn them over, lift your head away from the mat, and move your right hand back to the center of the mat.

7. Raise the left hand back to the chest, prop up the body with the right palm, join the left palm, and stand up on both knees at the same time. Still holding hands together.

8. After three bows, bend down with your palms together, lowering it in front of your knees, wrap the four fingers of your left hand around the four fingers of your right hand, with the two big fingers together and the two index fingers together vertically (this is the fixed seal). Straighten your waist, raise it to eyebrow level, and then release your palms. This is called interrogation.

The above are the general methods of worship. In addition, Tantric Buddhism also has "Buddha, Lotus, and Vajra" methods of joining hands and worshiping. After a practitioner takes refuge, he will be personally taught by his guru, so I won’t go into details here.

Breathing method of worshiping

Breathing method of worshiping the Buddha: When bowing down, roll the tip of the tongue against the base of the tongue and inhale at the same time. (If you want to recite the name of the Buddha or recite a mantra, you can exhale while bowing. When you stand up, raise the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and inhale at the same time. This is a method of kneading and exhaling the old and bringing in the new, causing a mysterious circulation of Qi and meridians throughout the body, so as to maintain health, cure diseases and prolong life. When inhaling, it is best to visualize the sun, moon, stars, etc. in the sky turning into white light, entering the body through your top door (if you are facing a statue of Buddha and Bodhisattva, visualize the statue of Buddha and Bodhisattva shining on you); when exhaling, Visualize that all my illnesses, sufferings, and evil obstacles have turned into black air and come out with it (as time goes by, you will see the black air you exhale. At that time, you are guaranteed to be a person with pure three karmas). Fellow practitioners who like to worship the Buddha, why don’t you give it a try? If you continue to practice this method of worshiping the Buddha, practicing the Qigong for curing illness and prolonging life, and purifying the three karmas, you will definitely gain endless benefits. Just worship leisurely. , rise leisurely, neither fast nor slow, without any feeling of fatigue.

How to put your palms together

The first expression of respect and piety among Buddhist disciples is to stand in awe (with your feet shoulder-width apart) and put your palms together. There are many styles of clasping hands. Generally, the palms of both hands are straightened, the backs of the palms are slightly bowed, and the palms are slightly bent. They are raised to the heart and closed lightly. It should not be too tight and should be like a tower. According to the "Introduction Sutra for Practicing and Practicing the Six Dharmas in the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment": "Close your palms tightly without leaving any space. This is a form of clasping your palms together, and you will become an outsider in the first place. (Because the mind is bound by the form, it is difficult to enter the vacuum of the wonderful path.) The second is to be born in a place where there is no Buddha and not hear the name of the Three Jewels. "The Commentary on the Tusita Heavenly Praise Sutra for the Three Essentials of Cultivation and the Mingdeng Sutra of Frequently Performing the Middle Way Cultivation Method says: "For outsiders, put your palms together. If you close your palms tightly, you will be reborn in a land without a Buddha in the future; if you close your palms like this, you will not be able to hold your hands in a vacuum, which is why attachment is the nature."

Things to note when burning incense:

In temples. There are many Bodhisattvas inside. If you want, you can worship them one by one. If time does not allow, you can just burn them in front of the Mahavira Hall. The steps are as follows:

Invite your own incense, and do not let others pay for the incense.

It is best to light incense with your own fire (three sticks are enough, no need to burn a lot), facing the door of the main hall (now, in order to prevent fire, it is generally not allowed to burn incense in the main hall) ), hold three green incense sticks gently with both hands (left hand on top for men, right hand on bottom for women, and vice versa for women), and suddenly lift it upward. The burning fire will be extinguished immediately. Do not blow it out with your mouth.

When offering incense, first burn incense and then pray. Three incense sticks are enough. Just place them in a furnace, "Ten thousand Buddhas in one furnace". Then when passing each Buddhist hall, put your palms together and bow three times. , Buddhism does not pay much attention to it at all. The most important thing is whether you have a pure mind.

Hold the incense as high as your forehead, close your eyes and make a wish, and then pray three times. (The height of the incense must not be lower than the lower body)

Turn right, facing the east (generally the door of the main hall faces south), make a wish according to step 3, pray three times; then face south, north .

After praying, you can insert the incense into the incense burner. Note: you should use your left hand to burn incense, because your right hand kills animals, and your left hand is relatively peaceful, so you should not just throw it into the incense burner.

Don’t burn incense when a woman’s aunt comes.

Going into the temple to burn incense means lighting your own inner incense, and lighting a lamp means lighting your own inner lamp. At this time, you can receive the blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and gain wisdom and so on. So you can burn one stick of incense, you can burn two sticks, or you can burn three sticks at most. No need to burn too much. When entering the temple to burn incense, you can bring it yourself or buy it from outside. However, incense is generally available in the main hall, so you can use it directly. If financial conditions permit, you can put some merit money in the merit box. If it is difficult, don't worry, Bodhisattva I won’t blame you, you will still have merit if you worship the Buddha.

However, I have seen many Buddhists asking for a string of rosary beads to hang around their necks. Master said that ordinary people cannot afford this. So I hope that if my friends ask for a rosary in the future, please take it with them.

Burn three sticks of incense, one to worship the Buddha, one to honor the Dharma, and one to honor the monks;

The middle of the mat in the temple is for family members to worship Buddha, and the men of the family kneel down to worship. Use the left one, and women use the right one;

After entering the temple door, the hat and cane must be carried by yourself or stored in another room. They must not be placed on the Buddha's case or table. Try not to walk in the middle, go up the edge of the stairs, men on the left and women on the right. When entering, try not to go through the main entrance, because the abbot gate is used to enter from the main entrance during evening classes, while novices and others enter from the side door, so in order to be consistent with the temple, Everyone should try their best to enter through the side door, men on the left and women on the right. When entering, try to step with the right foot. When going out, also exit through the side door. Do not step on the threshold (generally the threshold of the temple is very high). When entering the temple gate, be sure not to step on the threshold. (It is said that the threshold is the shoulder of the Buddha. If you step on it, it is disrespectful.)

First of all, you must be pious, be vegetarian, and have clean hands. Don't be in the temple. Make loud noises and say irrelevant "nagging words". Do not point your fingers at the Buddha statues. Do not make loud noises or say disrespectful words. Another important point is that you cannot make random wishes, because you must fulfill your wish. If you are not sure that you can fulfill it, don't make a wish. Don't ask to get rich, Buddha is not here to bless you. You can pray for peace and good health. Don’t casually promise to make offerings to the Buddha and then forget about them. The Buddha will not fight for your stick of incense. This saying is to remind us not to make random promises. As a human being, we should practice what we say. What troubled the Buddha must be these false words.

Walk in a clockwise direction to worship Buddha in the temple. Do not step across the futon, because it will give people an undignified feeling. When someone is worshiping, do not walk in front of him.

Going to a Taoist temple to make a wish means that the wish must be fulfilled. Come back after a year when your wish comes true. Just go in and ask someone for the method. If you don’t make a wish and just pray, there is no need. Generally, there is no need to repay vows in temples, but you'd better make a wish to do some good deeds. Just make a wish to prompt your own wish.

Do not pick flowers and fruits within the scope of the temple's management without the consent of the temple, or take offerings and other objects without permission. This is also wrong behavior. Even "stealing from all directions" will result in retribution.

Do not eat meat in the temple.

Temples usually have scriptures as gifts, so don’t forget to ask for a few. There is nothing more precious in the world than scriptures.

The invited scripture amulets cannot be placed randomly and should be placed on a clean bookcase. When having sex, there must be no Buddhist sutras, amulets and other dharma objects in the room, because amulets and the like are used to protect the law and the body, and they will not be effective if they are contaminated with evil spirits. This is important to remember.

If it is because they are haunted by evil creditors, they will also be happy if they recite the prayers and dedicate the merits of worshiping Buddha to their enemies and creditors.

Dharma instruments: Do not knock the bells and drums in the temple without permission, and do not touch cassocks, sea turtles and other objects.

Listen to the sutra: Follow the crowd and take your seat. If you arrive late and the master has already ascended the throne, you must bow to the Buddha, take a step back, and then bow to the master. After sitting down, do not greet acquaintances, sit unsteadily, cough or talk. If you cannot finish listening, you should bow to the Master and bow out quietly, and do not wave others to retreat.

The monks and Taoists in the temple should be respectfully called "Master" or "Master", and the presiding monks should be called "Elder", "Abbot" and "Zen Master". The monks in the lamasery call them "Lama", which means "guru". They should not directly call them "monk", "monk" or even other insulting titles.

The common way to salute when meeting a monk is to put your hands together and lower your head slightly, or put one hand in front of your chest with your head slightly lowered. Do not use improper etiquette such as shaking hands, hugging, or touching the monk's head.

When talking to monks and Taoists, you should not mention killing, marriage, or eating meat, so as not to offend the monks.

When visiting temples, you are not allowed to make loud noises, point out comments, make sarcastic remarks, walk around, or touch temple objects. You are especially prohibited from touching or carving statues. If you encounter Buddhist activities, you should stand silently or quietly. leave. At the same time, you should also take care of your children to avoid doing impolite things due to their ignorance.