Incense

I find the smell of incense to be so relaxing and cleansing. Whenever I feel as though I have a block in my mind to mindfulness or when I am feeling judgemental I light a stick of incense and allow the smell to marinate in my mind. I picture it cleansing my negative thoughts and then cleansing my home to stimulate a better environment. There are times too when I feel too edgy to sit and meditate in the formal fashion. In those times I light a stick of incense and think upon mindfulness every time I catch a whiff of the sweet smell. I also see incense as an offering of peace and serenity to the world and imagine the wonderful smell reaching many people.

I often think that incense is over looked amongst Western Buddhists especially. We just light it when we meditate because that is the ritual but I think it is very important to meditate upon why we light it. I really enjoy the process of lighting the incense and welcoming it's sweet smell to fill the space of our home.

-Peace to us all-