Incense - Beauty in spirits life of Vietnamese people

Do not know from when Vietnamese people consider the story of burning incense on the ancestral altar as a traditional cultural beauty indispensable in the anniversary of the death anniversary and Tet holiday.

Warm incense, bonding love
Incense is like a sacred bridge between the existing life of man and the spiritual realm of heaven and earth. It can be said that incense has crept into every corner of life and has an important place in the lives of Vietnamese people in particular and Asians in general.

In the hearts of Vietnamese people, the scent of incense, the scent of agarwood that permeates the air during Tet holiday has become a sweet memory every time they think about it, but many people still call the scent of agarwood a signature scent. Memory, the smell of nostalgia. On the anniversary of the death anniversary, generations of grandparents and grandchildren gather at their church or place of worship, tearfully offer incense to remember their ancestors, and then gather together around a warm family meal. The scent of incense spreads makes us feel more cozy and connected. On the occasion of Thanh Minh, children and grandchildren, even if they work far away, return to their homeland, dig graves, and burn incense for their ancestors, grandparents, and parents; Incense sticks help dispel the cold in cemeteries and graves of the deceased.

Incense - spiritual bridge
In the mind of Vietnamese people, they believe that: In the other world, in an unknown space, there are invisible people who are looking at us and are with us every day. And when we light incense sticks, we can connect with them, warming both this world and the invisible world. Don't know when the custom of burning incense came from, but in history books are recorded, King Tran Nhan Tong - the only king in Vietnamese history who gave up the throne, went to the mountain to become a monk - They also often use incense a lot in each visit to the temple. The ancient Vietnamese had the habit of burning incense on the altar when returning from afar, as the first response was: "I'm back". Those who are about to go far also burn incense to hope for blessings on the way to good luck and smooth sailing.

On New Year's day, when we go to the temple to worship Buddha, pick the first fortune of the year, we always come across familiar images: old men and women, young men and women holding incense, shady mouths, praying for a happy new year. This is not a superstition act, but a beautiful culture that has been handed down for a long time. Going to the temple to offer incense to the Buddha gives each person a serenity and peace of mind with a belief that they will be protected by the holy Buddha.

Most Venerable Thich Nhat Quang - Head of the Truc Lam Zen Sect's management board offers incense to the Buddha.

As always, Vietnamese people are used to choosing odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, ...) for the number of incense sticks offered, don't know where the origin came from, but this has become such a thousand-generation custom. . From the Buddhist point of view, the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7 also carry certain meanings.

• 1 stick of incense is called Tam Huong.
• 3 incense sticks represent Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
• The 5 incense sticks represent the Precepts of the incense, the concentration of the incense, the incense of the tue, the liberation of the incense, the liberation of knowledge of the incense

There are many explanations for the number of incense sticks used when worshiping, but regardless of the number, the burning of incense is also an offering to the Buddhas, the revered ones, or the incense of the deceased. purity, respect and gratitude. Incense is the invisible string connecting the two realms of reality.

Incense - beauty in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people
In daily life and especially in the spiritual life of every Vietnamese, incense is considered a very important thing. Folks still believe that even if the tray is full, the incense sticks are not complete. Each of us is more or less familiar with burning incense, offering incense, even though we do not believe in gods, do not believe in an afterlife; But we all believe that incense and its fragrance help us warm our souls. Incense rings (incense rings) burn clockwise like the human vortex of life, which is the life cycle of every human being on earth. And all of us, in the end, come to a goal that is to reach the true value of the spiritual realm, to reach the values ​​of Truthfulness - Compassion - Beauty of life.

Image of incense sticks in a famous temple in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.

Incense is no longer a tangible item but has become an indispensable spiritual item of the Vietnamese people. Along with other traditional customs, incense sticks have contributed to creating and preserving the value of Vietnam's national cultural identity.

Compressing incense is so important, don't we just choose a way? Should we offer incense sticks, sticks filled with chemicals and fake scents?