How to burn incense

Wow

This is Kawaguchi Hidetoshi. This is a humble answer to the question.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/供養

A memorial service is “sincerely offering offerings such as incense, flowers, lights, food and drink, etc. to Buddha, Bodhisattva, etc.,” and offering a memorial service with a good scent is one of them. The good scent of incense and incense sticks will satisfy your sense of smell within your five senses, and you will be able to spend your time comfortably. I hope you can think of it as a reason for incense burning and incense sticks for your ancestors. If you think about having a comfortable time, I think it can be said that it is similar to the effects of aromatherapy for us.

Regarding the number of times incense is burned, I think the content on the following site will be helpful.

Information site useful for funeral etiquette and funeral preparations
Basic knowledge about funerals and funerals home＞How many times do you burn incense?
http://manner.sougi-support.net/incense.html

Tendai Sect 1 or 3 times (not particularly particular)
Shingon Buddhism 3 times
Rinzai sect 1 times
Soto sect twice (the first time you put it on your forehead, the second time you burn incense without receiving it)
The Jodo sect is not particularly particular
Jodo Shinshu Honganji school 1 time (without putting it on your forehead)
Shinshu Otani school 2 times (without putting it on your forehead)
Nichiren sect once or three times
Nichiren Masamune 3 times

※ Please think of it as “bringing it close to your face”... and “putting it on your forehead.”

・・

From the original purpose of “sincerely offering offerings such as incense, flowers, lights, food and drink, etc. to Buddha, Bodhisattva, etc.,” I think it would be enough to guide sentient beings, just once to the dignity of Buddha, Bodhisattva, and various heavens, etc., but I think it is important to make voluntary offerings thereafter.

I am trying to do a total of three times: once to the dignity of Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the gods, etc., once to the priests, groups of monks, and the sanga that protect Buddhism, and once to all sentient beings to exert Buddhism. Three incense sticks are often offered in this way.

Nonetheless, I think the most important thing is to “sincerely offer offerings” to the target of the memorial service regardless of the number or number of times.

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho

Wow

As for the practice of burning incense, the number of times is different for each denomination, so if you let me know the denomination of WOW yourself or your parents' house, I think Hasunoha will be able to give you guidance because there are monks from each denomination.

Even if you copy the previous person's manners, that doesn't necessarily mean they are correct. If you look at memorial services, etc., the self-style manners added by the previous person are gradually spreading to later people.

There is also a method of adapting it to the manners of the denomination of the temple you went to, but I think it should be done by each person or the denomination of that person's parents' house.

Incidentally, in each school of the Jodo Shinshu sect, the picked matcha is not turned upward or raised close to the forehead, but dropped directly onto the fire.
There are 10 schools of Shinshu, but once in the Honganji school, 2 times in the Otani school, and 3 times in the Takada school to which I belong. In the other 7 factions... sorry, I don't know.

Okay, some trivia.
Incense burning is counted by “shooting (shooting).”
When I first learned about it, I was surprised because it is a character used for “photography,” etc., but when I looked it up in the dictionary, it meant “to grab a very small amount.”
“Shooting” also probably means “taking a moment to capture the scene.”

http://753an.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2010-06-19

Burning incense (as is the case with incense sticks)... Incense is a scented offering to the Buddha. There is a meaning of thinking about the Pure Land through fragrance. So let's make it as fragrant as possible so that we can offer it with a calm feeling ◎

Manners vary depending on the purpose.
Since it is a Buddhist association, I would like you to do it with proper manners, but what appears in general ceremonial funeral books etc. cannot be said to be correct. It's best to be asked by a temple.

I'm a member of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji school, so I burn incense once instead of picking it on my forehead. The custom is to let the incense stick lie down quietly without standing it up. At memorial services, explanations are always given to worshipers.

I hope you can take this opportunity to ask your temple for the correct meaning and manners, and have a precious relationship (*^^*)

There are various rules depending on the denomination, but that is just a matter of religious people, and those attending have various purposes, so I don't think they need to worry too much about it.
Incidentally, in the Shingon sect to which I belong, there is no rule on the number of times for those who attend.

However, since ancient times, Japanese people have used odd numbers as lucky and happy numbers (holidays etc. are originally all odd days, and festival days are also odd numbers), so I don't think there's a problem if you burn incense with an odd number of times (1 or 3 times). There are places where even numbers are recommended depending on the denomination, but as mentioned above, this is just a story on the monks side.

After burning incense, I think we will put our hands together, pray, and talk to the deceased, but that is the most important part for the general public.

Also, if I dare to give advice, incense sticks and burnt incense are Buddha's meals, so please look for one that smells as good as possible...

Wow sama.

When it comes to burning incense, people tend to pay attention to the number of times,
In addition to burning incense, there is also incense (incense) applied to the body as something related to incense.
Incense, which is now often replaced by money, originally comes from the meaning of offering incense.
(I think there was probably a custom for monks of the Honganji school to offer incense as incense when asking for condolences to other temples)

In addition to the number of times incense is offered, there are also sects that put meaning and wishes into the smoke raised by burning incense. (If you search for Rokuhara mitsuyaki incense, various things will come up)

I'm a Shinshu monk, and I want to take the position that the light and mercy of Nyorai don't change whether I'm obsessed with the number of times or not. The current situation is that the number of times is not unified in the Otani faction, Honganji school, Takada faction, and other factions.

I'm not imitating it because someone else does it, but “do this method because it is a method of purpose that you believe in yourself.” Or “I want to cherish what the deceased believed, so when asking for condolences, I follow the deceased's manners. I would be happy if you could burn incense from either of the standpoints of “that won't shake my faith.”

I would like to remind you that WOW will be able to have a better relationship with religion through this question.

※ The following is a supplement.
As an aside, my fellow monks in the area where I live prepare their own incense holders (incense sticks) and burn incense. Please also keep in mind that it is not natural to burn incense with the incense provided at the venue.

In the Soto sect, remember the first time with all your heart,
the second time it was like putting a lid on that feeling
Burn the incense as it is.
There are many ways to do that, sects and regions, but it's more about feeling than form.
Just like conveying that thought to the person doing the memorial service, so that it can be conveyed
I think it's best to do it for them.

India is not clean, so it smells bad.
Incense represents purity (being clean and undamaged) from the point where it breaks that bad smell.
Therefore, the meaning of praying after cleansing the body, mind, and space of the place was probably included.

I don't like hard explanations, so
“Burning incense is for quickly smelling good scents, forgetting bad things, and praying comfortably.”
It explains.

Each denomination has its own method,
The meaning behind that method is more important than the method.