Favorite: Ignite the fragrance in your heart

Favorite: Ignite the fragrance in your heart. Favorite: Last April, I participated in the World Chinese Writers Group to Yunnan to collect stories. Every time I visited the temple, I met Sister Chen Ruoxi, a writer from Taiwan, and respectfully...

Favorite: Ignite the incense in the heart. Favorite: In April last year, I joined the World Chinese Writers Group to travel to Yunnan. Every time I visited a temple, I saw Sister Chen Ruoxi, a writer from Taiwan, who bowed respectfully to the Bodhisattva. Unlike other believers who burned incense and knelt down to worship, I accidentally discovered that her etiquette for worshiping Buddha was the same as mine, and we had a common topic on environmental issues. I learned a lot during the trip, which is the biggest gain from this trip. When I was young in my hometown, during traditional festivals, I would drive my late mother to the "Erfu Temple" to worship my father-in-law; I would help her place the fruits of the three animals on the altar, which would often be surrounded by large and small circles of sacred incense sticks hanging in the temple and incense sticks from the copper stove. The smoke would make it difficult to open my eyes, and I would jump out of the temple impatiently. At that time, I only felt that the air in the temple was turbid and my breathing was not smooth. I was limited by my knowledge. I did not know that smelling too much smoke from the sacred incense would attract cancer. But I was already afraid of the confusing smoke, so I never burned incense except when I paid homage to my ancestors and offered incense to the ancestor’s shrine. What attracts me is the couplets hanging all around the temple. For this, my mother often scolds me. Overseas Chinese, except those who have truly converted to Buddhism and those who have been baptized into Catholicism or Christianity, most of them worship their ancestors, gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and have long been members of the Buddhist and Taoist family. Therefore, burning incense, burning money, and worshiping three animals, which are mixed with multiple religious rituals, are taken for granted. From generation to generation, this etiquette of worshiping Bodhisattvas and ancestors has been extended and become a custom. Since everyone is like this, how can we violate it? If you don’t copy it, are you afraid of offending the gods and ancestors? As times change, religious dogmas that are not in line with the world also need to be reformed; for example, in the past, the Holy See was firmly opposed to abortion, and the debate continues to this day. Doesn’t it also have to compromise with the times? Female church members are tacitly allowed to perform abortions within reasonable limits. Jiao Yanruo insists that those women who were raped into pregnancy or had unwanted pregnancies did not secretly kill unwanted little lives. Scientific research has proven that those who inhale the smoke of incense sticks will inevitably be invaded by the "cancer" demon over time, which is harmful to human health without any benefit. At the same time, for the sake of environmental protection and under the global concern of the earth, lighting sacred incense is actually destroying the ecology. Because the raw material for making incense sticks is wood, just imagine how many trees would be cut down to light incense sticks every day in temples and families worshiping gods around the world? Readers who worship Bodhisattvas or worship ancestors may want to ask, why don’t you burn incense when entering a temple or worshiping at home? How to complete the long-standing worship ritual? In fact, sincerity leads to spiritual success. When entering a temple to worship Buddha and Bodhisattvas, it is enough to put your hands together in front of the Buddha statue, light the incense, kneel down or make a wish, and then bow or kneel three times sincerely. There are efficacious gods, bodhisattvas in the heavens, or Buddhas from the ten directions, and they will definitely receive the requests of believers. If it doesn't work, no matter how much incense or money you burn, it will be in vain. We must know that Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or gods from all walks of life are displaying their magical powers in another dimension, so they will not accept bribes like the five turbid worlds? In some places, during the New Year's Day, they not only kill as many animals as possible, but also burn a lot of paper money. They also burn paper houses, paper cars, and paper maids to worship their ancestors, so that the deceased can enjoy them in the afterlife? Folks believe in multiple religions. These extremely environmentally unfriendly burning money and paper items only allow the living to reduce their grief for the deceased and have some support. They have long been far away from Buddhist rituals. Buddhism prohibits killing, so flowers or fruits are usually used to worship Bodhisattvas in Buddhist temples. People with insight have gradually changed the etiquette of burning incense to lighting heart incense, folding hands, kneeling or bowing. Sincerity brings spirituality, without changing the blessing of gods and Buddhas. Brother Ham, who lives in Switzerland, worships his ancestors' shrines in the living room. The altar lights electronic incense candles that consume very little electricity, which is better than burning real incense. In order to work together to save the earth, the residents of various monasteries and temples, and the abbots of religious ashrams in various places, under the premise of environmental protection, should educate, enlighten, or inform believers that modern people need to change the old way of worshiping gods, worshiping Buddha, and worshiping their ancestors. Burning incense sticks should be replaced by "lighting the incense in the heart", and sacrifices should be offered with fruits and flowers instead of killing animals; (killing animals is a sin and obstacle.) It is also not possible to burn ghost money, paper or other items. Because the souls of our ancestors may have already lived in bliss and enjoy immortal blessings forever, or they may have been reincarnated and have no place to find them. So, will there still be "items" left in the underworld waiting for relatives to be incinerated? Any behavior pattern that is not in line with the spirit of the times needs to be improved, and the same is true for religious rituals or canons. I hope that the leaders of all orthodox religious groups, eminent monks, sages and masters from all walks of life will make it clear to all believers as soon as possible that in order to cooperate with the civilized world's actions to love and save the earth, it is time to improve the non-environmental worship rituals among the people! The spirit of great love does not distinguish between religions, races and national boundaries; if we do not care for the only earth we live on, how can we have "love"? I would like to light up my heart here and wish all readers good physical and mental health. I urge everyone to do more good deeds and accumulate virtue, come together to participate in environmental protection work, and do your best for future generations. On January 25, 2010, in Wuxiangzhai.