Chinese Incense Culture(香学) · Incense in the Three Teachings
Confucian Incense Burning and Reverence
Confucian incense burning emphasizes "ritual" and "virtue": offered in sacrifice to reach the ancestors, used at home to cultivate the mind—incense is the companion of the gentleman.
Confucianism does not favor strange powers; its use of incense is rooted in "ritual" and "virtue."
Occasions for Using Incense
- Sacrificial Rites: Ancestral temples, the altars of soil and grain, and the Shidian (Confucius memorial ceremony) all burn incense to express sincere reverence.
- Study: Scholars burn incense before reading, writing, or playing the qin, to purify the mind and focus the spirit.
- Illustrious Virtue: The ancients said, "Incense is the uprightness of qi," comparing the purity and integrity of incense to a gentleman's virtue.
and Literati Life
Confucian incense burning externalized asIncense and Literati Life: qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, tea, and incense—incense is one of them. Its spirit is condensed inVarious Schools on Incense。