Chinese Incense vs Japanese Kodo: Traditions & Rituals
First of all, we have to explain what “Tao” is: Tao, in China, refers to the essential laws of heaven and earth, is the essence of the universe, the essence of everything. The sages said: “Tao, all things of the Ran, all the reason for the comical also.” Chinese incense of the Road is the Chinese ancestors in thousands of years of life practice gradually formed, it is a blend of philosophical thought, culture, medicine, pharmacy, health, aesthetics, craftsmanship and so on as one of the system of doctrine. It is a systematic doctrine that integrates philosophical thinking, culture, medicine, health care, aesthetics, craftsmanship and so on. It is not a simple skill that can be covered or represented by playing incense circulating in the market today.
Today’s popular concept of “incense” is an imported product from Japan, which is a cultural habit of the Japanese, not a traditional Chinese term. The incense cultivation and the so-called incense mat set up is not a Chinese tradition, but with obvious Japanese cultural colors and ethnic habits of the program. In ancient China, there is no such thing as the Way of Incense, because the Way is supreme in the minds of the Chinese, and it is ineffable, and cannot be compared to the Way in daily life. Traditionally, it is often referred to as incense, aroma, incense culture.
Chinese ancient people handed down to this day incense thing connotation rich second, it is aromatic, and aesthetic, pay attention to elegance, connotation, mood, its incense, incense, incense, incense, chanting incense is also colorful and interesting; it is also the “heart”, can protect the body and mind, open the nature of the spirit; it is more of a wonderful, in the use of incense, incense, pay attention to the understanding of the heart. It is also a wonderful use, in the use of incense, tasting incense on the realization of the heart. When incense is close to the human heart, it makes people love it from the depth of their hearts.
Our ancestors in the form of incense is colorful, almost involving food, clothing, housing and transportation in all aspects. More importantly, the process of making a kind of incense is almost a condensation of the essence of Chinese culture, which is divided into yin and yang, and the five elements. There are strict restrictions on the harvesting time of different aromatic herbs, which the ancients called “Dao Di”. The formation of a traditional and authentic incense recipe is based on the relationship between man and nature, as well as the relationship between life and death. And incense must also be familiar with the medicinal properties of incense, in the process of the many medicinal concoctions and compounding and combined with the process of guiding the smooth treatment of the reverse, in order to make the design of the formula more ideal, and even need to know the time of the day, understand the geography, choose the time to choose the place and incense, the best of the incense must also be cellar, the depth of its medicinal properties and in order to become the best of the incense.
History, people in the form of incense tasting and requirements are different, can be said that the law is not fixed. Li Mi in the Tang Dynasty like to carry alone with incense, incense into the mountains, choose a flat place, sit on the ground, after burning incense so that the aroma and the trees in the mountains of the fragrance into one, so that the body and mind immersed in the green mountains and water and a special aroma, “Shu Xiaoxiao feelings, understanding of heaven and earth”; Cai Jing in the Song Dynasty, incense is to have a momentum, to make the smoke flourished And out; from these phenomena, we can appreciate that every time they taste incense is in the sense of what, or perhaps it is time and time again the enlightenment of the process of transformation of the living soul.
