Incents for meditation

[jbmmaster]

Is there any benifits having incents burning while meditating? is it just for religious purposes?

[Vapour]

May be a form of aroma therapy? But then I read somewhere that effect of inhaling incense is similar to smoking .

[prana]

Originally posted by jbmmaster
Is there any benifits having incents burning while meditating? is it just for religious purposes?

Not sure if ganja was added in some incense, but mostly, in Buddhist, it is a symbolic offering to the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha.

[davethedragon]

prana is right in buddhist terms they are meant as offerings.

in"general" meditation they dont have any specific meaning after all they are just sticks that give off a smell!

i used to use them whilst meditating but found that the smoke filled the room too quickly and made me cough!!

the stream of smoke can be used as a focus point in meditation but i prefer to use the flame of a candle for that.

i guess in summary it is whatever it means to you. if it works use it as the old saying goes!!

[herb ox]

prana -
in regards to the ganja added to the incense...

I'm not sure about using ganja for a "flavoring", but in 450BC, Herodotus documented funeral rites of the ancient Scythians who roamed from Siberia to Turkestan - as a purification ritural, participants would sit in a makeshift tent where hemp seeds were thrown upon hot coals, thereby releasing great plumes of smoke... Herodotus noted: "The Scythians howl with pleasure at these baths (bath" being a comparison to the Greek steambaths of ancient times)

cheers

[herb ox]

a quote from Schultes and Hoffman's Plants of the Gods:

"...The Tibetans considered Cannabis sacred. A Mahayana Buddhist tradition maintains that during the six steps of asceticism leading to enlightenment, Buddha lived on one Hemp seed a day... In Tantric Buddhism of the Himalayas of Tibet, Cannabis plays a very significant role in the meditative ritual used to facilitate deep meditation and heightened awareness..."

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Is there any benifits having incents burning while meditating? is it just for religious purposes?

Scents affect the body, as do sounds. Whether this is a benefit or not depends on your aim. For example, one might practice with chanting, or with silence; different methods produce different results. Scents can lead blood to particular areas of the body, or produce other effects.