天然香的美學 Seeing Natural Incense from an Aesthetic Viewpoint

  現代香品製作的原料可分為天然香料與人工香料，在中國古代香藝的發展中，皆以天然香料為主；如植物的根、莖、葉、花、果實、樹幹、樹皮；動物則如麝香、龍涎香。

The ingredients found in modern incense can be roughly divided into two types------natural and artificial. In ancient China, natural incense was the mainstream, and the ingredients included the roots, stems, leaves, blooms, fruits, bark, trunks of plants as well as animal components, such as musk and ambergris.

    香，在天地日月的精華中蘊育而生，不同香材具有不同的特性，生長環境和季節性也不同。有的喜歡陽光照射、耐乾旱、怕潮濕，如玫瑰；有的喜歡光照和濕潤土質，耐寒冷，如甘松；有的不喜強烈光照，長在陰涼的地區，如藏紅花、益智仁。雪松生長於空氣稀薄、氣候寒冷的高山上；白檀、杜仲在良好的向陽山坡地，肉豆蔻則長於炎熱高溫的熱帶地區。不同的生長環境與條件，造就出植物不同的生命能量與療癒力，當我們以香氣融入生活、熏染心性時，便與植物蘊藏的原生力量協同共振，淨化身體濁氣、抒解壓力、美化生活。

Incense is the crystallization of all the creations. Different incense components carry their own specific properties and are harvested in diverse surroundings or different seasons. Some plants, roses for instance, enjoy sunshine, can resist dry climate and dislike humid environment. On the other hand, some plants, nard for instance, enjoy sunshine and humid soil and can resist biting cold climate. Some plants, such as saffron, dislike strong exposure to the sunlight and like to grow in cool areas. In terms of cedar, it likes to grow in high mountains, where the air is thin and freezing. Furthermore, sandal and eucommia prefer to grow in hills facing sunshine. In addition, nutmeg lives in tropical areas. To sum up, the energy and healing property of a plant varies with the environment where it exists. As we merge the fragrance with our life, we can resonate with the energy of the very plants, and subsequently we can enhance our living quality and relax ourselves.

    莊子有一個「混屯開竅」的故事：有一天，住在北海的倏和住在南海的忽，到混沌住的地方去玩，混沌很熱誠的招待他們。倏與忽心想：「人有七竅，可以吃到美食、聽到好音、聞到香味，看到美色，混屯沒有這七竅實在太可惜了！」為了報答混屯的心意，他們倆就每天幫混屯開掘一竅，七天之後，混沌就死了。

Zhuangzi, a great thinker, wrote a fable to convey the fact that our indulgence in the seven orifices can lead to demise.

    混屯代表著真實無偽、順應自然、遵循天道，當我們違反自然，也就違反了生存與本性。所謂：「樸素而天下莫能與之爭美」、「淡然無極而眾美從之」，天然香氣渾然天成，真實不虛；人造香料以化學方式合成自然界中完全不存在的物質，會造成對腎臟、肝臟、呼吸器官的傷害，聞其香，則受其害，已失去香的精神內涵了！

The origin of all the beings is pure and true. That is to say, if we are against nature, we simultaneously disobey our selfhood. Beauty lies in nature. Therefore, natural incense creates the best fragrance. Artificial incense contains chemicals, which can do damage to our kidneys, livers, and lungs. If we often smell it, then we can also suffer from it. That being mentioned, it is meaningless to appreciate the scent of artificial incense.

   香氣是一門藝術，不違背自然之性，透過對自然的體驗與感悟，回歸生命的自在廣闊。

Appreciating the fragrance of incense is deemed an art. Only when we