為什麼拜拜要用香？ Why do we worship with incense?

用香祭祀，是源於上古時代的「燎祭」。當時人們將珍愛的玉器、布帛、牲畜、以及燃燒時會散發香氣的薪材一起燃燒，用來祭天拜神，祈求遠離災難，保護生命財產安全。這種祭祀行為流傳至今，成為日常拜拜的用香文化。

Worshipping with incense can be traced back to the flaming festival in ancient times. Back then, people set fire to their cherished jade, cloth, domestic animals, and fragrant wood in order to worship their Gods or heaven. That was done to pray for good luck, chase away disasters, and protect their belongings. Such a practice still lives on and is known as our incense culture.

彰化南瑤宮  歷史照片1

彰化南瑤宮  歷史照片2

點香，生意就跑了，這是怎麼一回事？ Why did the burning incense chase someone’s business away?

最近，有朋友反應，只要點了某款香，原本約定好的客戶就會因故取消，讓幾乎到手的生意不翼而飛。由於發生頻率接二連三，他懷疑，是否香出了問題！

Recently, a friend remarked that upon burning a certain kind of incense, his client would somehow cancel the appointment and thus he missed some deals. Since such a situation repeated itself several times, he could not help but wonder if it had something to do with the incense.

  

用香拜拜，為什麼可以上達天聽？ Why can we contact Gods with incense?

中國人對香，有一份很特別的情感與記憶。古人在幾千年前就已使用香來祭祀天地，祈求平安；經過了漫漶歲月的遷流，人們依舊以焚香祝禱的方式，祈求上天庇佑事業騰達、家庭圓滿、身體健康。用香禮拜神明，讓心願可以上達天聽，其背後的秘密是什麼？

Chinese have a special feeling and memory about incense. Ancient Chinese started to worship Gods, heaven, and mother earth several thousand years ago in order to pray for peace. As time goes by, people still burn incense to pray to Gods for great business, good family relationships, and health. But, why can we contact Gods with incense and make our wishes heard?

 

點香會招來靈界眾生嗎？ Will burning incense invite spirits?

 很多人認為點香會招來靈界眾生，因為靈界眾生聞到這麼香的香，會不想離開，所以大都不贊成、甚至害怕點香。

Many people assume that burning incense will invite spirits, since the fragrance of the incense can be tantalizing to not only humans but also spirits, and thus some people may reject or even fear burning incense.

點香，一定可以轉化運勢嗎？ Can we change our fortune by burning incense?

香可以淨化空間磁場，也可以協助個人身心調整，讓人寧靜、喜悅、健康。但是有些人在點香期間，發現某些事情變得不順利了，例如婚變，失業、意外、類似或不喜歡的人事物再度出現生命中，因此認為點香會招來楣運或惡運。

Incense can be used to purify the energy field, to help us improve our body and mind conditions, and to make us feel peaceful, delightful as well as healthy. However, even when burning incense, some people may still encounter setbacks or misfortunes, such as marital problems, unemployment, accidents, or the arrivals of nuisances. As a consequence, they may suppose that burning incense can induce bad luck.

 

小孩可以聞香嗎？ Can children smell incense?

傳統的香，是一種藥香，採用古法炮製與中醫理論調製而成。透過蒸熏與嗅覺的方式，讓藥性進入人體。所以聞香時，注意空氣流通、留意個人身心狀況，選用適合兒童品聞的香品，〈如提高專注力、調整腸胃功能、促進食慾等〉。一般而言，品香並無性別或年齡之分！

 有些孩子對煙較敏感，就可用精油取代，或將香粉加上天然黏合劑〈如天然楠樹皮粉或以古法煉密的方式〉，製成香餅或香丸，再以「空熏法」的方式讓香丸、香餅發出香氣。

Traditional incense is comprised of herbs based on ancient Chinese medicine theories. By steaming and smelling incense, the medicinal properties of the incense enter our bodies. As a result, it is vital that we pay attention to ventilation as well as our body and mind condition. If the incense is for children, we can choose the kinds that can enhance children’s attention, gastrointestinal function or appetites. Yet, generally speaking, the incense products are for both sexes and all the ages. In case the kids are too sensitive to the smoke of the incense, we can substitute essense oil for incense. Or, we may also mix natural adhesives with incense powder, such as the powder of Phoebe zhennan, and then turn the mixure into an incense ball or pie. Finally, we can lay the products in the air to give off their scents.

 

招財香真的可以招財嗎？ Can Incense of Wealth really invite wealth?

        一般人所謂的「財」大都指可以滿足物質欲望的錢財。然而，所謂的「財富」有三種--外財、內財和密財。三者皆具，就是物質與性靈皆富裕的生活。

    Generally speaking, wealth is thought of as a means to satisfy our needs for materials. However, the so-called wealth involves three types, including outer wealth, inner wealth, and the ultimate wealth. If one can get these three types of wealth, he must enjoy a rich material and spiritual life.

             

靜坐可以點香嗎？ Can we burn incense while meditating?

        靜坐點香的好處很多，因為好的天然香品具有穩定、祥和的能量，可以淨宅辟邪、袪除穢氣，營造出潔淨和諧的場域，置身其間，很快的就能感受到靜謐自在，紛亂的念頭就在不知不覺中，逐漸沉澱下來。

There are many advantages to burning incense while meditating, for high-quality natural incense brings stable and peaceful energy, and can thus chase away filthy energy as well as evil spirit while creating a pure and harmonic atmosphere. With the incense around, we can easily feel serenity and freedom; furthermore, we can evade from disturbing thoughts and gradually calm down.

     

怎樣才能買到天然好香？ How can we choose natural and high-quality incense?

市面上的香品琳琅滿目，針對香的製作過程及香料成分來區分，可分為「天然香」與「化學香」。前者以純天然原料製成，後者是化學合成製品、添加香精的香品。

 In the markets, we have a diversity of incense, differentiated by the way the incense is manufactured and the ingredients contained in the incense. Roughly, incense can be divided into natural incense and artificial incense. The former is made from completely natural materials, while the latter consists of chemicals as well as artificial additives.

  

夜間可以點香嗎？ Can we burn incense at night?

很多人不贊成夜間點香，以為夜間點香會招來不祥之物或容易著魔，導致家中走楣運、家人情感失和、事業受阻、健康變差等。

Many people disagree to burning incense at night, assuming that it can lure sinister things, make people lose their mind, lead to discord among family members, hinder their business, or harm their health and so on.

  

為何會排斥身旁點香的人或香？ Why do some people reject incense and those who burn incense?

嗅覺是一種很特別的感官，關係著我們的情緒、學習和記憶。

Our sense of smell is very special and it involves our emotions, learning, and memory.

 

臥房可以點香嗎？ Can we burn incense in our bedrooms?

一般人對「香」的觀念，大都認為用於宗教祭祀，是禮佛、敬神、祭祖、廟會的用品；香，因此被賦予一種不可褻瀆的神聖性。而中國人對「房事」則有著很難啟齒的情愫，甚至認為「性」是不潔、羞恥及罪惡的，只能用於傳宗接代。在神聖與不潔的相互牴觸下，很多人認為臥房點香對神明不敬，其實古人早有臥房點香的用法。

Typically, people associate incense with religious rituals, and thus incense has been regarded as something sacred or inviolable. And, particularly in the opinion of most Chinese, sex has been an embarrassing topic and considered filthy, shameful, and even sinful; as a consequence, sex is only essential to carry on the family line. That is why many people assume it is improper to burn incense in their bedrooms. As a matter of face, ancient people used to burn incense in their bedrooms for various purposes.

香是藥方嗎？

        藥，指的是可以用來治療疾病、減輕病患痛苦、或預防疾病的物質；藥方則是針對疾病所開出的方劑。從中醫的配方來看，藥方必須符合君、臣、佐、使的配藥原則，因此 以「療癒」的觀點來看，依照傳統古法所製的天然香，才可以稱為「藥方」。