沒有宗教信仰為什麼要點香？ Why do those who don’t have religious beliefs burn incense?

道教、佛教會點香，天主教望彌撒時也會點香，華人更有「逢廟必拜」、「有拜有保佑」的心理，香已經成為宗教祭祀的符碼；但是點香拜拜，並不是宗教的專用形式。

  People who believe in Taoism, Buddhism, and Catholicism burn incense, and on the other hand, Chinese tend to worship any god in any temple for good luck. Incense, in one sense, has become a token with which people deliver their wishes in their own religious rituals; however, incense is not specifically used on religious occasions merely.

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.

香道--喚醒沉睡的嗅息覺受 Tao of Incense---Awakening the Sleeping Sense of Smell

          一般人很少把注意力放在五感的微細感受，對周遭所發生的一切經常是走馬看花、甚至是毫無感覺的。為了提高我們對事物的敏銳度，可以藉由品香過程

的氣味辨識，提高身體覺受及內在專注力。例如：吸氣時，感覺氣味如何進入鼻腔、進入肺部、進入身體；感受氣味前中後段有何不同、如何發生轉變；覺察氣味如何影響身體和情緒反應。透過這樣的訓練，可以開啟更精微的覺受力，讓自己從毫無知覺的麻痺式五感，提高為被動式五感，最後成為明察秋毫的主動式五感。

    Normally, people do not pay attention to the subtle changes in our five senses; that is to say, we may feel numb or nothing about the happenings around us. In order to enhance our sensitivity to all the occurrences, we can manage to enhance our sensitivity as well as concentration by distinguishing the scents in the process of appreciating the incense products. For instance, we can lead ourselves to notice how the smell enters our nasal cavities, lungs, and finally all over our body. In the meanwhile, we can also manage to distinguish the changes of the scents in the beginning, middle, and end of the process. Furthermore, we are also advised to feel how the scents affect our bodies and emotions. Through such training, we can sharpen our senses step by step and finally become more and more lucid.

 

物我香忘──由疏離走向合一的專注力訓練 Melting Yourself in Tao of Incense---a training for concentration

        對學習香道的新手而言，看到香案上各種不同的器具和固定的操作過程，大都會很緊張，害怕做不好而貽笑大方。香道流程是一種專注力的自我訓練，首先必須要放鬆、自然、專注、甚至帶著一種輕鬆的玩心，讓自己身心更為柔軟、舒適。有些初學者往往因為過度認真而顯得緊繃不自然，這樣就會讓香具、香材、香人三者各自疏離，無法全然合一。

To the novices in Tao of Incense, the incense instruments and the way to use them can fret them more or less, since they may fear becoming a laughing stock. As a matter of fact, Tao of Incense is a synonym for concentration. For starters, we should learn to relax, focus, and maintain a playful mindset. Some beginners are overconcerned, so much so that they appear not comfortable. In such a case, we may alienate from the incense instruments and the incense, and thus cannot be involved in the training process.

    

         

沉香是香王嗎？Is agilawood the best kind of incense component?

     沉香被尊稱為「香中的鑽石」、「香中之王」，因沉香得來不易，沉香樹結香的形成原因很多，但都來自於外界的傷害，沉香樹為了自我防護，會分泌樹脂使傷口癒合，再經過真菌感染後，慢慢结成膏脂狀的結塊物，其中混合了樹脂、揮發油、木材等多種成分。

        Agilawood is considered to be the diamond or king of all the incense components, since it is not always available. As agilawood gets damaged, it creates resin to cover its wounds and protect itself. Meanwhile, the wounds can get infected by the fungi and then turn into paste-like lumps that contain resin, aetherolea, wood, and other ingredients.

 

         

點香會產生二氧化碳，這樣是否不環保？ Burning incense produces carbon dioxide, so is burning incense eco-friendly?

根據SGS驗認結果，在1立方公尺點燃一支香〈長度7公分，直徑3釐米，燃香時間約20分鐘〉所產生的二氧化碳含量濃度會增加一百萬分之483，也就是增加約0.000483，其重量約0.62克，因此每分鐘約增加0.031公克的二氧化碳量。

Based on the SGS test, burning an incense stick (7cm long, 3 mm in diameter) in a one-cubic-meter compartment for twenty minutes can increase 0.000483％ of the total amount of carbon dioxide, weighing about 0.62 grams. That is to say, there is 0.031 more carbon dioxide each minute.

香要如何保存？ How to preserve incense?

   從外觀來看，一般市面上較常見的香有粉香、線香、盤香等。香品拆封後，可用密封罐封存好，如果包裝袋內附有乾燥劑，須先取出，因為開封後，乾燥劑會吸附空氣中的水分，如果再放回盒內，容易使香品受潮變質。

In the markets, we can commonly find powder incense, stick incense and dish incense. After we open an incense package, we should store the rest of incense in air-tight containers. If desiccants are enclosed in the packages, we have to remove them after opening, for the desiccants can absorb the moisture in the air and therefore humidify the incense if they still stay in the packages.

  

  

嬰兒半夜不安穏，點香有用嗎？ Can incense help calm down fretful infants in the midnight?

      

點香可以營造一個穩定安祥的場域，嬰兒對能量是很敏感的，只是他們不善於表達。當身體不舒服、餓了、尿布濕了、或是受到負面磁場干擾時，他們就會用自己的情緒語言---哭鬧--來表示。

Burning incense can help create a stable and peaceful field. Infants are very sensitive to energy, but they cannot express themselves well. As a result, they show their emotions by crying when feeling uncomfortable, hungry, wet in the diaper, or disturbed by negative energy field.

  

買房子、車子可以用香來祈福淨化嗎？如何做？ Can we purify our new houses or cars for good luck with incense? How can we do it?

買房、買車是一件喜事，許多人會選個黃道吉日，挑個好時辰，開開心心迎接新車、住新房。

Buying new houses and cars is a delightful thing, so many people tend to choose a good timing to welcome their new possessions.

  

香的前世今生 Before and after the incense is made……

 當你嗅息香的氣味時，可曾深觀這支香如何生成？如何來到你的手上，成為心底一抹悠長的馨香 ？

當你觸摸一支香，感受著它的質地、溫度、濕度、顏色、形狀、大小、長短；你已觸及天地萬有的滋養、支持與蘊生！

As you smell the fragrance of the incense, have you ever thought of how it was made and how it reached you to entertain you with bits of aroma? As you touch one incense stick, have you ever felt its texture, temperature, humidity, shape, size, and length? If you do, you have touched the sky and the land and are being nourished supported by mother earth!

  

出國旅遊在飯店睡不好⋯⋯點香有用嗎？ Does burning incense enhance your sleeping quality while travelling abroad?

很多人出國旅遊會在飯店睡不好、睡不著、常醒來、做惡夢。有的則覺得房間「怪怪的」、聽到不尋常的聲音，或感覺渾身不對勁，但卻說不出原因。

Many travellers suffer from poor sleeping quality when travelling abroad. Some feel something wrong about their rooms; others complain about some unusual sounds or feel somehow uncomfortable. But, none of them can tell why they feel so.

  

品香時，為什麼會不舒服或感覺麻麻的？ Why do some people feel uncomfortable or numb while smelling incense?

合香是由多種中藥調製而成的香品，具有開竅、通絡、散邪、逐穢的作用。品香時，香的藥性在體內運作，調整臟腑或經絡的振動頻率，而五臟〈心、肝、脾、肺、腎〉與五官〈舌、眼、口、鼻、耳〉、五志〈喜、怒、憂、思、悲、驚恐〉、五炁〈 神、魂、志、魄、精〉互相關聯；彼此之間具有相生相剋的關係，所以就會幫助身體恢復原本的和諧、平衡與活力機能。

Synthetic incense is made up of many kinds of Chinese herbs, which can smoothen our nadi systems and chase away filthy or bad energy. As we appreciate the scents of incense, the properties of the incense act on our five organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), five features (tongue, eyes, mouth, nose, and ears), five emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, sadness, and fear), and five elements (moods and spirit). These properties reinforce and counteract one another; therefore, smelling incense helps our body restore the harmony and balance of all the body parts.

為什麼聞香會想哭或頭暈、排氣、想吐？Why do some people feel nauseous upon smelling incense?

    聞香會頭暈想吐，首先，必須先確認是否買到化學香。由於化學香燃燒時，會釋放苯、甲醛、丁二烯、二甲苯等十多種有毒化學物質，對能量感知較敏銳、體質較敏感的人，或在密閉不通風的空間燃香，都會讓人產生噁心、想吐、頭暈、胸悶的感覺。

If you feel sick and nauseous upon smelling incense, there are some things for you to clarify. First, check if the incense you bought contains chemicals. Since artificial incense consists of poisonous chemicals, including benzene, formaldehyde, butadiene, dimethyl benzene, those who are sensitive to energy tend to feel uncomfortable while smelling it. Or, if you burn incense in close surroundings where the ventilation is not good enough, then you may also feel sick, dizzy, or even stuffy.