The Mirrorless Moon

This Dusty Baieido Incense

Rotating this old incense stick in the flame of a tea light—lifting, shaking, and touching it to my head—before placing it in front of Shakyamuni Buddha. What’s the point?

The woody aroma of hinoki, though pleasant, bears no fruit on its own.

And yet, do we not rise and dissipate as quickly as incense smoke? Just as the fragrance lifts into the air and permeates the hall, so too do our practice and virtues spread throughout the world. Should we not also kindle the desire to awaken, setting our heads alight in service to all?

Let us all be sincere offerings—in service and reverence to the Three Treasures.

Gassho,
Koushi