Quick Specs
- Brand: Escential Essences
- Type: Scented stick incense
- Tagline: Illuminating the Soul
- Count: 95-100 sticks per package
- Made: Hand-dipped in the USA
- Cruelty-free: Yes
A Quiet Blend for a Daily Practice
Buddhist Temple carries the tagline Illuminating the Soul, a quiet theme that fits the kind of practice that happens in a still room. The name points to a place, so you decide what the stick means: a marker for a morning sit, a cue to put the phone down, or a pleasant backdrop for a page of writing. That openness suits a calm practice, because calm practices run on repetition. The same blend lit at the same point each day becomes a signal that the quiet part of the day has begun, and a signal only works if you send it often. A full pack of 95 to 100 sticks makes that easy. You can light one every day and still have sticks left for guests, for a friend who borrows a few, and for the days you want two. The stick format keeps the routine short. Hold the bare end, bring a flame to the tip, and set it upright in a holder. Your hands are free the moment the stick is lit, and the smoke rises without help.
Burning incense to mark quiet time is an old habit. A Chinese poet of the 6th century wrote that burning incense told him the hour of the night, and calibrated incense sticks and incense clocks followed, spreading from monasteries into everyday life as timers for meditation and prayer. A modern stick can do a loose version of that job. Light one when you settle in, and let the burning stick frame the session: you begin when the tip glows and you finish when the last of it has turned to ash. A stick also works as a scent that signals the start of a quiet hour, and as it burns the scent settles into the room and marks the hour as set apart. A small, slow-burning object suits the work of sitting still. If you sit with others, a single stick at the center of the room gives everyone the same cue to begin. It asks nothing of you while it burns, and it gives your eyes a gentle point to rest on if you keep them open.
Practical Ritual Applications
Light a stick at the start of a morning sit, at your desk before a long block of reading or writing, or beside your cards before a single-card draw. Burn one while you journal at the end of the day. If you meet with a group, keep a jar of sticks by the door and light one for each gathering. Tie ten sticks together with a length of string and you have a small gift for a friend who is just starting to burn incense. Pair the stick with something that closes the session, such as shutting the notebook or ringing a bell, so the ending is as clear as the beginning. Set the stick in a holder that catches ash and keeps it upright; my stick incense burners collection has several styles.
How to Burn Buddhist Temple Incense for a Quiet Sitting
Three steps give one stick a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- Pick the spot and clear the surface
Choose a level, heat-safe surface within arm's reach of where you'll sit, away from curtains, books, and anything that could catch. Place a stick holder there and open a window an inch so the air can move. Decide before you light anything what the session is for: ten minutes of sitting, a page of writing, or a single card. A small, clear purpose keeps the practice short and the table uncluttered.
- Light the tip and settle
Hold the bare end of the stick and bring a lighter or match to the coated tip for a few seconds until it catches, then shake out the flame so the tip glows. Set the stick upright in the holder, sit down, and let your breathing slow. The smoke needs no tending. If your attention drifts, look at the thin line of smoke and begin again from there.
- Close the session before you leave
When you're done, or when the stick has burned down, press any remaining glow into sand or a fireproof dish until it's out. Stay in the room until the stick is finished or put out. Empty the holder only once the ash is cold, then close the notebook or ring a bell to mark the end, so the session has a clear edge.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
Quiet practices call for a steady supply, which is why I carry Buddhist Temple in the bulk pack. It suits a bare desk as well as a meditation corner, and it’s meant for anyone who likes a full pack on hand. If you’d like to try the blend before committing to the larger size, I also stock it as a 16-pack of sticks, as cones, and as a fragrance oil. The rest of this size is in my 95-100 pack Escential Essences collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the country and the school. Japanese incense relies on agarwood and sandalwood, and the stick incense of Japan and Tibet is usually solid. Chinese temples burn bamboo-cored sticks called joss sticks. Some Buddhist temples don't burn incense at all. Buddhist Temple is a hand-dipped scented stick.
Meanings differ by tradition and school. In some Theravada traditions, burning incense represents the fragrance of morality, offered with a lit lamp for the light of wisdom and flowers for the teaching of impermanence. These are material offerings in a puja, a devotional act made to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Within the Buddhist framework of karma, such offerings are said to build merit, respect, and gratitude.
Yes, over time. Air, heat, and light wear down the scent, and high humidity can leave sticks that burn poorly or grow mold. Keep a large pack in an airtight glass jar or zip-lock bag in a cool, dark, dry place, away from kitchens and bathrooms. The usual advice is 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity under 50 percent, and a silica gel packet helps in a damp climate. Give strong scents their own container so they don't bleed into lighter ones.
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