LISTENING TO INCENSE 聽香

Service Description

"Incense is something one listens to, rather than smells." – Chinese saying When mentioning incense, most people’s first thoughts are of Nag Champa or stifling temple incense. However, quite like China’s tea traditions, appreciating fine artisanal incense is its own refined tradition not dissimilar to the appreciation of wine tasting. Working with different plants and aromas in medicinal, ritual, practice, and secular space is a timeless tradition. Whether burning devotionally on an altar, in the meditation cloister, or on the tea table with friends, the subtle influence of incense is potent in transforming space and presence. Burning incense is a directly experiential means of appreciating the wisdom of transformation and impermanence. The tradition of ‘listening to incense’ 聞香 is a meditative practice of appreciation and enjoyment which hones one’s precision and subtle discernment. (It’s also just really fun.) Participants in this seminar will be introduced to working with incense from several interrelated perspectives: ritual, practice, and appreciation. Working with all the necessary accoutrements for incense powder ceremony and three main blends, we will explore the medicinal qualities of each ingredient, their application in fengshui 風水 adjustment, and their use in ancestral and spiritual devotion practices. Participants will be provided with the following items personally curated by me: • A selection of three high quality traditional incense powder blends • Copper Drifting Clouds incense burner • White ash • Eight-piece mahogany or sandalwood and copper incense powder ritual toolset • Small copper vase for tools *Please be sure to have the following on hand for this seminar: wooden matches and something to put them in after lighting.

Cancelation Policy

Cancellations and refunds will not be accepted within one week of the start of a class.

Contact Details

• USA

  wudangzihe@gmail.com