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About a week ago, I got a call from the company where I have purchased incense for a number of years. The woman was obviously looking to drum up a little business and, since I was running low, I ordered some. It came today.
I didn't order as much as in the past -- four boxes instead of eight. It is good incense, but it's also a bit pricey. When I gave three sticks of it to my teacher long ago and asked to be his student, he took the sticks and sniffed them and then said, "Good incense" ... and that was that
Somehow that square, neatly-taped box on the porch reminded me of a fellow Zen student who was once giving a small talk at the zendo we both attended. She was talking about focusing on the breath and the sharpness of that focus. "You have to realize that this exhalation is the last time you will exhale it. In the same way, the day will come when this exhalation is indeed the last ever. This is the kind of focus you want to bring to bear."
But which of us is strong enough for that? Breathing is so ordinary and there are so many other things to do in life. Everything else we do requires this breath, but this breath itself seldom gets the kudos or the focus it deserves. Not that we need to threaten ourselves with the death each of us will die (go sit in a graveyard or imagine your body being eaten by worms), but the breath is such a wonder; it fits so perfectly; it carries us all without complaint.
So maybe this is that last box of incense I will ever order or see. Maybe one of those sticks will be the last I ever light. Maybe this exhalation will be not just the last of itself, but the last of all.
It is nice to smell the incense with such a fine companion as the breath.
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whats the brand name please Genkaku ?
ReplyDeletei enjoy a good breath of good incense in the morning.
no idea what thats got to do with buddhism tho.
Shoey -- It's called Gozan and it's a bit rich for a small space, but would be good in a bigger arena. Large or small, though, it doesn't smell like strawberry-raspberry-vanilla-mocca concoctions you can buy at your local store.
ReplyDeleteWe're talkin' breathing here ... let's leave the Buddhism to others. :)
Why do you need incense with your breathing? Isn't the entire universe enough?
ReplyDeletethanks Genkaku.
ReplyDeletehi anon
"Why do you need incense with your breathing?"
I like incense, and Genkaku doesnt like anchovies.
thats how it is.:)
likes and dislikes are interesting.
I like the stuff that smell like sandalwood.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous -- I always thought that sandalwood was the best inexpensive incense for sitting. Never was much of a fan of the raspberry-vanilla-peach-rose-cherryblossom stuff.
ReplyDeleteVery inexpensive. Just started on the last bundle from a box I bought a long time ago. Looked at the box just now to see if I could calculate how long it's been at one stick a day but the writing's in Japanese, heh.
ReplyDeleteBreath deeply.
ReplyDelete