One life is two, two is three, and three is everything.
"Three" also represents a more important meaning in our daily life, why do most people choose three sticks together to burn incense? What's the meaning behind this?
The cultural meaning of the three sticks
The first incense is to worship the sky, the second is to respect the earth, and the third is to pay tribute to the ancestors.Through the three incense sticks, people pray for the peace of the country, the abundance of grains, and the prosperity of the family industry, and the height of the three incense sticks should be the same, and there can be no incompleteness, otherwise it is a disrespect.
It is not only a custom of burning incense, but also a symbol of the unique value of Chinese civilization.
Different religions have their own understandings of the three incense sticks, and in Taoism, it is derived from the Tao Te Ching"Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things".The philosophical viewpoint represents the development process from scratch, from simple to complex, and also represents the three pure gods advocated by Taoism. Therefore, Taoist believers will reverently hold three sticks of incense when worshipping the gods as a sign of supreme respect.
Buddhism believes that the three incense sticks have a great origin, one is said to symbolize the three treasures of Buddhism, Dharma and Sangha, and another is to prescribe the three learnings of wisdom.
In addition to religious implications, the three incense sticks are also interpreted as a tribute to heaven, earth and man, which is in line with the idea of "the right time, the right place and the right people" in traditional Chinese culture.
When burning incense, there are not only these sayings, but also many rules, which seem to be a simple action, but each action has a certain cultural meaning behind it.
It can be said that it looks simple, but if you are asked to go, I really don't know what to do.
Understanding the connotation of the three incense sticks helps us understand the beauty of traditional Chinese culture and carry it forward in modern society.
In fact, the three incense sticks are not only important in Chinese culture, but also have similar meanings in other cultures.
In the ** teaching culture,The three represent the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy SpiritIn ancient Egyptian culture, the three symbols of the three gods Osiris, Isis, and Horus indicate that the number "three" exists in most cultures.
In Chinese culture, the meaning of three is also reflected in many other ways.
For example, the three emperors in the "Three Emperors and Five Emperors" represent the three outstanding rulers in ancient times, and the three outlines in the "Three Platforms and Five Constants" refer to the three subordinate relationships of monarchs and ministers, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives, and the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. "Three" symbolizes stability, harmony and perfection in Chinese culture.There are also many "three" meanings in folklore, such as a person's life to go through three major levels (birth, adulthood, death), the wedding of the newlyweds to drink three glasses of wine, and to have children to go through three dynasties (full moon, one year old, twelve years old).
In contemporary society, the custom of three sticks of incense has also produced some new changes, such as the first month of the lunar calendar.
1. In the seventh and half months of the lunar calendar and the Qingming Festival, every household emphasizes the importance of three incense sticks to show the importance of these days.
Said the number of incense
In ancient times, incense was mainly three incense, and in feudal society, six and nine incense were the mainstay, reflecting the value of advocating inheritance.
In modern times, thirteen incense sticks are relatively rare, and instead of them, there is a simplified custom based on one incense, and the change in the number of incense sticks in the new period reflects the context of social development.
Three incense sticks are suitable for various occasions, five incense sticks are placed according to the five elements to contain the purpose of summoning the gods for divination, six incense sticks are mostly used for weddings, nine incense sticks are used to worship the ancestors, meaning the blessing of three generations in the same hall, and thirteen incense sticks can only be used by high monks and virtues, representing the high respect for Buddhism and the consummation of merit.
In addition to these numbers, the use of a stick of incense is also quite common, representing praying for peace and auspiciousness for the family, different amounts of incense represent different meanings, but they all originate from the Chinese cultural tradition of advocating filial piety and godliness.
The change of incense number ceremony is also related to the spread of Buddhist beliefs, the first incense represents the worship of the people, and the saying of three incense sticks was added after the spread of Buddhism to the east.
It was only after the prevalence of Buddhism in the Song Dynasty that the use of thirteen incense sticks became popular, and the evolution of the number of incense sticks reflects the blending and innovation of diverse cultures in different periods of China.
The historical changes of burning incense
In the pre-Qin period, the ancients had the custom of burning spices during sacrifices. According to the "Rituals and Hajj", the ancients would "burn firewood" during the ritual of worshipping the heavens, that is, piling up firewood on the altar, placing animals and jade objects on it and burning them, and conveying prayers with smoke.At that time, spices were mainly made from the flowers and fruits of certain plants, but due to lack of technology and knowledge, spices were very scarce, and the smoke produced by the burning of these spices was believed by the ancients to convey prayers to the noble gods.
During the Han Dynasty, with the opening of the "Silk Road" with Zhang Qian's passage to the Western Regions, a large number of spices originating from the Western Regions and South Asia were introduced to the Central Plains, including agarwood, frankincense, benzoin, borneol, etc.
By the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the introduction of Buddhism to China and the rise of Taoism, burning incense gradually became a part of religious rituals and often appeared in Buddhist and Taoist texts. At that time, incense burning was mainly confined to the upper class, and it was rarely used in the lives of ordinary people.
During this period, the society was turbulent, many nobles and common people fled together, and the custom of burning incense among the nobles also spread, and people pinned their spirits on the gods and Buddhas for spiritual sustenance.
After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the society was stable, and the content of people burning incense and praying for blessings was no longer limited to seeking peace, but more inclined to seek a good harvest and wealth, and this custom gradually spread from the upper class to the common people.
Taoist and Buddhist cultures have provided a richer connotation to the practice of burning incense, which has changed from a habit of life to a religious ritual that embodies devout beliefs.
As a religious ritual, the connotation and extension of incense burning have been continuously enriched and expanded in the long history of China. It carries the long cultural accumulation of the Chinese nation, absorbs Buddhism and Taoism, and contains the spirit of tolerance and openness.
Three, the cultural implication
Three is really useful in our daily life, and in Taoist culture, "three" is also extremely sacred. Taoism advocates the concept of "three purities" and "three flowers gathering at the top", and advocates the concept of "Tao gives birth to one, life to two, two to three, and three to all things".
This clarifies the important philosophical foundation of the Taoist "three".Taoists believe that the "three" contains the mystery of the universe and is the root of the generation of all things, reflecting the ideological connotation of Taoism's pursuit of the unity of heaven and man.
In Confucian culture, the "Three Honors" represent the monarch's teacher, the "Three Emperors" refer to the Emperor of Heaven and the Emperor of the Earth, and the "Three Talents" contain heaven, earth and man. The "Three Guidelines" expound the ethical relationship between the father and the son of the monarch and the minister, and the "Three Teachings" integrate Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.Lao Tzu proposed the "Three Treasures" to illustrate the three virtues of maintaining life: kindness, frugality, and not daring to be the first in the world, which represents the wisdom of life in Taoism.
Confucius said that "a gentleman has three fears", that is, fear of the mandate of heaven, fear of adults, and fear of saints, expressing the importance of awe.
Taken together, these sayings cast a veil of mystery over the "three", Sanyang Kaitai, Samsung Gaozhao, all kinds of sayings show the wish for a better life, as well as the awe of nature.
Of course, the Chinese nation is a positive nation, and no matter how many numbers there are, there is a happy meaning.
Forever strive for the first "one", "double" flying, "three" giving birth to all things, "four" season wealth, "five" grain harvest, "six" animal prosperity, "seven" color life, "eight" immortal across the sea, "nine" nine to one, "ten" all ten beautiful, "thousand" autumn and all generations, "ten thousand" purple and red.
"Three" is rich in meaning in traditional Chinese culture, containing the worldview and value orientation of the Chinese nation. It represents the cosmology of the unity of heaven and man, advocates the natural philosophy of heaven and earth, emphasizes the cycle and development of time, and expresses the wisdom of life in the golden mean.