Yeah, few people can't handle incense as the smell can be strong.
I first became interested with it when I used to go to a martial art school for learning Wing Chun. The owner of the place was from China and was a practicing Buddhist so he had a shrine in the back of the school.
The younger guys taught the class but the elderly master gave pointers and ran the meditation preparation for the students. I was one of the few that took the meditation seriously as the other people in the class wanted to go right into "the action".
The people who wanted to meditate came about an hour before the official class and the old man would teach relaxing techniques. He always had incense burning in the back and the smell consumed the whole place.
The old teacher passed away a few years ago and I never forgot what he taught me. So, sort of like a ritual, I light incense and still practice his meditation that he called "Opening To The World".
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