Mar 29, 2013

Clear the Air and Clear the Mind



      When I was growing up, my mother used to burn incense everyday. She still does. She never used the artificial sweet-smelling incense; she always used the woody joss sticks. The scent of a single joss stick is just enough to clear the air, so to say. I love it. It's hard to explain how the smoke of a joss stick can actually clear the air inside a home.
       Speaking of clearing the air, I also like to clear the mind. No, I'm not talking about using incense. I'm talking about listening to Buddhist chants. On my iPhone, I have an app that allows me to hear a chant. Most mornings, I'll plug in my earbuds and clear my mind with a simple Buddhist chant. 

It's wonderfully effective.

The hour-long chant clears my mind of lingering clutter and annoying songs that get stuck in your ear. 

I have no idea what the chant is about. I think it's in Chinese. But it doesn't matter. All I know is that like incense, the chants clear the mind, and that's a good thing.

What do YOU do to clear your mind? 

Image source: Barnstable, Janet. 126.jpg. "May, 1999". Pics4Learning. 29 Mar 2013 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>

2 comments:

Perpetua said...

I knit, Nerima. :-) As I get older I find my mind is much calmer and less full than it used to be, so sitting quietly with muy knitting to occupy my hands works wonderfully.

nerima roberts said...

Oh Perpetua, I used to knit before I became a Nan. Now I just don't have the time. When I retire in June 2014, knitting is on my short list of things to do. I still have my old knitting needles.