The burning of incense is more than simply enjoying a pleasant fragrance. Incense is an experience in spiritual connection, deep contemplation, and purifying the spaces we inhabit. When we allow the gentle, whirling smoke of incense to envelop our senses, we usher in thousands of years worth of ritual- all with one small flame.
For thousands of years, Buddhist monks have burnt incense sticks to purify their temples and to open their minds while meditating to bring them closer to enlightenment. These offerings are believed to create divine aromas, which beckon the attention of the deities.
When choosing your incense experience, it is important to prioritize the intention you have. Should your incense help open your mind and soul to healing, or should it aid in cleansing your meditation space of negative energies? Perhaps you prefer the traditional and ancient scent of sandalwood incense, or a more familiar fragrance of sweet florals? Choosing your favorite incense is an important part of establishing your meditation rituals and creating a sacred space that is truly tailored to you.
Continue reading to discover our 7 best incense- beloved by customers and DharmaCrafts team members alike.
Our #1 best selling incense is directly inspired by the Buddhist incense used in temples around the world, beloved for its purity and simplicity. It is handmade in small batches in Japan the same way it's been made for thousands of years; free of chemicals, additives, and designed to highlight the authentic fragrance of the wood they are crafted from. Our temple incense comes in 4 traditional incense scents: sandalwood, kyara (premium aloeswood), aloeswood, or frankincense.
Our Zen Incense is designed to accompany you during your daily meditation; morning, afternoon, and evening. Each of the 3 fragrance blends of these incense sticks is specially crafted to suit the eponymous occasion. Start your day energized by the Morning Zen spiced incense, then enjoy quiet moments of respite throughout your day with the Sitting Zen clove incense. Finally, the Evening Zen patchouli incense sticks will help you relax and unwind during your evening meditation.
The plum blossom (ume), not to be confused with the cherry blossom (sakura), is a welcome symbol of spring throughout Japan. This beautiful flowering tree produces delicate pink blooms whose fragrance fills the wind that carries their delicate petals away, creating a picturesque image of spring that pleases all of the senses. This ume incense seeks to capture this pleasant, captivating fragrance with additional notes of sandalwood, saussurea, and cinnamon.
This traditional Japanese incense for meditation is a favorite of the Daihonzan Eiheiji (永平寺), “The Temple of Eternal Peace”. It is located deep in the cedar forests of Fukui Prefecture on the western coast of Honshu Island. This sprawling temple complex is the second largest temple dedicated to Japan’s native religion of Shinto. This incense features a blend of sandalwood, clove, patchouli, turmeric and other ingredients for a woody and spicy aroma that is ideal for daily practice.
This spiritual healing incense is derived from the powers of the bodhisattva of compassion, Tara. By burning this incense offering, you are opening your heart to the healing and motherly embrace of Tara. These Indian incense sticks have been used in traditional Tibetan medicine for centuries in treating stress, tension, and depression.
Our Sacred Space Incense is inspired by spiritual Ayurveda- an ancient type of holistic medicine that believes our highest version of wellness and of ourselves comes from balancing the mind, body, spirit, and environment. This Ayurveda incense comes in two scents: Sacred, which is a blend of sage and patchouli and Ritual, which contains a blend of frankincense and myrrh.
