Made in Macao | Does size matter when offering joss sticks?

Jenny Lao-Phillips

In a city where Taoist and Buddhist rituals are part of the culture, we often see people carrying out Chinese religious rituals, whether or not they are religious. One such ritual is Jingxiang 敬香 (offering joss sticks). We see people Jingxiang on wedding days, at the opening ceremony of businesses, during Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, when moving into a new apartment, and especially at funerals, when each guest has to offer three joss sticks.
These rituals have become such an intricate part of our lives that we do not pay much attention to them until we are asked about the meaning of burning joss sticks. I was asked why some people offer super-sized joss sticks, and if one’s prayers will be better heard or one’s wishes granted faster with a bigger stick. It left me wondering about the obsession of burning joss sticks on different occasions, so I started researching the practice of Jingxiang.
As a kid, I had the understanding that joss sticks were food for the spirits, and were burnt to feed the gods and ancestors. Perhaps I got that idea from Hong Kong ghost movies, where we were shown ghosts inhaling smoke from joss sticks to curb their hunger. But after reading about rituals in Taoism and Buddhism, and their usage of joss sticks, it turns out that they are not food, but exactly what they look like – just incense, lit up for meditation and prayers.
In both Taoism and Buddhism, Jingxiang usually requires three joss sticks. In Taoism, the three sticks remind believers to meditate on the Dao (the way), the Jing (the script), and the Shi (ancestors of Taoism) – the three treasures of Taoism. The smoke rising from the burning incense represents prayers being brought into the sky, not unlike the incense used in Christianity and Judaism.
According to Buddhism, the three joss sticks represent ‘precepts’, ‘concentration’ and ‘wisdom’, respectively. With the first joss stick, we are reminded of our bad habits, thoughts and practices that we need to quit. The second joss stick represents inner calmness and concentration that we can achieve by quitting bad habits. The third joss stick represents wisdom from heaven that we gain in life; only through calm, concentrated meditation can we achieve that.
Therefore, by lighting three joss sticks, we are not trying to feed the spirits.
The joss sticks are not always offerings to the gods for granting our wishes either, although that is the more common reason for people burning joss sticks everyday. They represent the cause and effect in achieving true wisdom, and serve as reminders of the path to wisdom, while the smell of the incense assists in meditation, like aromatherapy.
But why do participants have to offer three joss sticks at funerals? Apparently, they are also lit for meditations on behalf of the deceased, perhaps about life and death; followed by moments of silence, or prayers for the deceased.
So, back to the ultimate question. Does the size of the joss sticks matter? Well, if the lighting of the joss sticks is to be followed by silent meditation, one should say the smaller the joss stick, the better, right? Imagine how long one needs to sit for a meter-long joss stick to burn through. Although a large joss stick will definitely get attention – if not from heaven, at least from the people around.