[Buddha-l] Can Buddhists quit smoking?

[jkirk]

Hey hey--right on, lady! 
Heartily agree that incense needs to be banned for public meetings wherever
people take baths (our ancestors being close to the apes or dogs for never
bathing-- except when forced to)--or where insulated buildings are the norm.

Most retreat centers have a rule also not to wear scent of any
kind--colognes, perfumes, lotions-- because many people are allergic to
such, but I've noticed this doesn't always stop them from lighting up the
incense :(
Joanna 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I recently came across an intriguing proposal from a Buddhist in the U.K.
Noting that strict anti-smoking laws have been passed in the U.K., she
wondered whether the time has come for Buddhists to consider the possibility
of doing ceremonies in rooms in which the air is not polluted by clouds of
incense smoke. Incense, she observes, has usually been used in Asia outdoors
or in very well-ventilated and drafty temples and used to be used in Europe
to mask offensive smells (as in churches filled with parishioners who did
not bathe except when being baptised or prepared for burial). When incense
is burned indoors in small well-insulated rooms with double-glazed windows,
she observes, it quickly becomes overpowering, making it difficult for
people to concentrate while coughing and coping with stinging eyes and
burning nostrils.

Having coped for decades with the unnecessary dukkha resulting from sitting
in Buddhist settings where people routinely burn incense as if they assumed
it to be impossible to practice Buddhism without clouds of irritating smoke
in the air, I admire the courageous good sense involved in making this
proposal. The woman who made the proposal predicted that it might result in
fairly strong emotional reactions. I wonder whether she is right. So I ask:
What reactions does the proposal of a smoke-free Buddhist practice provoke
among the imminently sensible and mindful denizens of buddha-l? Does it
incense you or does it seem sensible to you?

To save ourselves from at least one smoked red herring, let me add that the
person making the proposal grew up in Asia. I say this lest someone imagine
this proposal to find alternatives to incense might be yet another example
of Puritanism masquerading as Buddhism.

--
Inflammably yours,
Richard
Albuquerque (where it is now illegal to smoke on any city property,
including outdoor parks)

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