[Buddha-l] Can Buddhists quit smoking?

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Curt, 

>Incense is a traditional "offering" - in fact the burning of incense  
>probably has it's origin as a replacement for blood sacrifice. We could  
>always go back to that, and then have a barbecue (outdoors) afterwards.  

If you don't mind me referring once more to the excellent Michel Strickmann (p 225), he gives some interesting information about incense. In a text by Vajrabodhi called Questions of Subaahu, containing a ritual for having Po-sseu-na taking possession of a child-medium, it can happen that instead of Po-ssue-na, a demon enters the child. In that case one of the recommended remedies is to plunge hundred sticks of palaasha wood in butter and to burn them in a homa fire. *Or* to mix sesame seed, cereals, flowers, butter and honey and to make 100 fire oblations. So there could be a connexion. 
BTW Eric mentioned Norbu Rinpoche and smoke offerings (ri bo bsang mchod) and Norbu's stating that fire is necessary...  
So please, can we keep Protestant Buddhism and agnosticism at a safe distance from our practice. We probably need fire to incinerate substances to feed demons and other spirits, who may otherwise harm our meditation and/or our lifes. 

>Also, I have found that burning incense (when combined with the right  
>mantras) has wonderful magical powers - it keeps away both demons and  
>agnostics.  

Our wizard Vajrabodhi suggests to throw mustard seeds in a fire to keep demons away. As for agnostics, they can't harm your meditation, they can only harm theirs ;-) 

Joy