INCENSE FOR KEEPING TIME

Incense and the sense of smell has also helped us to perceive and measure time. This is because historically incense was used in the Far

East and East Asian countries as a means of keeping time. The first time-keeping devices that all civilizations have developed seems to be some derivative form of the sundial, ranging in its most primitive state being a tree or pole erected in a cleared area, to its more devel-oped form of intricate gold sundials. The second known form of keeping time seems to be the clepsydra, or water clock, and the third the use of incense burning to keep time. For centuries these three forms of time measurement were the only methods that were used, until the much later advent of the mechanical clock. Time measure-ment began as something that could be perceived mostly by the sense of sight, as sundials and water clocks need to be viewed in order to in-terpret the time. The sense of touch was used later, after the advent of the mechanical clock for blind persons to know the time, and at one time—though it was never widely used—there was even a clock that employed the sense of taste! The sense of smell was used since the earliest times to measure time in the form of incense in the countries of the Far East, and these practices were adopted throughout Asia (Bedini, 1994).

Incense was probably chosen for time measurement due to its con-stant burning time and its common use in the home and in worship in those days. Incense burning was among humanity’s common experi-ences, and it became an activity that was so common that everyone knew approximately how long it took to burn a stick of incense, as did other common activities such as drinking a cup of tea or eating a bowl of rice. In fact, “the time of burning an incense stick” (i chu hsianghsiag ti shih hou) is repeated in ancient Chinese writings and poems referring to the passage of a specific amount of time (Bedini, 1994).

The incense used to keep time first began as incense sticks. These were essentially joss sticks (see Photo 2.3) that had time measure-ment markings on them usually in two-hour blocks. Before incense, the sundial, the water clock, and other primitive means of keeping time—such as looking in a cat’s eyes—were used, but only incense survived until modern times. This is probably because incense held more meaning and has been a welcome part of people’s lives since an-cient times. For example, incense was believed to be able to maintain a pleasant state of mind, sustain the spirit, and attract auspicious gods—not to mention lovers—to oneself. For these reasons, it was used in all sorts of common daily activities, and also in civil (as in the

civil offices) and formal affairs, such as in the presence of the emperor (Bedini, 1994).

Incense was used not only for time, but also for other time-mea-surement activities, such as in the meatime-mea-surement of water. The water measured would be the amount that flowed in the time it took for in-cense to burn. Another activity that inin-cense was used for was to time an imperial progression, which was always aligned with the most beneficial astrological timing. Among the poorest classes, a knotted cord made of punk (a decayed woody material) was used as an in-cense time-keeping device. The spacing of the knots determined the time increments (Bedini, 1994).

Later, other incense devices were used for time measurement that replaced the incense stick, such as the dragon boat alarm, the incense spiral, and the incense seal. The dragon boat alarm was a model rep-lica of a boat that had at its bow and stern the head and the tail of the dragon, respectively. Along the hull of the boat were wires that were placed in order to hold an incense stick, and then lying over top of the incense stick in specified increments were silk threads that had bells attached to each end. When the burning of the incense stick reached the thread, the thread would break and release the bells into the hull,

PHOTO 2.3. Joss sticks.

making an alarming sound. This would notify someone that a certain time had passed (Bedini, 1994).

Spiral incense coils were used to keep time when the time passage that needed measuring was too long for an incense stick. For exam-ple, the coils were used during night watches in order for different shifts to replace one another. Today coils are used as insect repellents in homes and as offerings in Buddhist temples, especially prevalent in Southeast Asia, where they are suspended from the ceiling rafters.

These coils have also started to appear on the market in the United States, in such popular shops as the Pottery Barn, as they have a dis-tinct and decorative look in the home and garden (Bedini, 1994).

The use of the incense seal came from a sect of Buddhism called tantra. In one of the tantric scriptures, a feature of one of these tantric rituals was titled, “The [Incense] Seal of Avalokitésvara Bodhisatt-va.” The text detailed the burning of a trail of incense in the shape of a Siddham seal character, and with that certain spiritual meanings were to come (see Chapter 3). After the translation of this tantric text into Chinese, the Chinese came up with a system of using the seal not only for prayer, but also for time telling. Since the Buddhist services were performed six times daily, the seal was used as a means for dividing time. Later, the incense seal became commonplace outside of the temples in civil life as a means for keeping time, and different adapta-tions of the seals were made (Bedini, 1994).