| "Incense Candle" | |||
| By Shih Te Mao and Shih Te Yu Translated by Frances Chan When Master Te An first took her turn as the "Incense Candle," she was extremely worried about oversleeping. To release her anxiety, some of the nuns lent her four alarm clocks. Later, Master Cheng Yen brought her another one. "Will these alarm clocks be enough for you?" Master Cheng Yen asked humorously. "I realized that Master Cheng Yen wanted me to calm down. In everything I do, I should be mindful instead of worried." "Incense Candle" - not a candle at all, but a person in a Buddhist convent who is in charge of waking everyone up at 3:50 every morning by sounding a wooden clapper, and then preparing the incense and candles in the sanctuary for morning and evening prayers. Residents of the convent take turns to perform this office for ten days at a time. |
|||
|
