Mickey Hung

Why Do We Practice Smoke Offering?

A Student’s Reflection

That night, when I returned home, it was already late. Along the way, I held back tears, staring outside the car window, unable to escape the heavy thoughts in my mind. I tried to act as though nothing was wrong, chatting casually with those beside me about trivial things. Yet deep inside, the sorrow kept breaking through.

When I arrived at my friend’s house, everyone was waiting to hear stories. I quietly sat down and began eating. I pretended to focus intently, picking vegetables one by one, chewing grains of rice slowly, hoping no one would notice me. But tears still streamed down my face, unstoppable, drowning me in grief. In that moment, I only wished to leave the crowd, to be alone and cry freely.

It was the call of wandering souls—I had accidentally tapped into their feelings.

When the teacher instructed us to take the final deep breath, a powerful current of qi rushed straight to my lower abdomen. In that instant, an overwhelming relaxation came—almost as if my body no longer existed. Yet what followed immediately was a flood of sorrow and pain striking my heart. Before I could make sense of it, tears poured like a broken dam.

In those brief seconds, countless visions appeared—blue, green, and grayish-white lights; tragic images, each telling their stories of suffering before and after death.

A vast crowd of souls, unable to move on in rebirth, cried out in despair, powerless in their wailing.

It was the teacher’s voice that guided me back to reality. In that moment, it felt as if the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were sending me a message: human life is rare and precious—cherish this very moment.

This scene at the cemetery had already appeared in a dream during my retreat in Japan last year. At the time, I did not know when it would happen, or whether it belonged to the past or the future—I only saw it unfold. In that dream, one fellow practitioner was beside me. That is why I knew, without doubt, she would overcome all obstacles to be present. For me, that dream marked a turning point in my spiritual journey. Afterward, I simply waited quietly for it to manifest.

Physical Changes

After meditation, we began the smoke offering ritual together. The smoke made my eyes water and nose run. Near the end of the practice, I suddenly felt a heavy phlegm fall from the area of my nasal passage down toward the throat chakra.

Since childhood, I have never been able to cough up phlegm. For over a year, I had felt qi pressing against my heart chakra, leaking upward like fine cracks but never fully breaking through. In recent months, it had reached the throat chakra, yet a thick, phlegm-like blockage always seemed stuck there.

My teacher once told me: you must let go, release the self, in order to open this energy. But it would also require a karmic trigger.

At the cemetery, I could not spit on the ground. As I held the phlegm uncomfortably, the very practitioner from my dream happened to be cleaning the site. Without drawing attention, I took the trash bag from her hand to help with cleanup—and quietly released the largest amount of phlegm I had ever seen in my life into the bag.

The next day, my menstruation came early, with many clots released. In the following days, I had burps, flatulence, and diarrhea. It felt as though many blockages had left my body. My thoughts grew lighter, and for the first time, I felt how wonderful it is simply to be alive.

But afterward, I noticed my teacher’s hair had turned noticeably whiter than before… That became my only concern—why does it cost the teacher so much energy to guide us in such acts of great compassion?

Master Hung’s Response

First, I am grateful to all who joined this smoke offering. This is true compassion.

Let me share a story.

A lion was born, but its parents were killed by hunters. It was raised among sheep, suckled by them, and grew up in the flock. It learned to bleat like a sheep, to eat grass, and to run in fear whenever predators appeared. Over time, it came to believe it was a sheep.

One day, an old lion appeared and caught the young lion. Of course, the old lion would not eat its own kind, but the young lion trembled in fear, bleating like a sheep, convinced it was about to be eaten.

The old lion took it to a still lake, pressing its face toward the water. In the reflection, the young lion finally saw itself clearly. At that moment, it recognized its true nature and let out a mighty roar that shook the valley.

From then on, it no longer feared.

What truly frightens us is not reality itself, but our perception of it. Once perception changes, fear dissolves.

That night, we walked through the darkest of places, encountering unexpected challenges. With your cooperation and courage, everything went smoothly.

Why We Offer Smoke

The wandering souls we encountered were without guidance, suffering under the weight of their karma. For countless ages, they had not found food. Even if they did, their throats remained closed, unable to swallow, or the food turned to fire.

This is why mantras are essential in smoke offering—to help them accept nourishment.

Ordinary people would not meditate in a graveyard, especially not at night. Such places are filled with yin energy. Meditation there allows us to cleanse our lower vibrations while connecting with higher frequencies.

That night, we practiced a Dharma Offering, learning new breathing methods within a protective boundary, linking to higher-dimensional energy.

For students, such an experience is deeply meaningful. But for the teacher leading, it is a path against the current of karma—it requires expending vital energy to protect and guide. The physical reactions many of you experienced afterward—whether coughing, releasing, or other purging—are the body’s way of adjusting to spiritual growth.

Closing Words

Each of you has walked through countless choices and trials to arrive at this moment. By coming together, we share the chance to act with compassion for all beings. This builds our own merit while bringing relief to others.

What you saw, heard, and felt—whether real or unreal—is the manifestation of great love. It allows you to see truth, be yourself, and preserve your pure nature.

As you said, human life is rare. May you truly break through attachment to the self, let go, repent with an open heart, and cherish only the present moment.

—————————————————————————————

烟供，不是为自己，是为众生

＃为什么要做烟供

熊神进，风水教学导师，执业30多年

学生留言：

那天回来已经很晚了，一路上我强忍泪水，看着车外，久久无法走出当时那刻的思绪，期间也很努力假装若无其事和身边的人讨论一些无关紧要的话题，但是心底里那种强烈的悲伤还是不时在迸发。

回到朋友家，大家都在等着听故事，我默默在一旁吃东西，那种假装很认真一根一根吃青菜，一粒一粒吃米饭，希望大家不要注意到我。可是泪水却不自觉流满了面颊，忧伤到无法自拔。那一刻真的希望可以一个人离开人群独处，放声大哭一场。

那是来自亡灵的呼唤，我不小心读到了他们的感受。

就在老师说最后一次运气呼吸的时候，一股强有力的炁直奔丹田，就那一刻，无限的放松感，似乎肉体已经不存在了。但随之而来的是心底里哀伤、痛苦的感受直击而来。还没来得及细想这是什么情况，泪水像缺堤般涌下。在那短暂的几秒，出现了很多光影，一团团蓝色的，绿色的，灰白色的，很多悲惨的画面，似乎都在诉说各自悲哀的生前生后。

一大群无法走向轮回的灵魂在绝望中呼唤着，无能为力地哀嚎。

是老师的声音指引让我回到现实，那一刻似乎是佛菩萨在跟我传递一个讯息：人身难得，珍惜当下。

此次坟地活动的画面大约在去年一次在日本的禅修期间，已经梦见过，当时不知道是何时发生，也不确定是过去还是未来的事，只是看到了整个故事的画面。看见了和活动中的其中一位女同修一起经历的，所以我当时很确定，她一定会排除万难来参与。在那个梦里，是我自身修行路上的一个转折点，而后只是默默等待一切发生……

身体上的变化：冥想后就是跟大家一起做烟供的仪轨，期间或多或少被烟呛到眼泪鼻涕不停流。到活动快要结束的时候，突然一口浓痰似乎从鼻腔喉轮处坠下，我自小是一个不会咳痰的人，这一年多来，我一直感觉心轮附近有炁在冲，但是一直只是丝丝裂缝般往上，没有真正打开。近半年来，有一点上到喉轮部分，可奈何那股浓痰一般的堵塞一直卡在喉咙位置。以前师父说过，我需要放下，要无我才能打开，也需要一个契机。

在坟地也不好随地吐痰，正当我含着浓痰不知所措时，我看到那位梦里跟我一起的同修在清理现场，不经意拿过她手中的垃圾袋，接手了垃圾清理工作，并在不惊动旁人的前提下，在垃圾袋里吐出了我长这么大都没见过这么大这么多的痰。次日月经提前，而且排了很多很多血块，随后几天打嗝放屁拉肚子，感觉很多东西走了，思绪也比之前清轻，感觉做人真好。

但那天之后，我发现老师两鬓的白发比之前明显多了……其实我没有其他疑问，因为问题的答案早就有了，唯一是担心老师您，为何行大爱的事情，您却需要耗费如此多？

熊老师回答：

首先感恩参与这次的烟供活动，此乃大爱。

有一头狮子，它刚出生时，父母就被猎杀了，所以它是在羊群里被羊哺乳长大的，它在羊群里生活，学会了羊叫，学会了吃草，学会了看见 凶猛动物追它们的时候，它会害怕，会跑。 然后它慢慢以为自己就是一头羊了。 有一天，有狮子来追它，它被老狮子抓住了，老狮子自然不会吃自己的同类，但是这头小狮子以为自己是羊，就在老狮子的口边咩咩叫，它非常 恐惧，非常害怕。 它害怕自己被吃掉，因为它早就忘记自己是谁了。

于是老狮子就把它带到山谷下一个湖边，把它的脸按下湖面，在平静如镜的湖面上，小狮子看到自己的脸，就在那瞬间，它认出自己也是狮子， 一声狮吼震动了整个山谷。 当它知道了自己是什么以后，它不再恐惧，不再害怕。

真正让我们恐惧的不是事实本身，而是我们对事实的认知，当我们认知改变了，恐惧就消失了。 当晚我们走过最阴的地方，遇到不同的突发状况，所幸各位的配合和勇气，一切顺利。

那些本是无主孤魂，各自在各自的道上承受着各自Karma带来的果，他们千万年来，都可能不曾找到任何食物，就算找到了，咽喉也无法打开，无法享用食物，或者食物变 成火。 所以我们烟供的时候需要咒，帮助他们。

而一般人不会在坟墓打坐，特别是夜里，坟地是阴，我们打坐是在清理自身低频能量，吸收高频能量。 当晚我们进行了法布施，在结界里学习不一样的呼吸法门，连结高维度能量。

去做这样的事，于学生而言是很有意义，但是笔者带领学生去做是逆天行道，介入了他人的因果，需要耗用精气神护持。 随后几位同修都反应了身体上的反应，那是性命双修的结果，心性上的成长，身体也会有对应的排病反应。

但不管是活动中的任何一位学生，我们都是经过无数次的选择和磨难，才走到此刻，有缘相聚，有缘行大爱为众生做点小事，积累自身的福德资粮，都是在做能力范围内的事。

所有人在过程中所见所闻所感，都是真实不真实的，那是大爱，让大家看见真实，做自己，发现真相，保留天性。

如你所言，人身难得，愿你能真正做到破我执，放下，痛切心扉地忏悔，我们能把握的只有当下。