Why do Buddhists offer burning incense, water, flowers, and fruits to an image of the Buddha?

These are symbolic offerings that remind the giver of important things. Such offerings remind a person to examine themselves. For example, when offering incense someone can ask "do we cultivate virtue like the incense sending out its beautiful fragrance?".

This is a metaphor familiar to Asian people. Here to promote virtue is to do things beneficial to oneself and to others. So while making an offering to the image of the Buddha we will reflect upon ourselves and our actions.

Water symbolizes coolness and reminds us to use our speech to bring calmness to each situation. Water is vital, and our speech can be used to inspire and bring new hope to someone during a difficult time. It also means purity, and so we are lead to question our own thoughts and motives.

Beautiful flowers remind us that everyone likes to see a happy face. In Buddhism there is a teaching that a beautiful face is the result of enduring insult in one's past life. On the other hand, responding with anger is said to ... more.

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