Riwo Sangchoe Incense Sticks for Sang and Sur

Riwo Sangchoe, the 'Mountain Smoke Offering', is one of the best-known purification rituals of Tibetan Buddhism. For this practice and for the Sur offering, the family business Nado Poizokhang in Thimphu makes these incense sticks, according to the maker from more than 90 ingredients: herbs, spices, aromatic woods and resins from the Himalayas. The paste matures for several weeks and is shaped by hand.

The scent is intense. The sticks accompany the smoke offering, prayers for the deceased and the home altar on special days.

Riwo Sangchoe, Riwo Sangchö in Tibetan, means 'Mountain Smoke Offering'. The practice is performed in Tibet, Bhutan and throughout the Himalayas. The rising smoke is offered to the Buddhas and protector deities to pacify obstacles, clear impurities and accumulate merit.

Sur is a smoke offering dedicated to beings in the intermediate state, the bardo, and to hungry ghosts. It is often made in the weeks after a death. On the packaging, the maker expressly calls this incense a blend for Riwo Sangchoe and Sur.

Place the stick in an incense holder or in a bowl of sand or ash. Light the tip, let it burn briefly and put out the flame with a gentle wave of the hand, so that only the ember keeps glowing. In the Tibetan tradition, offerings are not blown out with the breath.

Traditionally, this incense accompanies the recitation of the Riwo Sangchoe text, the Sur offering for the deceased and prayers on festival days. Many practitioners also light it at the home altar when they purify a place or begin a new chapter.

Brand

Nado Poizokhang

Use

Riwo Sangchoe and Sur

Composition

more than 90 ingredients

Ingredients

herbs, spices, woods, resins

Origin of ingredients

Himalayas

Making

by hand in Bhutan

Length

approx. 22 cm

Contents

approx. 27 sticks

Net weight

approx. 70 g

Packaging

cardboard box

The information on the composition comes from the maker.
As the sticks are made by hand, length, thickness and burning time may vary slightly.

Keep the sticks in the closed box, dry and protected from sun and heat, so that the fragrance lasts. Never leave burning incense unattended, place it on a heat-resistant surface and out of reach of children and pets. Air the room briefly after burning incense.