This may apply better if you’re used to offering vertical sticks of incense. At one point, the ash accumulates and the burner starts to build this mass of ash and leftover sticks, it’s going to have to get cleaned up right? So how is it done?
In most monasteries, the maintenance of the incense burners occurs daily, but for some or even at some of the folk or Taoist temples, cleaning occurs at least once a year. First, the incense leftovers are filtered or pulled out depending on what form of incense is used. Then the ash in the burner is evened out and then smoothed until the surface is flat and somewhat shiny.
It’s not an easy process and takes a lot of time and patience. Back in the day, I remember using a top of a can to do the smoothing, but now there’s an actual instrument that looks like a stamp without the rubber stamp part that does the job.
The time it takes to smooth out the burner and the final result can be seen as a form of smoothing out the heart or kind of like a meter of how calm one’s mind is. The smoother and shiner the ash, the calmer the mind, at least a lot of elders say so. I actually like smoothing out the ash in the burners, if nothing else it’s a great mindfulness practice to try to do the job while making little to no noise, and to not let any ash fly out of the burner or build up along the sides. The next time you’re at the temple, ask if you can volunteer to give it a try.
The Buddha wears Glasses 