The origin of Buddhist burning incense?

Burning incense is a major event in the life of Chinese folklore, there are three characteristics are extremely striking: First, the universality of the Han Chinese burn incense, the vast majority of ethnic minorities also burn incense, from the south to the north, from the east to the west, almost everywhere not to burn. Second, a long history, the existing literature, "Poetry", "Shangshu" has been recorded, its origin must be earlier than the Poetry Book era that is the Western Zhou Dynasty. Third, the universality of almost anything to do to burn incense: to the ancestors to burn, to the heaven and earth, God and Buddha to burn all the way to the Immortals, to animals to burn, to the mountains and rivers, trees and stones to burn; burned in the temple, in the toilet also burned; festivals to be burned, usually burned; as a mood of life to be burned, the so-called burning incense to the moon, the incense burning, the flowers burned incense to the beauty of the burning incense, elegant and rhyming, unspeakable; as a kind of status, the so-called immersed in smoke and land, the feast guests fight incense In order to show the luxury; piety to burn, there are burning incense to play the piano, there are burning incense to read; suicidal also want to burn, to ward off evil spirits, to remove filth in addition to fishy; something to be burned, nothing to be burned, burn itself is a matter of fact, and will also be addicted to it, known as the "incense fetish", as if the modern people smoking and drinking tea.

Interestingly, not only China burn incense, many peoples and countries around the world also burn. Incense of the English writing incense, check the Concise Encyclopedia of Britain (Volume VIII, page 543), contains the following: Ancient Egyptians from the Arabian and Somali coastal areas to introduce the spice tree, the incense as a religious rituals in the important supplies. The Babylonians often burned incense in prayer and divination. The Israelites introduced incense before the Babylonian captivity (586 - 538 BC), and by the 5th century BC, some altars were dedicated to incense. Bream religions, especially the Shiva sect, burn incense in both formal and domestic services; Buddhism burns incense in festival services, coming-of-age services, and daily services. The Japanese Shinto religion also burns incense. The Greeks have burned wood and resin since the 8th century B.C. to honor the gods and get rid of demons. The Romans first burned fragrant wood and later introduced incense, which became increasingly important in public and private ceremonies and in the veneration of the emperor.