Smoke Offering: The Ritual That Cleared My Karma and Fixed My Business Mojo

So, I’ll be honest—before I got into this whole smoke offering thing, I thought it was just a spiritual flex monks did on mountain tops with fancy incense. You know, clouds of fragrant smoke floating dramatically into the sky while chanting in the background. Cool, but a little out of reach for someone like me, who mainly just wanted my business to stop feeling like it was stuck in molasses.

Then one day, my fengshui master casually mentioned it. He said, “You should try smoke offering. It helps clear karmic debts. A lot of business blocks aren’t financial—they’re energetic.”

I blinked at him.

Smoke? Karma? Business problems?

I was skeptical—but also desperate. At the time, things were rough. Like, “Why do my clients ghost me after they say yes?” kind of rough. Weird blocks. Unseen delays. Constant bad timing. I didn’t know what else to try.

So I did the ritual.

And weirdly enough…things started to shift.

So What Is Smoke Offering, Anyway?

At its core, smoke offering is a Buddhist purification ritual—a way of offering fragrant smoke to both enlightened beings and unseen spirits. In Tibetan Buddhism, it’s called Sang, which means to cleanse or purify. The Chinese term is more commonly 烟供, literally “smoke offering.”

But what really struck me is this: it’s not just about sending incense up to the heavens. It’s also about sending offerings downward—to the ones we usually ignore.

I’m talking about wandering spirits, karmic debtors, and beings in the ghost realm who are still attached to us in ways we don’t see. People we’ve hurt in past lives. Contracts we’ve broken. Debts we’ve never repaid.

Sound heavy? Yeah. It kind of is.

Downward Offering (下施): The Real Karmic Detox

This was the part that really clicked for me. When I did my first smoke offering, my fengshui master explained it like this:

“Think of it as feeding beings you’ve accidentally wronged. Some might be angry with you. Others might just be hungry and stuck. When you give to them—through the smoke—you acknowledge them, you feed them, and in return, they back off. Some even help you.”

It wasn’t some superstition about angry ghosts haunting your wallet. It was more like energetic housekeeping. You clean up old debts, so they stop blocking your path.

And the results? Subtle, but real. My energy felt lighter. A few weird delays in work just… vanished. Clients who’d ghosted me came back. It wasn’t instant magic, but it felt like something had cleared.

Isn’t This a Tibetan Thing?

That’s what I thought too—but turns out, versions of smoke offering exist in all kinds of Buddhist (and even Taoist) traditions. Tibetan Buddhism just has the most structured version of it, with liturgies, specific herbs, and prayers. In Tibet, they call it Riwo Sangchö, and it’s done for both offering upwards (上供) to Buddhas, and offering downwards (下施) to spirits.

In Chinese Buddhism, it’s often practiced during Ullambana (the Ghost Festival), where people burn incense and paper offerings to help wandering souls find peace.

So no—it’s not limited to monks on mountaintops. Everyday people do it, especially when they feel stuck, heavy, unlucky, or just… off.

What Do You Actually Burn?

This part kind of feels like making a sacred potion. You don’t just light incense sticks from the supermarket and hope for the best.

Most smoke offerings use natural, fragrant substances. Here’s what’s often included:

• Juniper – Sharp and cleansing; clears negativity
• Sandalwood – Sweet and calming; honors Buddhas
• Barley flour – Represents food for hungry spirits
• Honey, sugar, butter – Luxuries in the ghost realm
• Tibetan herbs and spices – You can buy them as ready-to-use sang powders

I personally started with a ready-made Riwo Sangchö powder I found online. No shame in that. It smelled amazing, and honestly, I didn’t trust myself not to create a smoke bomb trying to DIY.

If you want to try it yourself, search for:

• Tibetan Sang Offering Powder
• Riwo Sangchö incense blend
• Chinese Buddhist 烟供 packets (especially around Ghost Month)

Just make sure it’s natural—no synthetic perfume or chemicals. You want to feed spirits, not poison them.

When and Where Should You Do It?

My fengshui master told me, “Do it in the early morning, when the world is calm. And always outside if possible.”

But the truth is—I often did mine in the evening, sometimes even late at night, when everything was quiet and still. There’s something about the nighttime—the air is heavier, the energy slower, and it feels like the unseen world is listening more closely.

So there I was: backyard, after dark. A small charcoal disc in a fireproof bowl. A scoop of offering powder. I let the smoke rise while I chanted gently and spoke these words from my heart:

諸佛正法眾中尊
“To all Buddhas, the noble Dharma, and the supreme assembly,

直达菩提我皈依
I take refuge with the wish to reach complete enlightenment.

以我所行施等福
May the merits of this offering and all my virtuous actions

為利众生愿成佛
Be dedicated toward becoming a Buddha for the benefit of all beings.”

我XXX
I, [Your Name],

上供普贤 – Offer upwards to Universal Worthy Bodhisattva (Samantabhadra),
下施冤情债主 – Offer downwards to karmic creditors and unresolved spiritual debts,
父母祖先，历代祖先 – To parents, ancestors, and all lineage beings,
离苦得乐，脱离六道轮回 – May they be free from suffering, find peace, and transcend the six realms of rebirth.

Then I repeated quietly:

Om Ah Hum
Om Ah Hum
Om Ah Hum

There was no dramatic moment. No thunderclap or sudden vision. But the air felt clearer, my heart lighter—and somehow, the world just shifted a little.

Is It Just for Ghosts?

Nope. While I focused more on the downward offering (because, let’s be real, business blocks feel more like ghosts than gods), smoke offering also works as a form of upward offering—to Buddhas, protectors, and enlightened beings.

That side of the ritual is about devotion, respect, and drawing blessings. It’s like lighting a cosmic thank-you candle and saying, “I’m here. Please guide me.”

But if you’re here for karma-clearing, obstacle-smashing, and business realignment like I was? Start with 下施. Begin by feeding the forgotten ones. And you might find they stop biting your ankles and start clearing the path ahead.

Final Thoughts: Smoke Offering Isn’t Just Ritual—It’s Repair Work

I used to think spiritual rituals were either too mystical or too woo-woo. But this one made sense. You give to beings you can’t see—but who may still be affecting you. You offer peace. You ask for release. You clean up your energetic mess.

And in return?

Your world lightens. Your path clears. Your work flows.

It’s not magic. It’s just balance.