Mahayana temple questions.

[Houzi88]

I go to this Mahayana temple in NY. It's very beautiful. I've only been there twice so far though.

When I enter the temple the Monk always comes up to give me an incense stick so that I can pray. What should I do with the incense stick? Usually I just put it in my hands and just kneel down and bow a few times and then stick it into a pot and let it finish burning.

I was wondering if I should just sit there quietly and mediate until the incense goes out. What should I pray about?

How do you say "Pray" in Mandarin?

If someone could please tell me what to say in mandarin and in english. I am limited in my Hanzi, so I can read PinYin perfectly though.

Any other things that someone wants to tell me about Mahayana temple, I would be EXTREMELY grateful.

Sorry for the huge request but I would really appreciate if someone can answer all these questions. You don't have to answer all of them, just pick which ones you'd like to help me out on.

Thank You So Much

谢谢你。

~Houzi 猴子