In america, korean son practitioners chant the heart sutra and other scriptures in korean and, increasingly, in english. Jul 19, 2019 nichiren established no formal procedure for gongyo other than the recitation of the 2nd and 16th chapters of the lotus sutra, and at times even just the verse section of the 16th chapter. Motifs from the lotus sutra figure prominently in the dunhuang caves built in the sui era. Introduction to reciting sutras and mantras daily recitation kung ko is the fixed number of sutras and mantras to be recited everyday. Sep 24, 2019 the sutra recitation now takes only about 5 minutes, leaving more time for the primary glngyo of chanting nammyohorengekyo 11. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev. Boarding the great vehicle by means of the lotus sutra.
Repeated sutra recitation does tend to encourage daily practices of generosity and merit. And over the centuries, through chapters like this one, recited with great. In buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the noble eightfold path. This combination of the burton translation of the lotus sutra, and the commentaries of rev. A modern translation for contemporary readers, published by kosei publishing company in 2019.
Second, he compared the lotus sutra and the sutras preached prior to it and established that the perfect teaching found in the pre lotus sutra works belongs to the same category as the perfect teaching of the lotus sutra, whereas the first three of the four teachings of doctrine in the pre lotus sutra works are to be rejected as inferior. All five prayers are offered in the morning, and the second, third and fifth prayers are recited in the eveni. It was preceded by introductory remarks and a recitation of the heart sutra in tibetan. That is to say, reciting the name of amitabha buddha and thereby gaining buddhahood is the goal of buddhism. Gongyo sgi pdf buddhist liturgy is a formalized service of veneration and worship performed within a buddhist the concept of gongyo is also common in japanese pure land. It is the act of offering the sutra, daimoku the invocation nammyohorengekyoand silent prayers to the gohonzonthe object of veneration. Because the lotus sutra is such an important and timely scripture, i have long cherished the hope that all people. In this video, nichiren shoshu priests perform slow gongyo, the recitation of a portion of the 2nd and the entire 16th chapter of the lotus sutra. The lotus sutra is regarded as one of the worlds great religious scriptures and most influential texts.
Gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the teaching of the buddhas. Shokai kanai, was my idea of making the actual sutra more readable and understandable. Daimoku is the constant repetition of the sacred mantra for a period of time. Gongyo translated the expedient means chapter the search. Engi stories and their implications in reading the lotus sutra memento vom 7.
A karaokestyle guide showing the pronunciation and rhythm of gongyo, the recitation of excerpts from the lotus sutra. Chanting lotus sutra chant nam myoho renge kyo mantra benefits. In translating the chinese text into english we used the kasuga edition of kumarajivas version of the lotus sutra as the basic text, rather than the taisho edition. If you do recite portions of the sutra, its advisable to spend at least as much time chanting namumyohorengekyo as you spend reciting portions of the lotus sutra. This teaching was given by jetsun khandro rinpoche at the rigpa center in new york city, 3 september 20. The events described in the lotus sutra take place in a universe of cosmic proportions with. Nichiren daishonin never gave specific instructions on the format for the sutra recitation. Chanting is not so much a way of reflecting upon the content of the scriptures as it is a way of concentrating and focusing the mind. The lotus sutra bucknell digital commons bucknell university. Hence the format had changed from time to time through the centuries.
But if persons at that time encounter another buddha. Daishonin never prescribed a specific format or number of repetitions. Wang argues that the explosion of art inspired by the lotus sutra, starting from the 7th and 8th centuries in china, was a confluence of text and the topography of the chinese medieval mind in which the latter dominated. Taking place in a vast and fantastical cosmic setting, the lotus sutra places emphasis on.
Why reciting buddhist sutras out loud is important. Apr 28, 2019 the sutra s name in sanskrit is maha saddharmapundarika sutra, or great sutra of the lotus of the wonderful law. Offering the sutra entails reciting the expedient means second and the life span of the tathagata sixteenth chapters of the lotus sutra. Rengekyo and the twice daily recitation of gongyo, consisting of portions of the lotus sutra. The daimoku of the lotus sutra wnd i nichiren buddhism. Recitation is given as an offering of merit and virtue for them. I find that the translation by itself is sometimes difficult to read in context, and the. During morning and evening gongyo, we recite the hoben second and the juryo sixteenth chapters and chant the daimoku nammyohorengekyo. The title of this newsletter, living the lotus buddhism in everyday life, conveys our hope of striving to practice the teachings of the lotus sutra in daily life in an imperfect world to enrich and make our lives more worthwhile, like beautiful lotus flowers blooming in a muddy pond.
Nov 25, 2014 official evening gongyo evening recitation by nmrkob. Nichiren shoshu buddhism gongyo sutra recitation myosenji temple official version. Sutra readings that contains excerpts from the threefold lotus sutra. Chanting, recitation, words and phrases, shakyamuni buddha instruction the lotus samadhi lotus meditation which includes penance, prayer, worship of the buddhas, and reciting the lotus sutra. You will need to use a liturgy of nichiren shoshugongyo book.
For the morning gongyo or morning recitation fast, moderate, slow visit our dailymotion channel. Sutra recitation is considered the equal of zazen meditation by many zen buddhists. Both chapters are recited in chinese, so unless you are fluent, the meaning may be lost. If we recite but do not become a buddha, that is not the purpose of buddhist teaching. Gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the.
Nichiren daishonin specified recitation of certain portions of the lotus sutra as a vital supporting practice for oneself. The english translation used here is by ari goldfield. The sutra s name in sanskrit is maha saddharmapundarika sutra, or great sutra of the lotus of the wonderful law. The reason for reciting the hoben chapter and the juryo chapter during gongyo can be found in the gosho, recitation of the hoben and juryo chapters, which states. Lotus claims to be a record of the words of the historical. And the supplemented lotus sutra of the wonderful law says that one who accepts and upholds the name of the lotus sutra will enjoy immeasurable good fortune. However, most historians believe the sutra was written in the 1st or 2nd century ce, probably by more than one writer. While the chanting of nammyohorengekyo and the recitation of the expedient means and life span chapters of the lotus sutra constitute an unchanging facet of buddhist practice, the forms these practices have taken over timeincluding such details. Daimoku can last from as short as a few minutes to as long as a few hours or even more. With very few exceptions the readings in these two editions are almost.
At the time the soka gakkai came into being, nichiren shoshu laity were not expected to itallano gongyo themselves. The act of propagating this buddhism with a spirit of deep compassion is to help others to overcome their sufferings. The proper attitude gongyo should be performed with an attitude of respect and determination. Learning to perform gongyo sutra recitation myosenji. Aug, 2019 nichiren established no gonggyo procedure for gongyo other than the recitation of the 2nd and 16th chapters of the lotus sutra, and at times even just the verse section of the 16th chapter.
Doing both the primary and supporting practices each morning and evening gives rise to maximum joy and benefit in our lives. Typically, you can recite the great compassion mantra ta pei chou1 3 times, heart sutra hsin ching 3 times, eightyeight. Buddha, shakyamuni meaning sage of the shakyas, the. For daily sutra recitation, members use an anthology titled kyoten.
At that time, when the great assembly heard the buddha describe how his life span lasted such a very long number of kalpas, immeasurable, boundless asamkhayas of living beings gained a great many rich benefits. The pure land traditions practice the devotional recitation of the buddhas name. The lotus sutra is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential sutras, or sacred scriptures, of buddhism. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson chapter seventeen. The tradition that developed especially in east asian buddhism that regards the act of readingreciting sutras in itself as meritorious, effective in transferring merit. The lotus sutra not only makes us keenly aware of these facts but also serves as an always dependable guide to the new way of living necessary for us now and in the future. The threefold lotus sutra is the main scripture in which rissho koseikai members place their faith. All chapters of the lotus sutra are excellent, but there are none better than the hoben chapter and juryo chapter. During gongyo, apart from chanting nam myoho renge kyo, we also recite two chapters from the lotus sutra, chapter 2 expedient means hoben and chapter 16 the life span of the thus come one juryo. For new buddhists, following along with the priest when you are learning to chant is the very best. It is a matter of faith in some schools of buddhism that the sutra contains the words of the historical buddha. Gongyo project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. Reciting the lotus sutra rissho koseikai international. In nichiren shu, recitation of the lotus sutra can be performed in japanese or your own language.
Shakyamuni taught the dharma to different people in different ways, a style of teaching that caused consternation in. The lotus sutra is one of the most popular and influential mahayana sutras, and the basis on. Its a seminal work in the development of buddhism throughout east asia and, by extension, in the development of mahayana buddhism throughout the world. It is considered a must for mahayana practitioners, especially monks. Nichiren buddhists perform a form of gongyo that consists of reciting certain passages of the lotus sutra and chanting daimoku. The sutras key message is that buddhahood, the supreme state of life characterized by boundless compassion, wisdom and courage, is. Saddharmapuarikasutra scripture of the white lotus of the marvelous law into chinese in 406 c. Chanting, recitation, words and phrases, shakyamuni buddha. Oct 22, 2009 gongyo are a series of prayers that include the recitation of 2nd and 16th chapter of the lotus sutra along with chanting nammyohorengekyo, is conducted twice daily. The lotus sutra of the correct law says that, if one hears this sutra and proclaims and embraces its title, one will enjoy merit beyond measure.
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