Rinzai Zen Home Liturgy

Recently, I finally got a hold of an introduction book on Rinzai Zen from Japan titled うちのお寺は臨済宗 (“My Temple is Rinzai Zen”). This book is part of a series for Japanese-Buddhists to learn more about the particular parish or sect they grow up in, and I have used it extensively covering other sects here. For some reason, I failed to find the Rinzai book in the past, but was finally able to order it.

Anyhow, most Western books on Rinzai Zen tend to focus on the mystical aspects of Zen without explaining the more practical side for lay followers. So, similar to my posts on Soto Zen and Tendai, I wanted to post the details of Rinzai Zen home liturgy based on what I learned from the book. Personally, I find the mundane side of Zen far more interesting than the more mystical aspects taught by the likes of Alan Watts and D.T. Suzuki.

As with Soto Zen, Rinzai Zen emphasizes the importance of zazen (meditation) practice, but it does have its fair share of chanting and devotionals as well as a support. How you, the layperson Zen student, balance these needs is something you will learn over time. I just wanted to share the information as presented in the book. If you are new to Buddhism, and maybe not comfortable with meditation, start with doing home devotional services first, and as you build confidence, you can expand to other practices in including meditation and precepts, etc.

In many ways, Rinzai Zen liturgy very closely resembles Soto Zen. Both are derived from Chinese tradition¹ so this isn’t very surprising. Also, some chants will have a “Sinified” (Chinese) version and a native Japanese version, some only appear in Sinified form. I will try to post both when applicable.

A Quick Note on Liturgy

The book recommends consulting your local Rinzai temple for details. I believe this is because there are many subsects in Rinzai Zen (complicated history) and thus many lineages and home temples. Each temple lineague might do things a little differently, so the book cautiously suggests checking with your home temple first.

But if you are reading this, you probably don’t live in Japan, so the book also suggests commonly practiced liturgy format. That is what I am posting here. Again, it’s very similar to Soto Zen, so if you are unsure, you can consult Soto Zen sources too.

Example Rinzai Zen Home Liturgy

So far, based on research, I have seen that there are two versions use in Rinzai Zen. For simplicity, I will call them the “short version” and “long version”. People are welcome to chose which version they want to recite, or adapt as needed. These are examples. For both versions, I was lucky to find some nice video examples from the temple of Yogaku-ji in Tokyo. Thank you!

Short Version

The format of the “short” liturgy is as follows:

• Verse of the Opening of the Sutra (kaikyōgé)
• Chanting the Heart Sutra, Kannon Sutra, or Hakuin’s Hymn of Zazen
• Optional: recite the Dharani for Prevention of Disaster three times after reciting Heart Sutra.
• The Four Bodhisattva Vows, and finally
• Dedication of Merit (fu-ekō)

The video below shows a similar format, without reciting the Four Bodhisattva Vows, so it’s a very short and simple.

Kaikyogé: Opening of the Sutra Verses

I had trouble finding an example in native Japanese, but posting the Sinified form below. It is basically identical to other sects. I included rough translation as well.

Sino-Japanese	Translation
Mu jo jin jin mi myo ho	The supreme and profound teachings (Dharma) of the Buddha
Hyaku sen man go nan so gu	is truly rare to encounter,
Ga kon ken mon toku ju ji	but now we are able to hear and receive it.
Gan ge nyo rai shin jitsu gi	It is our hope that the teachings become clear to us.

Sutra Chanting

As stated above, the Heart Sutra, Kannon Sutra, or Hakuin’s Hymn of Zazen are the most common choices. Feel free to choose one, or rotate them each day.

As noted above, my book mentioned that one can also recite the Dharani for the Prevention of Disaster, typically chanted three times after reciting the Heart Sutra. But this is entirely optional.

Shiguseigan: The Four Bodhisattva Vows

See this post for more details and translation. Youtube link here. It is the same as other sects in Japan.

Sino-Japanese	Native Japanese
Shu jo mu hen sei gan do	n/a
Bon no mu hen sei gan dan
Ho mon mu ryo sei gan chi
Mu jo bo dai sei gan sho

Fueko: The Dedication of Good Merit Towards Others

See this post for more details. This liturgy is somewhat unusual in that every sutra book I see consistently prints it as a mix of both native Japanese followed by Sino-Japanese (highlighted in bold). So I am posting as-is. Youtube link here.

Dedication of Merit, full version
Negawaku wa kono kudoku wo motte, amaneku issai ni oyoboshi,
Warera to shu jo to, mina tomo ni butsu do wo jozen koto wo
Ji ho san shi i shi fu
Shi son bu sa mo ko sa
Mo ko ho ja ho ro mi

There is also a second version that I found in a liturgy book from Nanzenji temple, another major Rinzai temple that uses a different format:

Sino-Japanese	Translation
Gen ni su kun te	May this good merit that I have accumulated…
Fu gyu o i shii	Be distributed to all beings
Go ten ni shun san	So that we may all walk this path
Kai kyu jin bu do	And equally attain the Buddha Way.

What’s fascinating about this version is that the Chinese characters are exactly the same as found in other sects (for example Tendai liturgy), but the pronunciation is much more Sinified (Chinese-style), rather than Japanese style readings. Feel free to adapt either verse. I prefer the Chinese-style pronunciations as I find them shorter and easier to pronounce.

Long Version

The format of the “long” liturgy is as follows:

• Verse of the Opening of the Sutra (kaikyōgé)
• Chanting the Heart Sutra, Kannon Sutra, or Hakuin’s Hymn of Zazen
• Chanting the Dharani for Prevention of Disaster three times
• Short Dedication of Merit Toward All Buddhas (honzon ryaku ekō)
• Chanting the Great Compassion Dharani
• Another dedication of merit …. (I had trouble finding information about this one… will update later)

Many aspects of this liturgy are the same as the short version, or they are linked in other blog posts (The Great Compassion Dharani is too long to post here). Some of these “dedication of merit” verses are hard to find online, so I wasn’t able to post anything here.

In any case, the temple of Yogaku-ji in Tokyo has put another excellent video with this format, which I encourage you to take a look.

Conclusion

These are just a few examples (I found others) of how Rinzai Zen liturgy works. As with many aspects of Buddhism, find what works, and is sustainable, and feel free to adjust and modify over time. Consistency, preferably daily, is the most important thing.

Good luck, and happy chanting!

P.S. Featured photo from my visit to Kennin-ji Temple in 2024.

¹ In truth, all Buddhism in Japan derives from Chinese Buddhism (often through the Korean peninsula), but for historical reasons, the two Zen sects (namely Rinzai and Soto) were founded by monks who journeyed to China during the Song Dynasty (10th – 13th century) which is much later than other traditions who imported Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty (7th – 10th c.). This means that they had the latest, freshest practices and monastic traditions compared to other sects, and this earned Zen an outsized cultural impact where other sects were either homegrown or seemingly antiquated. When Rinzai’s cousin Obaku came to Japan in the 16th century, it was even newer and briefly had a heyday in Japan.