Chanting the “Jigage”: Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra, one of the most important sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, is the size of an epic novel, and thus much too large to recite cover to cover. Even reciting a single chapter can be daunting because each chapter contains a large narrative section, and one or more verse sections that recap the narrative.

For this reason, certain verse sections have become popular for chanting because they get to the heart of the Lotus Sutra and convey its essential teachings, in a manageable size.

Popular examples (among others) include the Kannon Sutra, the verse section of chapter 16, and the opening section of chapter 2. Both are actively recited in Nichiren and Tendai sect home services. Today we will focus on the big verse section at the end of chapter 16, called the jigagé (自我偈) in Japanese.

Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra is the big reveal of the sutra: Shakyamuni Buddha is not just a historical figure that lived in 5th century India, and member of the warrior-caste Shakya clan, but is also, on another level, a timeless Buddha that has pretty much existed since a remote, incalculable past:

Since I attained Buddhahood the number of kalpas [aeons] that have passed is an immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions, trillions, asamkhyas [in other words, a mind-boggling amount of time]. Constantly I have preached the Law [a.k.a. the Dharma], teaching, converting countless millions of living beings, causing them to enter the Buddha way, all this for immeasurable kalpas.
Translation by Burton Watson

I believe this part of an important theme not just in the Lotus Sutra but Mahayana Buddhism in general: the Dharma is a timeless, eternal law of reality and the various Buddhas simply embody it. The Dharma is what matters, not one particular Buddha or another. You can see hints of this in older Buddhist sutras such as the Vakkali Sutta (SN 22.87) in the Pali Canon, but I believe that Mahayana Buddhism took it to its logical conclusion.

Later in the same verse section is the famous lines:

My pure land is not destroyed, yet the multitude see it as consumed in fire, with anxiety, fear and other sufferings filling it everywhere….But those who practice meritorious ways, who are gentle, peaceful, honest and upright, all of them will see me here in person, preaching the Law [a.k.a. The Dharma]
Translation by Burton Watson

To me, this reinforces that even in the worst, most desolate times, the Dharma is always there, and anyone who seeks it sincerely will find it even when others cannot see it. I’ve talked about this passage often in the Nirvana Day posts I’ve made in the past, among other places.

Anyhow, let’s move on now to the liturgy itself.

Liturgical Language

Because this is a chant used in Japanese Nichiren and Tendai traditions, among others, I am posting it as-is in Japanese, more specifically Sino-Japanese: the original Classical Chinese that it was recorded in, but with historical Japanese pronunciation. You are welcome to recite in English, or any other language, there is no restriction.

For this liturgical text, I relied on a few sources, plus I double-checked the spellings using physical sutra books I have at home. I am fairly certain it’s accurate.

Also, I formatted the text similar to how it is formatted in real service books.

Translation

I decided not to post the translation side-by-side with the text, the way I do with the Heart Sutra and such. This is due to formatting reasons on the blog, plus also length of the text makes this more difficult. I may revise this later.

For now, I highly recommend checking out a modern translation here by the excellent Dr Burton Watson. The Buddhist Text Translation Society also has an excellent translation here. The chant below is the first narrative section that goes all the way to the first verse section.

Disclaimer and Legal Info

I hereby release this into the public domain. Please use it as you see fit, but if you attribute it to this site, greatly appreciated. Also, please bear in mind this is an amateur work, and should not be taken too seriously.

Dedication

I dedicate this effort to all sentient beings everywhere. May all beings be well, and may they all attain perfect peace.

Namu Shakamuni Buddha

The Lotus Sutra sixteenth chapter, verse section

Preamble

Classical Chinese	Japanese Romanization
妙法蓮華経如来寿量品第十六	Myo ho ren ge kyo nyo rai ju ryo hon dai ju roku

Verse Section

Classical Chinese	Japanese Romanization
自我得仏来所経諸劫数無量百千万億載阿僧祇	Ji ga toku butsu rai sho kyo sho kos-shu mu ryo hyaku sen man oku sai a so gi
常説法教化無数億衆生令入於仏道爾来無量劫	jo sep-po kyo ke mu shu oku shu jo ryo nyu o butsu do ni rai mu ryo ko
為度衆生故方便現涅槃而実不滅度常住此説法	i do shu jo ko ho ben gen ne han ni jitsu fu metsu do jo ju shi sep-po
我常住於此以諸神通力令顛倒衆生雖近而不見	ga jo ju o shi i sho jin zu riki ryo ten do shu jo sui gon ni fu ken
衆見我滅度広供養舎利咸皆懐恋慕而生渇仰心	shu ken ga metsu do ko ku yo sha ri gen kai e ren bo ni sho katsu go shin
衆生既信伏質直意柔軟一心欲見仏不自惜身命	shu jo ki shin buku shichi jiki i nyu nan is-shin yoku ken butsu fu ji shaku shin myo
時我及衆僧倶出霊鷲山我時語衆生常在此不滅	ji ga gyu shu so ku shutsu ryo ju sen ga ji go shu jo jo zai shi fu metsu
以方便力故現有滅不滅余国有衆生恭敬信楽者	i ho ben riki ko gen u metsu fu metsu yo koku u shu jo ku gyo shin gyo sha
我復於彼中為説無上法汝等不聞此但謂我滅度	ga bu o hi chu i setsu mu jo ho nyo to fu mon shi tan ni ga metsu do
我見諸衆生没在於苦海故不為現身令其生渇仰	ga ken sho shu jo motsu zai o ku kai ko fu i gen shin ryo go sho katsu go
因其心恋慕乃出為説法神通力如是於阿僧祇劫	in go shin ren bo nai shitsu i sep-po jin zu riki nyo ze o a so gi ko
常在霊鷲山及余諸住処衆生見劫尽大火所焼時	jo zai ryo ju sen gyu yo sho ju sho shu jo ken ko jin dai ka sho sho ji
我此土安穏天人常充満園林諸堂閣種種宝荘厳	ga shi do an non ten nin jo ju man on rin sho do kaku shu ju ho sho gon
宝樹多花果衆生所遊楽諸天撃天鼓常作衆伎楽	ho ju ta ke ka shu jo sho yu raku sho ten kyaku ten ku jo sa shu gi gaku
雨曼陀羅華散仏及大衆我浄土不毀而衆見焼尽	u man da ra ke san butsu gyu dai shu ga jo do fu ki ni shu ken sho jin
憂怖諸苦悩如是悉充満是諸罪衆生以悪業因縁	u fu sho ku no nyo ze shitsu ju man ze sho zai shu jo i aku go in nen
過阿僧祇劫不聞三宝名諸有修功徳柔和質直者	ka a so gi ko fu mon san bo myo sho u shu ku doku nyu wa shichi jiki sha
則皆見我身在此而説法或時為此衆説仏寿無量	sok-kai ken ga shin zai shi ni sep-po waku ji i shi shu setsu butsu ju mu ryo
久乃見仏者為説仏難値我智力如是慧光照無量	ku nai ken bus-sha i setsu butsu nan chi ga chi riki nyo ze e ko sho mu ryo
寿命無数劫久修業所得汝等有智者勿於此生疑	ju myo mu shu ko ku shu go sho toku nyo to u chi sha mot-to shi sho gi
当断令永尽仏語実不虚如医善方便為治狂子故	to dan ryo yo jin butsu go jip-pu ko nyo i zen ho ben i ji o shi ko
実在而言死無能説虚妄我亦為世父救諸苦患者	jitsu zai ni gon shi mu no sek-ko mo ga yaku i se bu ku sho ku gen sha
為凡夫顛倒実在而言滅以常見我故而生憍恣心	i bon bu ten do jitsu zai ni gon metsu i jo ken ga ko ni sho kyo shi shin
放逸著五欲墮於悪道中我常知衆生行道不行道	ho itsu jaku go yoku da o aku do chu ga jo chi shu jo gyo do fu gyo do
随応所可度為説種種法毎自作是念以何令衆生	zui o sho ka do i ses-shu ju ho mai ji sa ze nen i ga ryo shu jo
得入無上道速成就仏身	toku nyu mu jo do soku jo ju bus-shin

P.S. I’ve been posting a lot of Japanese-Buddhist liturgy from various sources, and this is the last one I will post for a while. The ones I have posted so far on the blog cover the most common sutra chants, so anyone curious to get started in a tradition (or rediscover a tradition) should hopefully find what they need. Good luck!

Chanting the “Hobenpon”: Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra

For this reason, certain verse sections have become popular for chanting because they get to the heart of the Lotus Sutra and convey its essential teachings, in a manageable size.

Popular examples (among others) include the Kannon Sutra, the verse section of chapter 16, and the opening secction of chapter 2. Both are actively recited in Nichiren and Tendai sect home services. Today we will focus on the opening section of chapter 2, called the hōbenpon (方便品) in Japanese.

Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra introduces the concept of Expedient Means (Sanskrit upāya), the idea (alluded to in earlier Buddhists texts) that the Buddha’s teachings and practices are flexible and meant to accommodate the capacity of the follower, guiding them along until they reach the ultimate truth (e.g. Enlightenment). Later, the chapter leans on this concept to further teach that any effort along the Buddhist path is not wasted, and every bit counts. But the chant above is for the just the opening section, which teaches that full Enlightenment is a deeply profound concept, but something only the Buddhas can truly understand between one another, so it’s a pretty lofty goal (e.g. that’s why the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do what they can to help).

“Shariputra, ever since I attained Buddhahood, I have widely expounded my teachings through many stories of past relationships and many parables, and by countless means have led the people to renounce all their attachments.”
Translation by Burton Watson

Let’s move on now to the liturgy itself.

Liturgical Language

For this liturgical text, I relied on a few sources, plus I double-checked the spellings using physical sutra books I have at home. I am fairly certain it’s accurate.

Also, I formatted the text similar to how it is formatted in real service books.

Translation

Disclaimer and Legal Info

Dedication

I dedicate this effort to all sentient beings everywhere. May all beings be well, and may they all attain perfect peace.

Namu Shakamuni Buddha

The Lotus Sutra second chapter, opening section

Preamble

Original Chinese	Japanese Romanization
妙法蓮華経方便品第二	Myo ho ren ge kyo ho ben pon dai ni

Verse Section

Original Chinese	Japanese Romanization
爾時世尊従三昧安詳而起告舎利弗	Ni ji se son ju san mai an jo ni ki go sha ri hotsu
諸仏智慧甚深無量其智慧門難解難入	sho buc-chi e jin jin mu ryo go chi e mon nan ge nan nyu
一切声聞辟支仏所不能知所以者何	is-sai sho mon hyaku shi butsu sho fu no chi sho i sha ga
仏曾親近百千万億無数諸仏尽行諸仏。	butsu zo shin gon hyaku sen man noku mu shu sho butsu jin gyo sho butsu
無量道法勇猛精進名称普聞成就甚深	mu ryo do ho yu myo sho jin myo sho fu mon jo ju jin jin
未曾有法随宜所説意趣難解舎利弗	mi zo u ho zui gi sho setsu i shu nan ge sha ri hotsu
吾従成仏已来種種因縁種種譬諭広演言教	go ju jo buc-chi rai shu ju in nen shu ju hi yu ko en gon kyo
無数方便引導衆生令離諸著所以者何	mu shu ho ben in do shu jo ryo ri sho jaku sho i sha ga
如来方便知見波羅蜜皆已具足舎利弗	nyo rai ho ben chi ken ha ra mitsu kai i gu soku sha ri hotsu
如来知見広大深遠無量無礙力無所畏	nyo rai chi ken ko dai jin non mu ryo mu ge riki mu sho i
禅定解脱三昧深入無際成就一切未曾有法	zen jo ge das-san mai jin nyu mu sai jo ju is sai mi zo u ho
舎利弗如来能種種分別巧説諸法言辞柔軟	sha ri hotsu nyo rai no shu ju fun betsu gyo ses-sho ho gon ji nyu nan
悦可衆心舎利弗取要言之無量無辺	ek ka shu shin sha ri hotsu shu yo gon shi mu ryo mu hen
未曾有法仏悉成就止舎利弗不須復説	mi zo u ho bus-shitsu jo ju shi sha ri hotsu fu shu bu setsu
所以者何仏所成就第一希有難解之法	sho i sha ga bus-sho jo ju dai ichi ke u nan ge shi ho
唯仏与仏乃能究尽諸法実相	yui butsu yo butsu nai no ku jin sho ho jis-so

Conclusion

(note: at least in some Nichiren traditions, this part is repeated 3 times. I am unclear if this is also done in the Tendai tradition.)

Original Chinese	Japanese Romanization
所謂諸法如是相如是性如是体如是力如是作如是因如是縁如是果如是報如是本末究竟等	sho i sho ho nyo ze so nyo ze sho nyo ze tai nyo ze riki nyo ze sa nyo ze in nyo ze en nyo ze ka nyo ze ho nyo ze hon ma ku kyo to

When It Rains It Pours

What a week.

My wife and daughter both tested positive for COVID on Wednesday and had to isolate themselves since then. I took time off from work, bring them food, do the housework, and look after our son, ferry him to various social events and playdates, while also looking after a one year old puppy. Then, the puppy developed conjunctivitis (pink eye) as of yesterday. Further, my old acid reflux problem reared its head recently causing plenty of misery for me.

The week has been a train wreck but we’ve managed. Thankfully my wife and daughter’s both had miles symptoms and will be out of quarantine soon.

Amidst all the chaos, I tried to keep up daily Buddhist practice, with mixed success. This morning I just had only enough time to recite the Three Treasures: namu-ki-e-butsu, namu-ki-e-ho, namu-ki-e-so (praise to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha).

But that’s how it is sometimes.

If you’re a parent, especially a single parent like my mother was, sometimes that’s all you can realistically do. That’s also true if you’re young and just getting on your feet, working a grueling 9-5 job, or you’re caring for ill or elderly family members.

Such people don’t have the time or energy to contemplate Tibetan yidam or participate in a Zen sesshin. How can someone working a demanding warehouse job at Amazon maintain mindfulness when you barely have time for a lunch break? How can a school teacher afford a retreat to Bhutan when they’re scraping money to get adequate school supplies in the classroom?

For most working-class people dealing with stress, financial woes, or parenting, such Buddhist practices are a privilege they can’t afford, but they shouldn’t be excluded either. This was a problem faced centuries ago and continues in the West today.

Instead, when your world is falling apart, or you’re cleaning poop from a baby’s diaper, or trying to mentally shut out the weirdo on public transit, sometimes it’s just enough to say the nembutsu: na-mu-a-mi-da-butsu. Maybe you can’t maintain a Buddhist altar, but it’s just enough to keep a small image in your wallet that you drew or printed out. If you can’t afford good Buddhist books, make your own.

I am not joking or making light of Buddhist practice either. Consider this verse from the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

If someone with a confused and distracted mind should take even one flower and offer it to a painted image, in time he would come to see countless Buddhas.

Or if a person should bow or perform obeisance, or should merely press his palms together, or even should raise a single hand, or give no more than a slight nod of the head, and if this were done in offering to an image, then in time he would come to see countless Buddhas.

And if he himself attains the unsurpassed way and spreads salvation abroad to countless multitudes, he will enter the nirvana of no remainder as a fire dies out when the firewood is exhausted.

If persons with confused and distracted minds should enter a memorial tower and once exclaim, “Hail to the Buddha!”

Then all have attained the Buddha way.
Translation by Burton Watson

Or this quote from the Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life:

“If, sentient beings encounter his [Amida Buddha’s] light, their three defilements are removed; they feel tenderness, joy and pleasure; and good thoughts arise. If sentient beings in the three realms of suffering see his light, they will all be relieved and freed from affliction. At the end of their lives, they all reach emancipation.
Translation by Rev. Hisao Inagaki

Sometimes it’s OK to just recite the nembutsu, or the Three Treasures above. It may not do much to relieve stress, or fix your situation but be assured that every tiny little bit you do to recite the Buddha’s name, or uphold the Five Precepts (or even one of them), anything you do to live an upright, honest life does count for something.

This isn’t empty platitudes either. This is straight from the Lotus Sutra and the Mahayana Buddhist tradition at large. Like contributing to a savings accounts, every little bit you do, however small, is just one step closer to your goal. Every good, wholesome seed you plant will bear fruit someday. Every time you dedicate that good merit towards the benefit of others, it will multiply even further.

No matter how shitty your life is, believe in yourself, believe in the power of the Buddha-Dharma, and trust that even a moment’s recitation or a a single good act can and does make a difference.

Namu Amida Butsu

Make Your Own Buddhist Sutra Book

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about home Buddhist practice, including home Buddhist services and such. These are things that devout lay-Buddhists often do (myself included), but then I realized I never talked about making one’s own sutra book.

There are a couple reasons why one might make their own.

First, Buddhist resources outside of Buddhist countries are hard to find. For someone like me who lives on a large city with a large Asian community this is not so hard. But if you lived in, say, rural Iowa, it might be a lot harder. So, sometimes you have to just DIY.

Second, it’s a nice way to personalize your Buddhist practice in a way that suits you.

I started making my own maybe about 9-10 years ago. I picked up a nice little Paperblanks notebook at the airport at the time, and I decided to collect Buddhist sutras and quotes that I liked. I started out small, just copying things now and then from sites like accesstoinsight.org, or copied from books.

This is a small quote from the Dhammapada :

And the Metta Sutta from the Pali Canon:

I also recorded Mahayana Buddhist sutras as well, such as this quote from chapter 5 of the Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra:

I copied each of these by hand. I even tried to copy much longer texts, such as the 4th chapter of the Golden Light Sutra, which is a very beautiful prose about repentance and goodwill, but the text was much longer than I thought, and I eventually gave up halfway.

But eventually, around 2017-2018, when I left my old Jodo Shinshu-Buddhist community and started exploring other sects, I focused more on home practice and I started to add Japanese-style liturgies as well:

I also wrote specific sutra chants too, such as the Shiseige:

And chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra:

As you can see from the featured photo above,¹ I keep this sutra book on my home altar (bottom left in photo), and use it almost daily. A personal sutra book works best when it’s meaningful, simple and useful for you, so the important thing is to not do what other people do, but make it useful for yourself. Find sutras or Buddhist quotes you like, collect them into a notebook, and copy them by hand (word of advice, use a gel pen, not a ballpoint pen, it’s easier to read), and make it your own. There’s no wrong way to do it.

Further, the sutra book I made has gradually progressed over time, just as my own path and practice have and I still have more room to write things in the future.

¹ You can also see my Buddhist rosary, a Tendai-style rosary I ordered online, along with a boxed copy of the Heart Sutra, which I got in 2023 while visiting Nara‘s Kofukuji Temple, one of my personal favorite.

Chanting The Kannon Sutra

Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra is a popular devotional text in East Asian Buddhism. It is often referred to as the “Avalokiteśvara Sutra”, or kannongyō (観音経) in Japanese, or more formally the kanzeon bosatsu fumonbongé (観世音普門品偈, “Chapter on the Universal Gate of Kanzeon Bodhisattva”).

Despite the name, it is not a stand-alone text, but simply a famous chapter in the larger Lotus Sutra. This particular chapter is the main introduction to one of the most popular Bodhisattvas in Buddhism: Avalokitesvara (Kannon in Japanese, Guanyin in Chinese, etc.). The chapter describes the attributes of Kannon that are familiar to Buddhists, such as their vows to help all beings who call on them, their ability to take on various forms to teach people, and their unwavering compassion to lead all beings to Enlightenment.

A more Chinese-style image of Kannon (a.k.a. Guan-yin) in her more motherly form, photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

The chapter as a whole is long and would be difficult to chant, so the verse section, not the narrative section, is frequently used for liturgical purposes. The Lotus Sutra often describes things in narrative form, then summarizes again in verse form. However, even the verse section alone is longer than the Heart Sutra, or the Shiseige, so just chanting the verse section is a bit challenging. In my experience it takes about 5-7 minutes.

For this reason, medieval Buddhists in Japan also devised an even shorter version called the Ten-Verse Kannon Sutra.

The sutra is frequently recited in both Zen and Tendai liturgies, among others, but it is not well known to Westerner lay-Buddhists. I had difficulty finding an online copy I could use as a reference here, even in Japanese, due to its length.

However, ages ago, I picked up a sutra book at the famous Sensōji temple in Tokyo, and once I figured out what the Kannon Sutra was, I copied it character by character to an old version of the blog, but then lost it later when I changed blogs. Recently, I was able to recover the text (not easily) from the original HTML I wrote, and posted it back on here with minor edits.

I have also provided a PDF version here if you want to print it out and use at home.

Also, special thanks to this website for providing much needed reference information on pronunciation and Chinese characters. My original, recovered text had a few errors, embarrassingly.

Examples

I found a few examples on Youtube that you can follow along if you are learning to chant the Kannon Sutra as shown below.

From Eiheiji temple (one of two home temples of Soto Zen). Note that they chant this at a pretty fast pace.

This example from Zenshoji Temple, a Shingon-sect temple, in Niigata Prefecture, has line by line annotation. The chanting pace is slower and easier to follow.

These examples are very similar, other than slight differences in pacing and pronunciation of certain Chinese characters. For people who are learning to recite the sutra, just pick what works until you get the hang of it.

Translation

For now, I highly recommend checking out a modern translation here by the excellent Dr Burton Watson. In that translation, the verse section starts after the phrase “At that time Bodhisattva Inexhaustible Intent posed this question in verse form“. The Buddhist Text Translation Society also has an excellent translation of the verse section here.

Disclaimer and Legal Info

Dedication

I dedicate this effort to all sentient beings everywhere. May all beings be well, and may they all attain perfect peace.

Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu

The Kannon Sutra, verse section

(2025 edition, with minor typo fixes)

Preamble

Original Chinese	Japanese Romanization
妙法蓮華經観世音菩薩　普門品偈	Myo ho ren ge kyo kan ze on bo satsu fu mon bon ge

Verse Section

Original Chinese	Japanese Romanization
世尊妙相具我今重問彼　佛子何因縁名為観世音	Se son myo so gu ga kon ju mon pi bus-shi ga in nen myo i kan ze on
具足妙相尊偈答無盡意　汝聴観音行善応諸方所	gu soku myo so son ge to mu jin ni nyo cho kan on gyo zen no sho ho jo
弘誓深如海歴劫不思議　侍多千億佛発大清浄願	gu zei jin nyo kai ryak-ko fu shi gi ji ta sen noku butsu hotsu dai sho jo gan
我為汝略説聞名及見身　心念不空過能滅諸有苦	ga i nyo ryaku setsu mon myo gyu ken shin shin nen fu ku ka no metsu sho u ku
假使興害意推落大火坑　念彼観音力火坑変成池	ke shi ko gai i sui raku dai ka kyo nen pi kan on riki ka kyo hen jo ji
或漂流巨海龍魚諸鬼難　念彼観音力波浪不能没	waku hyo ru go kai ryu go sho ki nan nen pi kan on riki ha ro fu no motsu
或在須弥峰為人所推堕　念彼観音力如日虚空住	waku zai shu mi bu i nin sho sui da nen pi kan on riki nyo nichi ko ku ju
或被悪人逐堕落金剛山　念彼観音力不能損一毛	waku bi aku nin jiku da raku kon go sen nen pi kan on riki fu no son ichi mo
或値怨賊繞各執刀加害　念彼観音力咸即起慈心	waku ji on zoku nyo kaku shu to ka gai nen pi kan on riki gen soku ki ji shin
或遭王難苦臨刑欲寿終　念彼観音力刀尋段段壊	waku so o nan ku rin gyo yoku ju shu nen pi kan on riki to jin dan dan ne
或囚禁枷鎖手足被杻械　念彼観音力釈然得解脱	waku ju kin ka sa shu soku bi chu gai nen pi kan on riki shaku nen toku ge datsu
呪詛諸毒薬所欲害身者　念彼観音力還著於本人	shu so sho doku yaku sho yoku gai shin ja nen pi kan on riki gen jaku o hon nin
或遇悪羅刹毒龍諸鬼等　念彼観音力時悉不敢害	waku gu aku ra setsu doku ryu sho ki to nen pi kan on riki ji shitsu bu kan gai
若悪獣圍繞利牙爪可怖　念彼観音力疾走無邊方	nyaku aku shu i nyo ri ge so ka fu nen pi kan on riki jis-so mu hen bo
蚖蛇及蝮蠍気毒煙火燃　念彼観音力尋聲自回去	gan ja gyu fuku katsu ke doku en ka nen nen pi kan on riki jin sho ji e ko
雲雷鼓掣電降雹澍大雨　念彼観音力応時得消散	un rai ku sei den go baku ju dai u nen pi kan on riki o ji toku sho san
衆生被困厄無量苦逼身　観音妙智力能救世間苦	shu jo bi kon yaku mu ryo ku hitsu shin kan on myo chi riki no ku se ken ku
具足神通力廣修智方便　十方諸国土無刹不現身	gu soku jin zu riki ko shu chi ho ben jip-po sho koku do mu setsu fu gen shin
種種諸悪趣地獄鬼畜生　生老病死苦以漸悉令滅	shu ju sho aku shu ji goku ki chiku sho sho ro byo shi ku i zen shitsu ryo metsu
真観清浄観廣大智慧観　悲観及慈観常願常瞻仰	shin kan sho jo kan ko dai chi e kan hi kan gyu ji kan jo gan jo sen go
無垢清浄光慧日破諸闇　能伏災風火普明照世間	mu ku sho jo ko e nichi ha sho an no buku sai fu ka fu myo sho se ken
悲體戒雷震慈意妙大雲　澍甘露法雨滅除煩悩燄	hi tai kai rai shin ji i myo dai un ju kan ro ho u metsu jo bon no en
諍訟経官処怖畏軍陣中　念彼観音力衆怨悉退散	jo ju kyo kan jo fu i gun jin chu nen pi kan on riki shu on shitsu tai san
妙音観世音梵音海潮音　勝彼世間音是故須常念	myo on kan ze on bon on kai jo on sho hi se ken on ze ko shu jo nen
念念勿生疑観世音浄聖　於苦悩死厄能為作依怙	nen nen motsu sho gi kan ze on jo sho o ku no shi yaku no i sa e go
具一切功徳慈眼視衆生　福聚海無量是故応頂礼	gu is-sai ku doku ji gen ji shu jo fuku ju kai mu ryo ze ko o cho rai

Conclusion

Original Chinese	Romanization
爾時持地菩薩即從座起前白佛言世尊若有衆生	ni ji ji ji bo sa soku ju za ki zen byaku butsu gon se son nyaku u shu jo
聞是観世音菩薩品自在之業普門示現神通力者	mon ze kan ze on bo sa bon ji zai shi go fu mon ji gen jin zu riki sha
當知是人功徳不少佛説是普門品時衆中八萬四	to chi ze nin ku doku fu sho bus-setsu ze fu mon bon ji shu ju hachi man shi
千衆生皆發無等等阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心	sen shu jo kai hotsu mu to do a noku ta ra san myaku san bo dai shin

In the coming weeks, I hope to post a couple more such chants from the Lotus Sutra, as they are popular both in Tendai and Nichiren communities in particular, and I am learning to chant these too.

P.S. Featured photo was taken by me at Zojoji temple in Tokyo, Japan, with an image of Kannon Bodhisattva wearing a crown that features an image of Amitabha Buddha.

Commitment

The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important Buddhist texts in the entire Mahayana-Buddhist canon. Because of its length, its chapters, and its variety of figures, parables and such, there’s something for everyone, hence its influence on the subsequent tradition.

Lately, I have been thinking about the story of the Bodhisattva Medicine King,¹ in the 23rd-chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The story is too long to quote verbatim here, but I will try to post the relevant parts. I am using the Senchu Murano translation, but the Burton Watson translation (available online) is excellent, too.²

In this chapter, the narrator, Shakyamuni Buddha, describes a land that existed countless eons ago, populated by a great Buddha:

Innumerable kalpas [“eons”, very long periods of time] ago, that is, as many kalpas as there are sands in the River Ganges, there lived a Buddha called Sun-Moon-Pure-Right-Virtue….He was accompanied by eight thousand million great Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas…The duration of his life was forty-two thousand kalpas…There was no calamity in his world. The ground of his world was as even as the palm of his hand….
Page 305, Chapter 23 of “The Lotus Sutra” by Senchu Morano

Then as this Buddha preaches the Lotus Sutra to his disciples (with emphasis added), one of them was particularly inspired. After having practiced many austeries, and offered countless kinds of incense and flowers to his teacher (Sun-Moon-Pure-Right-Virtue Buddha), he decided it was not enough :

Having made these offerings [of incense, flowers, etc. to the Buddha] he emerged from samādhi, and thought, ‘I have now made offerings to the Buddha by my supernatural powers. But these offerings are less valuable than the offering of my own body.’

Then he ate various kinds of incense….then he applied perfumed oil to his skin, put on a heavenly garment of treasures in the presence of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha, sprinkled various kinds of perfumed oil on the garment, and set fire to his body, making a vow by his supernatural powers. The light of the flame illumined the worlds numbering eight thousands of millions of times the number of the sands of the River Ganges….

The body of the Bodhisattva kept burning for twelve hundred years, and then was consumed. Having made this offering according to the Dharma, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva passed away. In his next life, he appeared again in this world of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha.
Page 307-308, Chapter 23 of “The Lotus Sutra” by Senchu Morano

Later in the chapter, the narrator Shakyamuni Buddha, then explains that this pattern of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva offering himself to his teacher was repeated countless times across many eons. The big reveal in this chapter was that this Bodhisattva, according to the Lotus Sutra, was now the Medicine King Bodhisattva attending Shakyamuni’s audience.

If, by this point, you’re wondering “what on earth is going on?” don’t worry. The Lotus Sutra isn’t a straightforward text. If you try to read at face-value, you will probably get really confused. Unlike the sutras of the Pali Canon, which are formulaic and dry, the Lotus Sutra is a narrative composition that relied on literary flourish and hyperbole.

Like other bodhisattvas features in the second half of the Lotus Sutra (including Avalokiteshvara in chapter 25), each one is held up as the epitome of some aspect of Buddhism. The Medicine King Bodhisattva, I think, is meant to epitomize commitment to the Dharma. The Sutra is not asking people to burn themselves to practice Buddhism. What matters isn’t the specific action, but that he kept coming back over and over, unconcerned about the trivialities of life.

If this seems odd, consider this passage from the Heart Sutra:

Because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on Prajñāpāramitā [the perfection of wisdom], and their minds have no obstructions. Since there are no obstructions, they have no fears.
Translation by Lapis Lazuli Texts

Or the opening passage of the Immeasurable Life Sutra (e.g. the “Larger Sutra”) in the Pure Land tradition. I have again trimmed for brevity:

Having well learned the extensive wisdom of fearless and having realized the illusory nature of dharmas, he [a typical bodhisattva] destroys Mara’s nets and unties all the bonds of passion….

He is above all worldly affairs and his mind, always serene, dwells on the path of emancipation; this gives him complete control over all dharmas….

Having awakened great compassion for sentient beings, he kindly expounds the teaching, and endows them with the Dharma-eye. He blocks the paths to the three evil realms, opens the gate of virtue and, without waiting for their request, provides beings with the Dharma. He does this for the multitude of beings just as a dutiful son loves and respects his parents. He indeed looks upon sentient beings as his own self.
Translation by Rev. Hisao Inagaki

In each, there is a strong sense of fearlessness and long-term commitment.

But on the other hand, this is not something the bodhisattva thinks about. Consider this passage from the Diamond Sutra:

The Buddha said to Subhuti, “The Bodhisattva Mahasattvas master their mind by meditating as follows: ‘However many species of living beings there are—whether born from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or spontaneously; whether they have form or do not have form; whether they have perceptions or do not have perceptions; or whether it cannot be said of them that they have perceptions or that they do not have perceptions, we must lead all these beings to nirvana so that they can be liberated. Yet when this innumerable, immeasurable, infinite number of beings has become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a single being has been liberated.’

“Why is this so? If, Subhuti, a bodhisattva still has the notion of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span exists, that person is not a true bodhisattva.
Translation by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh

So it’s not just a sense of great commitment, but also a way of living that’s not self-centered or conceited. The bodhisattvas do not keep score.

It’s like someone who is really committed to a certain hobby or sport, and they’re not even really thinking about it anymore. They just do it, and keep going, refining their craft more and more. Similarly, a good parent doesn’t count how many times they tell their kids “good job”, or how many diapers they changed. They are committed to raising their kids, and even when things are really rough, they keep at it. Mistakes are made, but they don’t quit right there. They keep going.

The Mahayana-Buddhist ideal is along these lines: someone who selflessly teaches the Dharma, helps others over and over, and polishes their minds, no matter how long it takes, and yet their total commitment means that they aren’t really consciously thinking about it. It’s just part of their being.

Anyhow, the imagery in Chapter 23 is powerful, and while this chapter isn’t usually cited by other teachers, I think it still has something to teach us.

P.S. Photo taken by me at Sanjusangendō Temple in July 2023.

¹ Not to be confused with the Medicine Buddha. As far as I know, they are unrelated figures.

² The Lotus Sutra has many, many translations in English, and honestly they’re all good. The really archaic translations from the 19th century are kind of hard to read (e.g. Soothill), but any modern translation is fine. The only time the differences matter is mostly for academic reasons, and then it just becomes hair-splitting for your average Buddhist:

Of Burning Houses and Rain

Here is another wonderful poem (previous posts here and here) by the 11th century Japanese poetess, Lady Izumi (izumi shikibu 和泉式部 in Japanese), that I found in The Ink Dark Moon by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani:

Original Japanese	Romanization	Translation^*
ものをのみ	Mono o nomi	Should I leave this burning house
思ひの家を	Omoi no ie o	of ceaseless thoughts
出でてふる	Idete furu	and taste the pure rain’s
一味の雨に	Ichimi no ame ni	single truth
ぬれやしなまし	Nure ya shina mashi	failing upon my skin?

^* Translation by by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani

The headline for this poem reads:

On the night of the sixth, the sound of the night monk’s voice reciting the Sutras mingled with the sound of incessant rain, and truly this seemed to be a world of dreams…

Lady Izumi cleverly makes not one, not two, but THREE separate allusions to the famous Lotus Sutra, in this poem. I’ve talked about the Lotus Sutra before. It’s a very influential Buddhist text in the Mahayana tradition, and contains many parables and dramatic allusions, compared to some of the drier, more textbook style Buddhist sutras. Thus, allusions to the Lotus Sutra are found throughout literature in East Asia. In my opinion, understanding the Lotus Sutra is key to understanding Buddhism in East Asia: Zen, Pure Land, Tiantai, Nichiren and Vajrayana, etc.

The “burning house” here alludes to the Parable of the Burning House of third chapter of the Lotus Sutra. I’ve talked about it here, among other places. This is pretty straightforward to understand in the poem: the Burning House here is symbolic of the world we live in, burning with passions, craving, anger, delusion, old age, disease, and so on. We can step out of the burning house if we choose to, but we are often distracted by things in the house, and thus unaware that the timbers all around us are on fire, putting us in mortal danger.

The second allusion is that of rain. In the fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, there is a parable describing rain on plants, the so-called The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs:

What falls from the cloud is water of a single flavor, but the plants and trees, thickets and groves, each accept the moisture that is appropriate to its portion. All the various trees, whether superior, middling or inferior, take that is fitting for large or small and each is enabled to sprout and grow. Root, stem, limb, leaf, the glow and hue of flower and fruit— one rain extends to them and all are able to become fresh and glossy, whether their allotment of substance, form and nature is large or small, the moistening they receive is one, but each grows and flourishes in its own way.

The Buddha is like this when he appears in the world, comparable to a great cloud that covers all things everywhere, Having appeared in the world, for the sake of living beings he makes distinctions in expounding the truth regarding phenomena.
Translation by Burton Watson

This is, for me, one of my most favorite parts of the Lotus Sutra. As a sutra, it’s very inclusive (cf. the Parable of the Dragon Princess), but it also acknowledges that there is a huge variety of people in the world. Some people are just different than others, but they can all benefit from the Dharma in their own way, just like the various plants in world drinking from the rain.

Finally, the third allusion in Lady Izumi’s poem is that of a single “taste”. Both the Parable of the Burning House and the Parable of the Medicinal Herbs make a single point: the Dharma of the Buddha appears in a variety of ways, or “gates” for one to enter, but in the end the Dharma tastes the same equally, and is but one truth. So, whichever gate one enters, the rain will ultimately taste the same. For the Burning House, when the children come outside, their father offers, in the end, a single magnificent cart (not many) to offer them as an incentive.

Turning back to Lady Izumi, it’s obvious that she was very thoughtful of these things, even if she struggled to practice them amidst her life. Even when she was surrounded by scandal, and lost both her lovers and her daughter to illness, she could see past it and look at the greater picture.

Namu Amida Butsu

Buddhism Here and Now, Or the Future?

Recently while taking my personal retreat, I spent some time catching up on Buddhist reading, and finished a book titled Introduction to the Lotus Sutra by Yoshiro Tamura, and translated to English. I had high hopes for the book, but came away pretty disappointed as it was a pretty thinly veiled promotion of a Nichiren-Buddhist interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, and of Nichiren Buddhism in general.¹

One passage makes some interesting comments worth noting though (Wikipedia links added):

Shinran (1173-1262), Dogen (1200-1253), and Nichiren (1222-1282) also came into reality of out Mt. Hiei’s hall of truth [same as Honen a generation earlier]. Yet their attitudes toward the actual world were quite different from Honen’s. While Honen was mostly devoted to giving up on life and longed for the pure land of the next life, Shinran, Dogen, and Nichiren struggled positively within the actual world. Their activities and writings came right after the Jokyu turbulence of 1221 and were related to it.
Page 123, translation by Michio Shinozaki, edited by Gene Reeves

Mr Tamura is comparing several different Buddhist monks who all left the Tendai sect around the same time, and each founded their own sects. The first, was Honen, who founded the Jodo Shu sect and greatly popularized Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. This is a fascinating historical phenomenon that started in the last 12th century with Honen, and persisted with a couple more generations of Buddhist monks all trained from the same Tendai sect, and apart from Nichiren, its great temple complex on Mt Hiei.

As Nichiren was the last of these great reformers, he had the benefit of hindsight, and tended to be rather harsh toward Honen’s Pure Land movement as degenerate, and further obscuring the true Buddhist teachings (as enshrined in the Lotus Sutra and the Tendai sect). Thus, ever since, Nichiren authors and followers have had particular animus toward Honen. The book doesn’t pull punches either.

But it’s an interesting comment to make, and not without merit. The Jodo Shu Buddhist sect has always been focused on a singular goal within the larger Buddhist religion: to enable followers to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha (Amida) Buddha and thus provide as a refuge, but also to enable them to accelerate on the traditional Buddhist path faster. A lot of this hinges on a medieval-Buddhist interpretation of the “end days” or Dharma Decline, which looks a bit silly knowing what we know now.

In any case, Jodo Shu sect Buddhism, at least on paper, definitely focuses on the life to come. From what I hear on the ground, the reality is a lot more nuanced, and many communities still practice some manner “traditional Buddhism”, but the primary focus still remains rebirth in the Pure Land to come.

So, what Mr Tamura says makes sense.

Mr Tamura is also correct in that Dogen, who founded the Soto Zen sect, and Nichiren approached the same medieval concern with Dharma Decline, but in different ways: Dogen focused on the classic Buddhist approach to mindfulness, meditation, focus on the now, etc. Nichiren took the logical conclusion of the Lotus Sutra’s egalitarian teachings in the form of social reform, nominally as a reform of the Tendai sect, especially in the face of the crooked administration by the new Hojo clan’s military government.²

But I have to disagree with Mr Tamura’s hidden conclusion that by focusing on this-worldly practice that certain sects of Buddhism are superior to others. I feel that this hopelessly generalizes things.

One of the things that always attracted me to Honen’s teachings was his overt rejection of petty, secular life while keeping his focus on the future, namely the Buddha’s Pure Land. It may seem counterintuitive, but by focusing on the “world to come” and thus rejecting the world as it is, i think this fosters a renunciant’s mindset, even as one continues to live in this world. The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, definitely advocated this approach.

This may seems like not a big deal, especially given other Buddhist sects also have some form of monastic practice, or similar rejection of secular life, but consider that the other aforementioned reformers were all Buddhist monks of hte same Tendai sect, and Tendai at the time had a controversial teaching called hongaku (本覚) or original enlightenment. The idea is that one is already enlightened but unaware of this due to ignorance or skewed viewpoints. This leads to all sorts of thorny issues with Buddhism and Buddhist practice, and gave some scallywags in the Buddhist monastic community an excuse to “loosen the reins a bit” in terms of discipline.

Honen seeing the state of affairs of the community at his time, overtly rejected this concept. Other reformers embraced the concept to some degree or another, sometimes leading to some behavior that in the wider Buddhist world would raise eyebrows.

On the other hand, the historical Buddha definitely advocated practice and mindfulness here and now too. In fact, it’s pretty much central to Buddhist practice, at least for monastic followers. So, Mr Tamura, Dogen, Nichiren and others aren’t wrong.

As a modern 21st-century Buddhist speaking 800 years later (and from another culture), with plenty of personal biases of my own, I think you need a bit of both. On the one hand, whether you are a Buddhist layperson or a monastic, it’s healthy to maintain a renunciant’s mindset. The world is a series of endless transitions, both on a macro level and a personal level, so there’s no lasting refuge or rest. Further, it doesn’t make sense to just throw up your hands and bank on the future through prayer and good merit, because there’s plenty of things you can do in the here and now to make life better for others, and also for yourself. Even if you engage in a little bit of Buddhist practice,³ that’s still a step in the right direction. Even if you meditate even only occasionally, that’s still better than nothing.

So, in a sense, all of the Buddhist reformers in 12th-13th century Japan had something positive to contribute, and each was approaching the same issues with novel approaches. It’s somewhat stupid to try to and hold up one sect as superior to others based on an artificial criteria.

So, anyhow, the book was disappointing, but it does help remind me of what matters.

P.S. Photo taken at the Butchart Gardens in Victoria BC last week.

¹ The book started out reasonably well, but the last third of the book was unabashedly promotion of Nichiren Buddhism. Bear in mind that the Lotus Sutra has been revered and influential in many Buddhist communities outside of 13th century Japanese-Buddhist thought, so this tendency to focus on a single sect’s teachings to the exclusion of others. The book’s not-so-subtle tendencies to belittle continental Buddhist culture while promoting Japanese thought didn’t help either. People sure do love to inject culture into their religion.

² Shinran, who was a follower of Honen, took a more nuanced approach that tends to incorporate some elements of Honen’s view, while focusing on a radically lay-oriented religious community (similar to Nichiren). There’s already plenty of books about Jodo Shinshu (Shinran’s sect), and Shinran, so no need to belabor it here.

³ Consistency has never been my forté. 🤦

The Four Bodhisattva Vows

Recently, I posted an example of Buddhist liturgy as found in the Japanese Tendai tradition, but I wanted to call out one aspect of that liturgy called the Four Bodhisattva Vows or shiguseigan (四弘誓願) among other names. According to my book on Genshin, the Four Bodhisattva Vows were formulated by the original founder of Tiantai (Tendai) Buddhism in China: Zhiyi. Zhiyi formulated these vows based on an earlier gatha verse from the fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

Those who have not yet crossed over I will cause to cross over,

those not yet freed I will free,

those not yet at rest I will put to rest,

those not yet in nirvana I will cause to attain nirvana.
Translation by Burton Watson

The vows have since promulgated to other Buddhist cultures and sects. The liturgy text will vary slightly from Buddhist tradition to tradition, but like the dedication of merit, is remarkably consistent overall.

In the aforementioned Tendai tradition, one version of the vows is as follows:

Sino-Japanese¹	Pronunciation	Translation by me (other, better translations exist 😉)
衆生無辺誓願度	Shu jo mu hen sei gan do	Sentient beings are innumerable, and yet I vow to save them all.
煩悩無尽誓願断	Bon no mu hen sei gan dan	My mental defilements (lit. bonnō) are innumerable, I vow to extinguish them all.
法門無量誓願学²	Ho mon mu ryo sei gan gaku	The gates of the dharma are without measure, I vow to master them all.
仏道無上誓願成	Mu jo bo dai sei gan sho	The path to Buddhahood is peerless, I vow to fulfill it.

¹ Chinese liturgy with Japanese phonetic pronunciation
2 I’ve also seen the last character as 知 (chi), but more or less means the same thing

These vows cover something that we saw in previous articles about the Mahayana-Buddhist notion of the Bodhisattva: that we’re all in this together, and so the Buddhist path is not truly fulfilled until one completes their vows to aid all beings no matter how long it takes. The Mahayana path of the Bodhisattva is lofty, heroic even, but as the last verse says, nothing less is enough.

On the other hand, the path of the bodhisattva begins with a single good act, or a good thought towards others. It’s about piling up grains of sand or pebbles time and time again. With enough time and dedication, one can move mountains. Don’t be afraid to think big, even if you come up short in this life. Even if you acted like a dickhead today, that doesn’t mean tomorrow you will be one. Every day is a rehearsal. The very notion of “buddha nature” means that each one of you has the capability for great things, even if you don’t think you can. That’s why in the 20th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattva Never Disparaging bows to each person, even when they’re a total jerk: given the right conditions, any sentient being can become a bodhisattva or a fully-awakened buddha. Given enough time all of them will.

My best wishes to you all, dear readers. May all you be well, free from harm, and find what you are looking for.

P.S. Featured image from the story of Chujo-hime in the Taima Mandala Engi (当麻曼荼羅縁起)

Tendai Buddhist Home Liturgy Example

Greetings readers! I have had a bit of extra time this week due to much-needed time off from work, and have been going through old projects, half-finished blog posts and such. One project I found today, which I decided to finish, was post a romaji (Romanized Japanese) version of the Tendai Buddhist home liturgy for anyone who needs it.

The Tendai sect in Japan has a nice homepage (Google Translated page), but almost nothing in English for doing the home service. Tendai information in English is pretty scattered (though there are some great websites),¹ so I decided to go back to the source, and just translate it directly using romaji (romanized Japanese) for easy pronunciation.

Some quick notes:

I chose the shortest, simplest elements of the service, based on Tendai’s recommendation in the link above, and also through the book うちのお寺は天台宗 (双葉文庫) which I picked up some years ago. There’s a more extended version of the home service, but both the book and website explain that the essentials are the following elements that I am posting below.
Where possible, I chose to use the Sino-Japanese pronunciation. The website above lists both, and either option is fine (obviously English is fine too). The Sino-Japanese version, in my opinion, is the easiest to pronounce and chant, and ties back to the larger Buddhist tradition, so that’s my personal preference. The YouTube videos on the Tendai site sometimes provide an alternate native, liturgical Japanese version, and it’s perfectly fine to use this too.
Finally, traditions and liturgical styles vary, so don’t be surprised if another Tendai community does it differently. If in doubt, just do it like your local community does.

The webpage also lists some tips (roughly translated below):

First, before you begin, double-check the offerings at your home altar make sure everything is in order: flowers, water, a candle,² and any other offerings you wanted to make.
Before the service, take a moment to freshen up, rinse your mouth and hands with water, etc. That way, you can sit before the altar in a more purified state.
Drape any rosary you have over your left hand, and if you are holding a sutra book, lift it up gently and bow ever so slightly.³
When you do gassho, put your hands together in front of your chest at a natural angle (45 degrees is common based on personal experience).
When chanting, use a mild, even chanting voice, enunciating each word equally. (If you feel like you don’t chant as well as the video links, don’t feel bad: these are professional monks chanting.)
If you have a bell, there are certain times to ring it: twice at the beginning, once after reading each part, and three times at the end. (I’ve added prompts to the liturgy below.)
When done, close the Buddhist altar (if possible), and place the sutra book back on its stand.
Lastly, the book in particular mentions that any Buddhist sutra is OK to recite. The most common one is obviously the Heart Sutra, but any other Buddhist sutra, or an excerpt of a sutra, is fine too. Find what you like, and feel free to recite that.

Minimal Tendai Buddhist Home Liturgy

The service provided below is given as an example home service, but my book on Tendai Buddhism also states that among these different bits of liturgy, you can add or reduce as many as you see fit. Even if you only recite one bit of liturgy per day, that’s enough. The important thing is to make it sustainable. You can always adjust later if it’s too simple or too difficult.

Sanrai: Gratitude Toward the Three Treasures

(ring twice)

Ish-shin cho rai jip-po ho kai jo ju san bo

(repeat 3 times, ring once)
“I reverently praise the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, which permeate the cosmos”

Youtube: https://youtu.be/JDZXXPFaQzg

Sangémon: Renunciation of One’s Past Transgressions

Ga shaku sho zo sho aku go-
Kai yu mu shi ton jin chi
Ju shin go i shi sho sho
Issai ga kon kai san ge

(ring once)
(See this post for more details)

Youtube (alternate version): https://youtu.be/WfNzd44EIZI

Shiguseigan: The Four Bodhisattva Vows

Shu jo mu hen sei gan do
Bon no mu hen sei gan dan
Ho mon mu ryo sei gan chi
Mu jo bo dai sei gan sho

(ring once)
(See this post for more details)

Youtube (alternate version): https://youtu.be/HbMQQs7GiW0

Sutra Chanting

Note: both my book and the website state that any sutra in the Buddhist canon (or excerpt of a sutra) is OK to recite. Popular choices include:

The Heart Sutra
The verse section of the Lotus Sutra, 2nd chapter (hobenpon in Japanese)
The verse section of the Lotus Sutra, 16th chapter (jigagé in Japanese)
The Kannon Sutra, which is the verse section of the Lotus Sutra, 25th chapter.
- There is an even shorter version called the “Ten Verse Kannon Sutra”.
The verse section of the Immeasurable Life Sutra
The Amitabha Sutra

For Japanese Buddhism, simply reciting the sutra without any other liturgy is a perfectly acceptable home practice, by the way.

Daishi Hogo: Homage to the Founder of Tendai, Saicho

Namu shuso konpon dengyo daishi fukuju kongo

(repeat 3 times, ring once)
“Homage to the founder, Master Saicho”

Youtube (alternate version): https://youtu.be/0OoTMvXQpL8

Ekomon: Dedication of Merit to All Sentient Beings

Gan ni shi ku do ku
Fu gyu o is-sai
Ga to yo shu jo
Kai gu jo butsu do

(ring three times)
(See this post for more details)

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Z_j1cTE6JCQ

End of Service

Thanks everyone and I hope you find it useful. I will likely post updates and corrections as time goes on.

Namu amida butsu
Namu kanzeon bosatsu

¹ There are, from what I can see from a cursory search, a number of Tendai communities in both the US and the UK. If you’d like to know more, I encourage you to contact such communities. I have no affiliation with any of these groups, however. I am just DIY.

² Japan also sells LED Buddhist altar candles. Halloween goods also offer LED candles. Great for avoiding fire hazards.

³ This custom is also found in other Japanese-Buddhist sects as a gesture of humility.

Liturgical Language

Translation

Disclaimer and Legal Info

Dedication

The Lotus Sutra sixteenth chapter, verse section

Preamble

Verse Section

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Liturgical Language

Translation

Disclaimer and Legal Info

Dedication

The Lotus Sutra second chapter, opening section

Preamble

Verse Section

Conclusion

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Examples

Translation

Disclaimer and Legal Info

Dedication

The Kannon Sutra, verse section

Preamble

Verse Section

Conclusion

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Minimal Tendai Buddhist Home Liturgy

Sanrai: Gratitude Toward the Three Treasures

Sangémon: Renunciation of One’s Past Transgressions

Shiguseigan: The Four Bodhisattva Vows

Sutra Chanting

Daishi Hogo: Homage to the Founder of Tendai, Saicho

Ekomon: Dedication of Merit to All Sentient Beings

End of Service

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