Home services in Japanese Buddhism, known as otsutomé (お勤め) or more formally gongyō (勤行), have many different approaches. It often depends on sect, particular communities, and personal preference. Trouble is, English sources are often confusing or insufficient. So, I try to look up information in Japanese, which is sometimes harder than you might think.
Anyhow, something I’ve learned recently about Tendai Buddhism, is that at least in some Tendai traditions, home practice might be divided between a morning service and a night service. This is in keeping with the two concepts in Tendai (more on that here):
Hokké Senpō (法華懺法) – reverence for the Lotus Sutra, the foundation for Tendai Buddhism, and for much of Mahayana Buddhism.
Reiji Sahō (例時作法) – reliance on Amida Buddha to help deliver oneself (and others) from this world of frustration and fear.
Thus, in lay-Buddhist home services for Tendai Buddhism, some communities tend to divide the morning versus evening services to reflect these two concepts.
This page from the Jimon-branch of Tendai Buddhism, based in the famous Mii-dera Temple (as opposed to the Sanmon-branch based in Enryakuji atop Mount Hiei) shows example services for both morning and evening. I can’t translate everything word for word from the site, but let me try to summarize the basic format.
Morning Service
For the morning service, one pays homage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas “of the ten directions”1 and takes the Lotus Sutra as their basis. The morning service cited in the Jimon-sect page is based on a treatise by founder Saicho called the Hokke Sanmai Gyōhō (法華三昧行法), and for some reason is much shorter than the evening service.
The morning service is comparatively short, but includes liturgy such as:
I left out some of the liturgy from this list because I could not find details, or they were very specific to the Jimon sect (e.g. praises of Saicho’s disciple Enchin, who is the source of the Jimon branch), but hopefully you get the idea. This emphasizes the here and now, and seems rooted in the hokke senpo side of Tendai Buddhism to me.
Evening Service
The evening service by comparison uses the Amitabha Sutra as its basis and includes somewhat different liturgy.
Dedication of Merit for Rebirth in the Pure Land (this differs slightly from the morning service version).
It’s interesting to note that the evening service still includes verses from the Lotus Sutra, but also mixes the Nembutsu and Mantra of Light as well and definitely emphasizes the reiji saho side of Tendai.
Conclusion
As these are services associated with just one sub-sect of Tendai, and since people often add, subtract or adapt services to meet their needs, it’s perfectly fine to adjust this to whatever works in your situation. You could potentially reduce this all the way down to reciting the Heart Sutra in the morning, and the nembutsu at night. Or something similar. As long as it is sustainable, and captures the spirit of Hokke Senpo and Reiji Saho.
The themes of morning services expressing hokke senpo, and evening services expressing reiji saho, are a great way to apply Tendai teachings in one’s own life, or just Mahayana Buddhism in general.
P.S. features the gardens of Mii-dera temple, photo by E5894, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1 The eight cardinal directions, plus up and down.
June 4th is the yearly memorial service in Japan’s Tendai sect of Buddhism called Sangé-é (山家会) for its founder, Saichō (最澄, 767 – 822). I am writing this post a bit late this year, but I wanted to explore the life of Saicho a little bit and why he matters.
Saicho as depicted in a Heian-Period painting.
If you look at the history of Japanese Buddhism, Saicho doesn’t elicit much historical attention and discussion, even compared to contemporary rivals at the time like Kūkai, founder of Shingon-sect Buddhism. Yet, the sect he founded in Japan was overwhelmingly the largest and most influential for centuries (probably too much so), until it finally faded into the background in the late medieval period. This is why you rarely see mention of Saicho or Tendai these days: it’s far smaller now than it was in the past.
Also, to confuse matters further, Saicho is only the founder of the Japanese branch of Tendai. It was the Buddhist monk Zhi-yi (智顗, 538 – 597), who originally started the Tian-tai (天台) sect in China in the 7th century and it remains a very influential sect across many areas of mainland-Buddhist Asia (Korea, Vietnam, etc). Tian-tai in Japan (pronounced as Tendai) reveres Zhiyi as well.
Anyhow, Saicho was a monk at a time when Buddhism had already been established in Japan, primarily around the old capitol of Nara, yet was limited to a very tightly regulated number of schools and monks per school. Besides the Yogacara (Hossō) and Huayan (Kegon) schools, the rest are very obscure today. These schools had all been imported from Tang-Dynasty China, and represent “branch” schools to the mother temples there. The existing schools at that time were obligated to perform rituals on behalf of the Emperor to prevent calamities, cure diseases, bring prosperity to the nation and other political needs. In turn, the government allocated new acolyte monks every year, and allowed them to continue. However, beyond that, Buddhism had very little reach in the rest of Japanese society. This is very different than the bottom-up approach in China.
Saicho was ordained as an official monk, but soon left and retreated to Mount Hiei where he underwent ascetic practices, rather than stay in the urban temple complexes. In time, he attracted other like-minded disciples, and a small, informal monastic community developed there on the mountain. Further, he carved an image of the Medicine Buddha, and later lit an oil lamp in reverence to the Buddha, praying that the light would never be extinguished. This lamp, the Fumetsu no Hōtō (不滅の法灯) was the subject of a previous post. By this point, the foundations of the temple of Enryakuji were laid.
Later, by a lucky coincidence, the capitol of Japan was moved away from Nara to Kyoto (back then Heian-kyō) in 795. Since Mount Hiei happened to be to the northeast of Kyoto, and since the northeast was considered an inauspicious direction in classic Chinese geomancy, the presence of a Buddhist temple there (namely Enryakuji) helped protect the new capital from negative influences. The Emperor, for his part, saw this new Buddhist sect has a counterbalance to the old guard sects in Nara. Thus, Saicho’s star quickly rose.
The Eastern Pagoda (Buddhist stupa), of Enryakuji Temple, 663highland, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Now with sponsorship from the new Imperial court, Saicho was dispatched to sail back to China in 804, gather more resources and help bring Buddhism to a wider audience. On the same diplomatic mission, another promising young monk named Kūkai was also dispatched. More on him later. Of the four ships that sailed out to sea, only 2 survived a storm at sea (Saicho and Kukai were each aboard one of the surviving ships).
Saicho’s had mixed success in China. He did not speak Chinese (he could only read it), but was able to get official permission from the Chinese government to travel to Mount Tiantai. There he stayed for 135 days. Saicho later received limited training in esoteric Buddhism, which was all the rage in Tang-Dynasty China (and Japan at this time). It wasn’t until the second generation of Tendai monks who went to China (Ennin for example) that esoteric training really developed in the Tendai sect in Japan. Saicho also copied many sutras and texts in order to provide fresh copies back in Japan (printing did not come until much later, despite flourishing in China).
Guoqing Temple (guó qīng sì, 国清寺) on Mount Tiantai, head of the Tiantai Order. Photo by Joshtinho, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Nonetheless, when Saicho returned to Japan 8 months later, he was feted for his accomplishments. He got to work using his newfound training, and his collection of sutras brought back from China to petition the Emperor to start a new sect derived from the Chinese Tiantai Buddhism he trained under. Saicho’s vision was slightly different than Tiantai Buddhism, particularly because he envisioned a purely “Mahayana” sect, not just a sect with Mahayana Buddhism on top of earlier Buddhist tradition. This meant different ordination platforms, different training, etc. It was a big controversy at the time, and the powerful Yogacara (Hossō in Japanese) school based in Nara really gave him grief over it.2
In Dr Paul Groner’s book on Saicho, he explains Saicho’s vision further:
In his works directed against Tokuitsu and the Hossō [Yogacara] School, Saichō argued that all people had the Buddha-nature [capacity for Enlightenment] and could attain Buddhahood. Receiving the Fan wang [Bodhisattva precepts] ordination and adhering to the precepts were religious practices open to anyone. Anyone could receive a Fan wang ordination and anyone who had been correctly ordained could in turn confer the Fan wang precepts on others….
Saichō envisaged a system in which Tendai monks would be trained for twelve years on Mount Hiei and then go to live in the princes in order to perform good works, to preach, and to confer Fan wang ordinations.
Page 179
Further, Saicho really took the idea of unifying different Buddhist practices and traditions into an “umbrella tradition” to a new level. It wasn’t enough that the Lotus Sutra was the highest teaching (per Tiantai tradition), he wanted to really absorb other practices and traditions toward that end, and diffuse them across the country in a religious community that blurred the traditional lines between monks and laity.
Saicho’s zeal, his rising status in the new Imperial court at Kyoto, and his fresh training gave him a lot of leeway, and the Emperor granted his request. Thus, Tendai Buddhism (the Japanese branch of Tiantai) was born. It has a deep connection with the mother sect in China, but Saicho also added some innovations to it as well.
Saicho’s star was soon eclipsed after the other monk from the same diplomatic mission, Kūkai, who returned some time later and brought an extensive training program in esoteric Buddhism (something Saicho had only a partial training of). Because esoteric Buddhism was all the rage (until the Purge of 845), Kukai’s training and religious material he imported outshone Saicho. Kukai and Saicho tried to maintain a cordial relationship, but Saicho wasn’t willing to train under Kukai, and Kukai kept poaching disciples of Saicho’s so the two groups became somewhat acrimonious over time.
Saicho proved throughout his life that he was dedicated to the Lotus Sutra and the Buddhist path. He was a sincere ascetic in his youth, rather than a “career monk” like many others of his time, and held himself to high standards. The fact that attracted like-minded people around him, shows that he “walked the talk” too. In China, he underwent many trainings, copied many sutras, and didn’t stop learning and improving. It should be noted that Kukai and Saicho were both pioneers for journeying to China to bring back more Buddhist teachings, rather than past schools that relied on foreign monks to make the journey to remote Japan.
If Saicho had any virtue, it was zeal.
If Saicho had any fault, it was that he was perhaps stubborn.
Personally, I like Saicho, flaws and all. Like, I would have loved to sit with him on those early days on Mount Hiei, swap practice tips, get his advice, etc. I really like his enthusiasm and positivity. Much like Honen centuries later, Saicho was bold and motivated by sincere conviction. The Tendai sect morphed into something that I don’t think he anticipated but personally I blame politics more than the founder.
But anyway, this is all just my opinion.
As for me, I did an extra long home service for Saicho this week in his honor.
1 Devout Buddhists in early Japanese history, such as Prince Shotoku, were devotees of the Lotus Sutra as well, but I don’t think there was any effort in those days to elevate it to the highest teachings, let alone make a new sect out of it. It was just there as part of the larger tradition.
2 Acrimony between Tendai and Hosso schools of Buddhism continued for centuries, starting with Saicho’s disagreements with one Tokuitsu of Hossō. Both sects frequently faced off during official Buddhist debates at the Imperial court as well.
For months, I’ve had on my to-do list to go and fix up the Wikipedia article about the nembutsu (or nian-fo in Chinese). I had started contributing to that article way back in 2006 shortly after I first got interested in Pure Land Buddhism, and occasionally update or add details. The article was flagged for some quality control issues recently, and I decided to help clean it up.
Some of my early contributions in Wikipedia way back in the day… can’t believe it’s been 18 years.
As I began to write some updates to the article, though, and trying to distill what the nembutsu is within the Pure Land tradition, I realized that this is a really tough question. There’s centuries of interpretations, layers of culture, and divergent viewpoints. I tried to summarize this in an older article, but after reading over that article, I realized that I didn’t quite hit the mark there either.
So, let’s try this again.
Pure Land Buddhism is a large, broad, organic tradition within Mahayana Buddhism (an even bigger tradition). It is not centrally-organized, but follows many trends and traditions across many places and time periods. However, these traditions all have a couple things in common:
Reverence toward the Buddha of Infinite Light (a.k.a. Amitabha Buddha, Amida, Emituofo, etc.). The nature of who or what Amitabha Buddha is is open to interpretation though.
Aspiration to be reborn (as in one’s next life) in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. There have been many ways to interpret what exactly this means, but I am sticking to the most simple, literal interpretation for now.
In any case, these two things are what make the “Cult of Amitabha” what it is. By “cult” I mean the more traditional, academic definition, not the modern, negative definition. Amitabha is to Mahayana Buddhism, what the Virgin Mary is to Catholicism.
Every Pure Land tradition across Buddhist history is mostly focused on #2: how to get to the Pure Land. The early Pure Land Sutras spend much time describing how great Amitabha Buddha is, and how getting to the Pure Land is so beneficial towards one’s practice, but differ somewhat on how get reborn there.
One early sutra, the Pratyutpanna Sutra is one of the first to mention Amitabha and the Pure Land at all, but it very strongly emphasizes a meditative approach, in order to achieve a kind of samadhi. According to Charles B Jones, being reborn in the Pure Land wasn’t even mentioned in this sutra, nor Amitabha’s origin story. It was a purely meditate text. Nonetheless, this sutra was highly favored by the early Chinese Pure Land Buddhists, namely the White Lotus Society started in the 5th century by Lushan Huiyuan.
The main textual source for being reborn in the Pure Land is from the Immeasurable Life Sutra, also called the Larger [Sukhavati Vyuha] Sutra. This is where we see the famous 48 vows of the Buddha, including the most important, the 18th vow (highlights added):
設我得佛。十方衆生至心信樂。欲生我國乃至十念。若不生者不取正覺。唯除五逆誹謗正法
(18) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and call my Name, even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment. Excluded, however, are those who commit the five gravest offences and abuse the right Dharma.
translation by Rev. Hisao Inagaki
This is where things get interesting, in my opinion.
The Chinese character 念 (niàn) was used to translate the Buddhist-Sanskrit term Buddhānusmṛti or “recollection of the Buddha”. But, according to Jones, the Chinese character 念 had multiple nuances in Chinese:
And in fact each one of these interpretations can be applied to the nembutsu (Chinese niànfó) because it means niàn (念) of the Buddha (fó, 佛).
But which is it: concentration, a moment of recollection, or verbal recitation?
Most of the early Chinese Buddhist teachers like Tanluan, Daochuo and Shandao all promoted a mix: usually visualization was the superior method, but verbal recitation was a fallback for people who couldn’t dedicate themselves to visualization-meditation and ritual. The earliest Buddhist teachers mostly emphasized the visualization-meditation approach, but by Shandao’s time (7th century) the verbal recitation was deemed the most effective method.
Later, in Japan, the monk Genshin (not to be confused with the game…) summarizes these various methods in his 10th century work, the Ojoyoshu. It was a high quality work and even praised by Chinese monks when it was sent over as part of Japan’s diplomatic missions. But Genshin came to the same basic conclusion: the nembutsu can be any one of the three.
Finally we get to Buddhist teachers like Honen (12th century), who taught that the verbal recitation was the only viable choice. Honen praised past methods, but his target audience was a mostly illiterate population, as well as monks whose monastic institutions had largely declined into corruption and empty ritual. So, for such people, better to rely on Amitabha Buddha’s compassion and recite the verbal nembutsu wholeheartedly.
Multi-lingual sign at the temple of Chion-in in Kyoto, Japan where Honen’s mausoleum rests.
This approach isn’t that different from the Chinese approach which varied by teacher or patriarch but through Shandao’s influence had a parallel development. Some teachers emphasized the efficacy of simply reciting the nembutsu (much like Honen), others added the importance of concentration while reciting the nembutsu.
However, turning back to the Larger Sutra, let’s go back to the 48 vows. The 19th and 20th vows state:
(19) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters, who awaken aspiration for Enlightenment, do various meritorious deeds and sincerely desire to be born in my land, should not, at their death, see me appear before them surrounded by a multitude of sages, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
(20) If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, concentrate their thoughts on my land, plant roots of virtue, and sincerely transfer their merits towards my land with a desire to be born there, should not eventually fulfill their aspiration, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
So, taken together, the 18-20th vows cover the various interpretations of 念 we discussed above. All of them are included in Amitabha’s vows to bring across anyone who desires to be reborn there. The common theme is sincerity (至心 zhì xīn). If you look at the original Chinese text, all three include “sincerity”.
Further, when asked about how many times one should recite the nembutsu, Honen replied:
“….believe that you can attain ojo [往生, rebirth in the Pure Land] by one repetition [of the nembutsu], and yet go on practicing it your whole life long.”
So, let’s get down to business: what is the nembutsu / niànfó ?
Based on the evidence above, I believe that the nembutsu is any of these Buddhist practices described above, taken under a sincere aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land. It’s about bending one’s efforts and aspirations toward the Pure Land.
If you are calculating how to be reborn, or if your heart’s not 100% into it, then it may be a waste of effort.
Instead, if you feel unsure, study the Buddhist doctrines, get to know the Pure Land sutras, read about past teachers and if you feel fired up about, recite the nembutsu, or do whatever moves you. You will just know when. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it too.
Amitabha’s light shines upon all beings, like moonlight, and if you feel inspired by it, just know that you’re already halfway to the Pure Land.
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 fewsources, 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!
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 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.”
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 fewsources, 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 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
The dharani below is the Dharani for the Prevention of Calamity, or shōsaishu (消災呪), called more formally the shōsaimyōkichijō darani (消災妙吉祥陀羅尼). It is used in both Rinzai and Soto Zen traditions as a general-protection “spell”.1 I assume the intention is to protect the Zen disciple so that they can reduce obstructions on their path, similar to prayers to the Medicine Buddha in other traditions.
Before we share the dharani, let’s talk about mantras vs. dharani in Buddhism. Both belong to the esoteric traditions of “Vajrayana Buddhism”, (e.g. Tibetan Buddhism, and Shingon/Tendai Buddhism in Japan). My experience is limited, but I believe that mantras usually have layers of deeper and deeper meaning that a disciple explores in the esoteric path, while dharani do not. Instead, dharani are more like tools, simple “spells”1 or chants to provide a specific benefit. Mantras might provide also a benefit, but that’s not their sole purpose in the esoteric tradition.
Also, non-esoteric traditions in Buddhism will sometimes cherry-pick ones that they feel are useful, some more than others.2 Sometimes mantras and dharani are used for very specific liturgical purposes, others are chanted as part of normal service.
In any case, the Dharani for the Prevention of Calamity is regularly chanted three times in Rinzai Zen liturgies. I am less clear how it’s used in Soto Zen.
An example of the recitation is below from the Soto Zen tradition:
The dharani has a couple versions, one used in the Soto Zen sect, and another used by Rinzai. I’ve included both versions below.
NO MO SAN MAN DA MO TO NAN O HA RA CHI KO TO SHA SO NO NAN TO JI TO EN GYA GYA GYA KI GYA KI UN NUN SHI FU RA SHI FU RA HARA SHI FU RA HARA SHI FU RA CHI SHU SA CHI SHU SA CHI SHU RI CHI SHU RI SO WA JA SO WA JA SEN CHI GYA SHI RI EI SO MO KO
NA MU SA MAN DA MO TO NAN O HA RA CHI KO TO SHA SO NO NAN TO JI TO EN GYA GYA GYA KI GYA KI UN NUN SHI FU RA SHI FU RA HA RA SHI FU RA HA RA SHI FU RA CHI SHU SA CHI SHU SA SHU SHI RI SHU SHI RI SO WA JA SO WA JA SE CHI GYA SHI RI EI SO MO KO
1 I am not sure what else to call it. Dharani use Sanskrit words that are chanted to provide a concrete benefit. If there was a meaning originally, it’s obscure now. I wish I could use a more suitable word for this, but there’s nothing in English I can use that doesn’t sound like a Harry Potter episode.
2 the Pure Land tradition usually doesn’t use mantras or dharani. One could argue the nembutsu is something similar, but that’s a story for another post.
While continuing my research into Buddhist home practice in Japanese Buddhism, I found this neat excerpt online from a Rinzai Zen booklet (I don’t have a copy, so I am just transcribing here).
The contents of home practice are zazen [zen meditation], veneration [of the buddha], and the reading of sutras, and yet only when these are seen as one can we truly call it “Home practice”. First, by freshening ourselves up, then warmly venerating the Buddha, and reading sutras solemnly, how can this be anything other than Zazen!
I think what the author is trying to say here is that when people think of Zen, they naturally think of meditation (e.g. zazen, 座禅), but it’s more than the physical act of sitting on a cushion, it’s also an attitude: a reverence toward the Buddha, the sutras (e.g. the Buddha’s teachings), and personal conduct both through sitting meditation, but also through life.
In an old post, I stated that expectations for lay followers to keep up a consistent meditation practice as monks and nuns do is a bit unrealistic for most people. Try doing this if you’re a working-class single mom, for example. On the other hand, Buddhism is a religion focused more on practice than faith, yet for lay-followers the practice has to be somehow reasonable and sustainable, while still retaining the essence of the Buddha’s teachings.
This is probably how the common practice of home services (otsutomé お勤め, or gongyō 勤行) evolved over time in Japan. Western Zen communities tend to emphasize zazen as in the physical act, which isn’t necessarily wrong (it is after all the central practice of Zen), but it’s a somewhat narrow interpretation.
Further, other Buddhist sects encourage their practices with a similar attitude too. One can follow this advice above in a Pure Land context, Vajrayana (Shingon) context, Nichiren context, or Tendai context with only minor adjustments. Whatever sect or practice one is inclined towards, and regardless of background, it is definitely possible maintain a healthy, sustainable Buddhist practice if one approaches it with reverence, and with sincerity.
Lately I’ve been talking a lotabouthomeBuddhistpractice, 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.
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:
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.
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 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.). It 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 this is work enough.
For this reason, medieval Buddhists in Japan also devised an even shorter version called the Ten-Verse Kannon Sutra.
While the liturgy is frequently used in Buddhist communities such as Zen and Tendai, among others, it is not that well known by Westerners. I had difficulty finding an online copy I could use as a reference here, even in Japanese, due to its length. 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.
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. 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
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 Kanzeon Bosatsu
The Kannon Sutra, verse section
Preamble
Original Chinese
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
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 bi 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 no ku 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 in yo 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 bi 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 bi 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 bi 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 bi 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 bi 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 bi kan on riki do 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 bi 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 bi 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 sha ki to nen bi 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 bi kan on riki jitsu 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 bi 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 bi 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 so 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 shu 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 bi 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 ko
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 sho
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 zen in 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.
As a kid, I was always fascinated by Astronomy, and I remember often watching the stars at night, when I would visit my dad’s house on the weekends. Back then, I didn’t really understand astronomy well, but I learned what I could about constellations, I visited the planetarium at the Pacific Science Center, and of course I became a big fan of classic Star Trek through my uncle. In college, I even majored in Astronomy for a time until I realized that Physics wasn’t my forté.
Space and the universe have always fascinated me, and for a long time, I’ve felt that in light of space, science, etc, Buddhism has been particularly suited for this worldview.
The Buddha-Dharma functions in a lot of ways like the laws of physics or other natural laws. It’s less something to believe in, and something more to understand or at least acknowledge. It can fit into any time or place.
The various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, primarily found in the Mahayana tradition, might seem superstitious, but embody important Buddhist truths and can be just as weird and cosmic as anything the universe has to offer. Further, belief is such beings is neither required nor expected. It is up to each person to adopt what they want. They are quite literally a form of expedient means.
Finally, when you look at the sheer vastness of space, it’s hard not feel small. But that is alright too. Buddhism thinks big, but also because everything is interconnected in some way, it assures that the choices we make, wholesome or unwholesome, do affect all other things. We can light one corner of the world (and universe) through our actions and our thoughts.
P.P.S. I’ve often wondered if the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas really do exist, would they be humanoids like us, or would they be strange aliens like in Star Trek? Would Amida Buddha’s original from be a green alien with four arms? 😋
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 
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