The lotus sutra and its opening and closing sutras. If you are able to uphold the lotus sutra, it means you are able to uphold the body of a buddha. Logan the commentary on the lotus sutra taisho volume 26, number 1519. The lotus sutra not only makes us keenly aware of these facts but also serves as an always dependable guide to the new way of living necessary for us now and in the future. Within the buddhist canon, the lotus sutra is one text that should be read. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev. This translation is well done, but there is another point in addition to this pure and genuine quality. Myoshinji temple is a nichiren shoshu temple located in the san francisco bay area in pinole, california. The meaning of nam myoho renge kyo mantra lotus sutra chant for happiness.
In the practice of nichiren buddhism it means reciting nammyohorengekyo, and portions of the second chapter expedient means and the sixteenth life span chapters of the lotus sutra in front of the gohonzon. A modern interpretation of the threefold lotus sutra. Daimoku is the constant repetition of the sacred mantra for a period of time. In this video, nichiren shoshu priests perform slow gongyo, the recitation of a portion of the 2nd and the entire 16th chapter of the lotus sutra. You will need to use a liturgy of nichiren shoshugongyo book. When the buddha had finished preaching this sutra, he sat with his legs crossed in lotus position and entered into the samadhi of the place of immeasurable meanings, his body.
Motifs from the lotus sutra figure prominently in the dunhuang caves built in the sui era. Buddhism chanting the sutras chanting the sutras summary. Then there was the time when the blessed one addressed the monks, saying, monks, please. Shokai kanai, was my idea of making the actual sutra more readable and understandable. Practitioners of the tibetan vajrayana tradition also chant, and some of the monks are skilled in the multitonal chord chanting distinctive to that tradition. The japanese word gongyo literally means assiduous practice.
Nam myoho renge kyo mantra lotus sutra chant for happiness. The sutras key message is that buddhahood, the supreme state of life characterized by boundless compassion, wisdom and courage, is. Practice means to chant every day the phrase nammyohorengekyo and sections from the lotus sutra while sitting in front of the gohonzon, a sacred scroll that hangs in the butsudan an altar. It is a matter of faith in some schools of buddhism that the sutra contains the words of the historical buddha. There is no suffering, no cause, no extinction, no path. This aspect of buddha is the dharmakaya, which may be considered the most sublime or truest reality in the universe. The heart sutra 2 no ignorance or ending of ignorance, and so forth, up to no aging and death or ending of aging and death. The signs now are like those of the earlier auspicious portent, this is an expedient means used by the buddhas. The muryogi sutra sutra of infinite meaning, which serves as an introduction to the lotus sutra, reads. Prajna paramita hridaya heart of perfect wisdom the bodhisattva of. Initially, his aim was to explain the heart sutra, but he commented, likewise, on the lotus sutra. Tm we exist in muddy water with purity like a lotus, thus we bow to buddha. In this video, nichiren shoshu priests perform slow gongyo, the. This is the official youtube channel for myosenji temple in the washington, dc region.
This buddhist mantra is from the nichiren buddhist tradition. A summary and key points for each chapter by founder nikkyo niwano, published originally in japanese, is serialized beginning with the july 2018 issue of our monthly newsletter, living the lotus, available in chinese, english, hindi, italian, japanese, mongolian, nepali, persian, and sinhalese. The daimoku of the lotus sutra wnd i nichiren buddhism. Once the buddha was staying at the city of royal palaces on mount grdhrakuta with a great assemblage of great bhikkhus, in all twelve thousand. In the lotus sutra, gautama buddha explains that he has always and will always exist to lead beings to their salvation. Nichiren daishonin specified recitation of certain portions of the lotus sutra as a vital supporting practice for oneself. Wisdom of the lotus sutra 1 the wisdom of the lotus sutra a discussion on religion in the twentyfirst century this is the first installment of a new series in which sgi president ikeda engages in a discussion on the lotus sutra with soka gakkai study department chief katsuji saito and vice chiefs takanori endo and haruo suda. There are three reasons why we chant and read sutras. Practice also entails telling other people about nichiren buddhism. Chanting nam myohorengekyo is the primary practice for oneself. This pdf file may be printed and distributed according to the terms of. A contemporary translation of a buddhist classic kindle edition by reeves, gene.
The sutra book of hidden valley zen center and mountain gate. The heart of the first part, chapter 2, the hobenbon, explains the absolute equality of buddhas. Here, lopez provides what he calls the plot summary of the lotus sutra. Lotus sutra, lotus of the good law or true doctrine sutra, one of the earlier mahayana buddhist texts venerated as the quintessence of truth by the japanese tendai chinese tientai and nichiren sects. In translating the chinese text into english we used the kasuga edition of kumarajivas version of the lotus sutra as the basic text, rather than the taisho edition. Topics buddism, zen, prayers, sutra, chants, national teacher kozen daito, japan collection opensource. Myoshinji is dedicated to the establishment of peace, harmony, and the enlightenment of society by helping guide people to the correct buddhist practice in order to understand the true nature of life, purify and transform our lives, and establish an unshakable happiness based on wisdom and. Because the lotus sutra is such an important and timely scripture, i have long cherished the hope that all people. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page information wikidata item cite this page. Tibetan buddhism has a common link with nichiren buddhism of the lotus sutra through its main mantra, implicitly referring to the law of the lotus.
The sutra s name in sanskrit is maha saddharmapundarika sutra, or great sutra of the lotus of the wonderful law. Both chapters are recited in chinese, so unless you are fluent, the meaning may be lost. Prophecy of enlightenment for five hundred disciples. The blue sutra is an extract from the lotus sutra of mahayana buddhism. Maha vairocana kunrig buddha mantra mantra of light. Five hundred disciples receive predictions chapter 9. Nichiren simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The pure land traditions practice the devotional recitation of the buddhas name. A guide to the threefold lotus sutra rissho koseikai. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
This is the fundamental practice of nichiren buddhism, which is performed morning and evening. By way of prajna paramita, the bodhisattvas mind is free from hindrances. The sutra book of hidden valley zen center and mountain. Chanting daimoku, nammyohorengekyo, is termed the primary practice and reading or reciting the hoben and juryo chapters is called the supplementary practice. Nichiren daishonin says that in chanting, faith, or ones heart, is what is important see the strategy of the lotus sutra, wnd1. Audio files and videos for learning gongyo for new sgi members are available in the beginners resources section of this site.
The lotus sutra is regarded as one of the worlds great religious scriptures and most influential texts. Chanting is part of the practice of most streams of the buddhist tradition. However, most historians believe the sutra was written in the 1st or 2nd century ce, probably by more than one writer. To accept, uphold, read, recite, take delight in, and protect all the eight volumes and twentyeight chapters of the lotus sutra is called the comprehensive practice. To accept, uphold, and protect the expedient means chapter and the life span chapter is called the abbreviated practice. Overall, burton watsons translation is a good, nonoffensive goto edition pretty easily found in print. Additionally, this potent rendition is what is known as daimoku. Prajna paramita hridaya heart of perfect wisdom the bodhisattva of compassion from the depths of prajna wisdom. A list of lyrics, artists and songs that contain the term lotus sutra from the lyrics. Its also nonscholar friendly, making it a good choice for more casual studiers of buddhism. Consequently in india all who compose hymns imitate his style, considering. Faith refers to the belief in the concept known as the mystic law of the universe.
The lotus sutra is widely considered to be the most sacred teaching of the buddha. The lotus sutra is regarded by many others as a religious classic of great beauty and p. Along with that, we chant the odaimoku 4 namumyohorengekyo5 which is the core of the lotus sutra. Lotus sutra eight prophecy of enlightenment for five hundred disciples lotus sutra nine prophecies conferred on learners and adepts lotus sutra ten the teacher of the law.
Gongyo liturgy the key to bring out our kindness and. Its a seminal work in the development of buddhism throughout east asia and, by extension. The hokekyo lotus sutra not merely represents all the teachings of shakyamuni which were revealed for the period of fifty years since he had attained enlightenment. The spread of the essence of the lotus sutra, nammyohorengekyo, will bring about peace and happiness in the world. But reading this and other sutras in translation, we are confronted with many.
The bodhisattva of compassion from the depths of prajna wisdom saw the emptiness of all five skandhas and sunderd the bonds. Jul 03, 2007 this is the lotus sutra memorized, recited, and chanted by some western buddhist monks. He was staying there with a large gathering of monks numbering one thousand two hundred fifty. Chanting scriptures and prayers to buddhas and bodhisattvas is a central practice in all streams of buddhism, intended both to reflect upon content and to focus the mind. Chanting is not so much a way of reflecting upon the content of the scriptures as it is a way of concentrating and focusing the mind. Therefore most files could be downloaded and saved by rightclicking on the specific file and then by selecting save target as in explorer or save link target as in netscape. We chant this repeatedly and this is how its been practiced since nichiren daishonins day. Praise to the jewel in the lotus, while nichirens mantra. Now when the buddha emits this beam of brightness he is helping to reveal the meaning of the true entity of phenomena.
I know it is very popular amongst chinese buddhists to chant the whole lotus sutra, but not specifically the lotus dharani. American practitioners chant portions of the buddhist scriptures in pali. The wisdom of the lotus sutra volume iv section 6 key concepts and discussion questions 3 one day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the major world system. During gongyo, apart from chanting nam myoho renge kyo, we also recite two chapters from the lotus sutra, chapter 2 expedient means hoben and chapter 16 the life span of the thus come one juryo. The five hundred disciples receive the prediction of their. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the lotus sutra. In it, shakyamuni expounds the ultimate truth of life to which he was enlightened. Doing both the primary and supporting practices each morning and evening gives rise to. Whats being evaluated here is the translation and presentation of the work. Although he used the traditional divisions of the buddhas teaching into classes, on many occasions he dealt broadly with the general idea. Pundarika lotus sutra the universal gate of avalokiteshvara guanshiyin maha bodhisattva the bodhisattva who contemplates the sounds of the world at that time, inexhaustible intention bodhisattva rose from his seat, uncovered his right. To help those who might want to chant the yoga sutra in its original.
The origin of the lotus in india remains obscure, but it is thought to have been written down in four phases, with chapters 2. Saddharmapuarikasutra scripture of the white lotus of the marvelous law into chinese in 406 c. Daimoku can last from as short as a few minutes to as long as a few hours or even more. There might be a few more that could make it to the list but i cant think of right now. Other complete english translations of the lotus sutra. This combination of the burton translation of the lotus sutra, and the commentaries of rev. Delaware county district library ohio scanned in china.
In america, korean son practitioners chant the heart sutra and other. It is generally accepted opinion that of the many buddhist sutras, the sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law saddharma. Wang argues that the explosion of art inspired by the lotus sutra, starting from the 7th and 8th centuries in china, was a confluence of text and the topography of the chinese medieval mind in which the latter dominated. The portions of the expedient means and life span chapters of the lotus sutra recited in the practice of gongyo. The mealtime chants are an expression of gratitude both toward the many beings whose labors make our meal possible and for the nourishment that the meal provides. For new buddhists, following along with the priest when you are learning to chant is the very best.
Mahayana sutras, such as the lotus flower sutra and the flower adornment sutra, explain the way of becoming enlightened. Kimi kotani, were the original masters who extracted this portion of the sutra for practice and realization by laypeople. The title of the lotus sutra soka gakkai international. It is a term from the lotus sutra that literally means to declare and spread widely shakyamuni buddha s injunction to his follow ers. The heart sutra as recited in the triratna buddhist community the bodhisattva of compassion, when he meditated deeply, saw the emptiness of all five skandhas and sundered the bonds that caused him suffering. Back to lotus sutra the sutra of innumerable meanings. October 11, 2019 october 11, 2019 by insight states editorial. Tina turner lotus sutra purity of mind 2h meditation. Listen on insightstate, more soothing mantras like buddhist money mantra. The sutra s key message is that buddhahood, the supreme state of life characterized by boundless compassion, wisdom and courage, is inherent within every person without distinction of. Mar 04, 2017 tina turner lotus sutra purity of mind 2h meditation. It is the royal sutra of nichiren buddhism in japan 1253. The meaning of the lotus sutra is i devote my life to the mystic law of the lotus sutra. Another characteristic of the lotus is that it grows in the mud and yet is not defiled.
Chanting lotus sutra chant nam myoho renge kyo mantra benefits. We are pleased to say that this text was published in facsimile under the. The most reliable edition, printed in 1263, is now kept at the toshodaiji in nara. The lotus sutra, which illustrates the infinite potential of life through parables and descriptions of spectacular events such as the ceremony in the air, might well be called the culmination, or the apex, of shakyamunis teachings. A summary and key points for each cahpter the threefold lotus sutra.
Lecture on the sutra hoben and juryo chapters by josei toda. The lotus sutra is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential sutras, or sacred scriptures, of buddhism. The sutra book of hidden valley zen center and mountain gate temple. In america, korean son practitioners chant the heart sutra and other scriptures in korean and, increasingly, in english. The buddha speaks of the infinite life sutra of adornment, purity, equality and enlightenment of the mahayana school. I find that the translation by itself is sometimes difficult to read in context, and the. Translated by tripitaka master hsuan tsang commentary by. With very few exceptions the readings in these two editions are almost. Here then, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form. The lotus sutra is one of the most popular and influential mahayana sutras, and the basis on. Chanting the august title of the lotus sutra daimoku practi. Table of contents a complete buddhist sutra collection. In this excerpt, sgi president daisaku ikeda explains the practice of chanting nammyohorengekyo and reciting portions of the lotus sutra.
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