Nichiren Tradition Slow Chanting Service (Gongyo)

Slow chanting of the Nichiren Tradition's daily service, called Gongyo, of excerpts from the Lotus Sutra Chapter Two and Sixteen verse section with Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Includes the daily prayers offered by the Nichiren Shu school. Designed and offered for new practitioners as well as a refresher for experienced practitioners.

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome and thank you for watching.

Today we're going to do a short form of our daily service called Gongyou.

We'll be using the Sacred Services of the Lotus Sutra Nitra Shoo Gongyou book to do this and we'll be doing it very,

Very slowly so that we can focus new practitioners on proper pronunciation and then the proper tempo and then good,

Nice,

Even breath control.

This service will be again a short basic form that you can do every day on a daily basis and it will generally take 10 to 15 minutes to go through the whole service.

Might get a little faster as your tempo speeds up but the important thing in the beginning is not rush,

Breathe easily,

Focus on the pronunciation and do a nice basic tempo until you get used to chanting.

The style of chanting we'll be doing is what they call Japanese Shindoku or Sutra reading.

So I hope you enjoy it,

Look forward to doing it with you.

All daily services begin with three recitations of the sacred title Namu Myoho Rengekyo.

Please turn to page seven of your service book.

Namu Myoho Rengekyo.

Namu Myoho Rengekyo.

Namu Myoho Rengekyo.

Please turn to page 11 for our opening invocation.

Honor be to the great Mandala,

The perfect circle of all honorable ones revealed by our founder Nichiren Shonin.

Honor be to the eternal Buddha Shakyamuni,

Our original teacher who attained awakening in the remotest past.

Honor be to the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,

The teaching of equality,

The great wisdom,

The one vehicle.

Honor be to our founder,

The great Bodhisattva Nichiren Shonin dispatched by our original Buddha.

Honor be to Renge Ajari Nithciji Shonin,

The first overseas missionary.

Honor be to the heavenly gods and benevolent deities who protect the practitioner of the one vehicle.

May all you venerable ones come to this consecrated place out of your compassion towards us,

See us with the light of your wisdom and accept our offering of the savor of the Dharma.

Please turn to page 12 for the first two paragraphs of verses for opening the Sutra.

The most profound and wonderful teaching is presented in this Sutra.

This Sutra is difficult to meet even once in thousands and millions of eons.

Now we have been able to see,

Hear,

Receive and keep this Sutra.

May we understand the most excellent teaching of the Tathagata.

The most excellent teaching of the great vehicle is very difficult for us to understand.

We shall be able to approach awakening when we see,

Hear or touch this Sutra.

Please turn to page 15 for recitation of chapter two skillful means,

The Ho Ben.

JOHHUREN GEKYOHO BEN PONDAI NI NIGI SE SAN JU SAN MAI ANJO NI KI GO SHARI HASU SHO BHUTI YE JIN JIN MURYO GO JI YE MON NANG GE NANG YU I SAI SHO MAN SHAKO SHI BHUTI SHO FU NO CHI SHO WI SHAKA BHUTI DO SHIN GO N SHAKO SAN MON NO KO MUSHU SHO BHUTI JIN GO SHO BHUTI MURYO GO JUNG YO SHO JIN GO FU MAN JO JU JIN JIN MI ZO UO ZUI GE SHO TATO I SHU NANG GE SHARI HASU GO JU JO BU JI RAI SHU JU I NANG JU JI YU GO N GONG KYO MUSHU HO BEN IN GO SHU JO RORI SHO TATO SHO I SHAKA NI YO RAI HO BEN CHI KEN HARA METSU KAI I GU SO KO SHARI HASU NI YO RAI SHO JIN KEN KO RAI JIN NANG MURYO MUGE RIKI MUSHU I ZEN JO GE DA SAN MAI JIN YU MUSHAI JO JU I SAI MI ZO UO SHARI HASU NI YO RAI NO SHU JU FUN BETSU GYO SE SHO HO GAM JIN YU NANG EKA SHU SHIN SHARI HASU SHU YO GAN JI MURYO MUGEM MI ZO U HO BU SE TATO JO JU SHI SHARI HASU FUSHU BU SE TATO JO WI SHAKA BU SHO JO JU DAI I CHI KEN U NANG GE SHI HO YU I BU TSU YO BU TSU DAI NO KU JIN SHO HO JI SO SHO WI SHO HO NI YO SE SO NO SE SHO NI YO SE TAI NO SE REKE NI YO SE SAN NO SE INN NO SE YEN NO SE GAM NO SE HO NO SE HAN MUTSU KU KYO TSU SHO WI SHO HO NI YO SE SAN NO SE SHO NO SE TAI NO SE REKE NO SE SAN NO SE INN NO SE INN NO SE KA NO SE HO NO SE HAN MUTSU KU KYO TOH JO WI SHO HO NO SE SAN NO SE SHO NO SE TAI NO SE REKE NO SE SAN NO SE INN NO SE HAN NO SE KA NO SE HO NO SE HAN MUTSU KU KYO TOH Please turn to page 34 for reciting chapter 16 the verse section the lifespan of the eternal tatagata the JIGA-GE Myoho Renge Kyo Nyo Rai Ju Ryo Handai Ju Roko Jiga Toko Butsu Rai Shou Kyo Shou Kou Shu Muryo Shako Senmon Oko Saiya Sogi Josepo Kyouke Mushu Oko Shu Joryou Niu O Butudou Niu Rai Muryoko I do shoujo kou hou ben gen nei han ne te te fuai mettou Jo ju shi se po ga jo ju goji i shou gen do reki ryo ten do shoujo Sui gen ni fu ken chu ken ga mettou kou kou yo sha re gen ka ei ren bo Mi jo kata go shim shoujo ki shin boko se che te ke inu nan I shin yo kou ken butsu fuji shaka shim yo ji ga gyu shu so Kuo satoriou ju sen ga ji go shoujo jo sai shi fuai mettou I ho ben rekiko gen u metsu fuai mettou yo kou kou shou jo kou gyu shim yo sha ga bugo hi chou I tata mu jo hou niu to fu manche tan ne ga mettou go ka ken shou shou jo Butu Sai o kou kai kou fui gen gen ryou go shou kata go Im go shim ren bo nai tatou i seppou gen zou reki nyo sei Oa sougei go jo sao ryo ju sen gyu yo shoujo jo shoujo kou ken gen Daika shoujo ji ga shi do anan tenin jo ju ban an min Shoujo kou kou shoujo jo ga oju takai ga shoujo jo yoroko Shouten ga koutenku jo sa shougei ga kou ban da reke Sanbutsu gyu daishou ga jou do fuke ni shouken jo den u fujoku no Nyou sei setu jou ban zai shou sai shoujo Iyakago i nen ka asougi go fu man sambou mio Shoujo shouku do kou niu wa sette dekei sa soukai ken ga shim Sai shi ne seppou wakaji ishi shou sei setu butsu jou mou nyou Kunaiken bu sha ge setu butsu nan chi ga chi reken yo sei Ekou shou amou nyou jou nyou mou shou kou kou shou go shou tokon yo tochi sha Mwoto shi shougei to dan ryo yo gen butsu go je fu kou nyoui zen hou me Iji o shi go jetou sai ni gen jimou no te kou mo Ka yakawise bu kou shouku gen shahi bambu ten do Jetou sai ni gen metsu i jouken ga kou Ni shoukyou shi zen hou eta takago yakada o akadou jou Ga chou chi shoujo gyoujo fu gyoujo tui houjo kado Ise shoujo mai jisa sei nen Iga ryou shoujo tokon youbu joujo sokou jo ju bu shin Please turn to page 48 for directing our intention while chanting daimoku.

The wonderful dharma expounded in the lotus sutra whose sacred title we now chant is what the past buddhas taught.

The present buddhas are teaching and the future buddhas shall teach.

It is the great dharma true and pure,

The propagation of which was entrusted primarily to the great bodhisattva superior practice by the buddha on mount sacred eagle.

Once we chant the sacred title,

Namu mou hou renge kyo,

We shall attain the right view that the three thousand worlds exist in our minds just as they are.

The pure land of tranquil light shall be made manifest in our sight.

Our buddha nature shall be identified with the buddha of the three bodies in one and together with all other beings we shall enjoy living in the land of truth.

May the sound of our chanting,

The sacred title,

Permeate the whole world,

Be offered to the three treasures and be bestowed on all beings.

May all beings enter the world of the one reality,

The great vehicle.

May the buddha land be adorned and all beings favored with the merits of our chanting.

Namu mou hou renge kyo,

Mou hou renge kyo,

Namu mou hou renge kyo,

Myoho Rengeko Namo Myoho Rengeko Namo Myoho Rengeko Namo Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Namba Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko,

Myoho Rengeko,

Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Please turn to page 54 for the four great vows.

Sentient beings are infinite,

I vow to liberate them all.

Defilements are innumerable,

I vow to resolve them all.

Dharma gates are inexhaustible,

I vow to know them all.

The way of the Buddha is unsurpassed,

I vow to become it.

Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Myoho Rengeko Well,

Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed that slow service and practicing with me today.

I sure did.

We also chanted 300 daimoku or the sacred title,

Which is about the number that's generally recommended in Nichiren Shu.

Always remember that chanting the daimoku,

The sacred title,

Is our primary practice.

And doing the sutra recitation and other services is really supplemental to our primary practice.

So if you only have time for one thing,

Please chant daimoku,

Namu myoho rengeko,

As much as you can.

And that's really what's important.

Now,

In this great service book that we have is a guide on how to celebrate gongyo.

It's several pages long,

Short,

But really important.

And it starts on page 90.

And the final instructions from the book is,

There is no substitute for learning service by practicing with others.

Please seek out fellow believers in your area or on the Internet.

Most of these wonderful communities now are offering services on Zoom.

And we have hundreds of wonderful communities all across the world that you can tap into and find out one that works for you.

And they're wonderful.

So,

Or,

You know,

Once you learn how to do it,

Invite your neighbors over.

You can form your own dharma groups and chant daimoku together.

So that's really the point here is really to improve your practice.

Share it with others so that we can together reduce the world's suffering,

Spread the dharma,

And grow all of our communities to make the world a healthy,

Better place for everyone.

With that,

I leave you with namu myoho rengeko.

And my wish is for you to be happy,

Well,

Peaceful,

And at ease,

And go into the dharma as a light into the world.

From San Francisco,

This is Shami Ryugan White Lotus.

Looking forward to seeing you again online.

Namu myoho rengeko.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this. And the illustration is gorgeous.

Thank you so much Shami Ryugan for creating this very supportive Gongyo. This will be my ‘Go To’ guide and aid for my home daily Chanting Service. Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.🙏🏼📿𓆸