Slow Paced Sutra Recitation (Phrase-by-Phrase)
What you can expect in this video series:
- Chief Priest will recite each phrase in the gongyo book, followed by the Assistant Priest.
- You may recite along with the Assistant Priest, to learn the correct pronunciation of each word and phrase.
- Once you have learnt how to recite the gongyo phrase-by-phrase, you may like to learn how to recite the full gongyo book at a moderate pace here
1. Hoben Chapter
2. Juryo Chapter
3. Jigage Portion
The first basic practice a new believer learns from his or her introducer is the practice of performing Gongyo. This is because Gongyo and Shodai (chanting Daimoku) to the Gohonzon are the most basic, important practices in faith.
In Nichiren Shoshu, faith and the practice of Gongyo are inseparable. When Gongyo is performed earnestly every day, it is a powerful engine for building a happy life and receiving great benefits.
Significance of Gongyo
Reciting the Hoben and Juryo chapters of the Lotus Sutra reveals and supports the great merit of offering the Daimoku.
During morning and evening Gongyo, we recite the Hoben (second) and the Juryo (sixteenth) chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and chant the Daimoku (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo). Offering the Daimoku is called the primary practice, while recitation of the Hoben and Juryo chapters is called the supplementary practice.
The Hoben chapter is the core of the theoretical teachings of the Lotus Sutra, and the Juryo chapter is the core of the essential teachings. Nichiren Daishonin himself recited these chapters daily.
The recitation of the sutra functions to augment the merit of chanting the Daimoku, which is the primary practice, as detergent aids water in cleaning dirty clothing, or as seasonings make meals taste better.
Source: “The Five Prayers of Gongyo. Extracted from Shinyo, January 1994”, Kaimyo Magazine Issue 8, Oct Nov 2003
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