Buddhist liturgy is a formalized service of veneration and worship performed within a BuddhistSangha community in nearly every traditional denomination and sect in the Buddhist world. It is often done one or more times a day and can vary amongst the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana sects.
The liturgy mainly consists of chanting or reciting a sutra or passages from a sutra, a mantra (especially in Vajrayana), and several gathas. Depending on what practice the practitioner wishes to undertake, it can be done at a temple or at home. The liturgy is almost always performed in front of an object or objects of veneration and accompanied by offerings of light, incense, water and/or food.
Bowing in homage to ancestral patriarchs (on certain occasions)
Japanese Buddhist liturgy (gongyō)
In Japan, gongyo is also sometimes called o-tsutome (お勤め) or shōjin (精進). All three terms are common Japanese words and none is specific to any particular sect or school.
Origin of the word "gongyo"
The word gongyo originated in ancient China; although nowadays it is more often used in Buddhism, it first appeared in the Taoism classic Zhuang Zi.[5] Its original meaning is "assiduous or hard and frequent walking/practice".
Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi abstracted and modified this word from an earlier classic of Taoism – Laozi's Tao Te Ching, in which it states:“上士闻道，勤而行之”, which means taking effort and practicing. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the buddhist philosophy developed dramatically in central China, and was influenced by Taoism. Chinese Buddhist philosophers borrowed this word from Taoism classics, and it spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam with Buddhism.
The concept of gongyō is also common in Japanese Pure Land Buddhist schools such as Jodo Shu[6] and Jodo Shinshu. The central practice of these schools is the recitation of the name of Amida, also called the nembutsu, but in daily practice a Pure Land practitioner will also chant excerpts of the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, particular the sections titled the Sanbutsuge or the Juseige, and in some temples chanting the entire Smaller Sutra of Immeasurable Life may occur once daily or alternatively only on more formal occasions.
In larger Pure Land temples, the daily service is performed by priests or ministers, and lay people can optionally attend and recite along if they wish. The times for these services will vary depending on the individual branch, and individual temple.
In traditional Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, lay practitioners may also chant a hymn written by Shinran called the Shoshinge, which is not a sutra per se, but expounds the lineage with which Jodo Shinshu owes its beliefs. A shorter hymn called the Junirai, the Twelve Praises of Amida, can be used as well.
In Jodo Shu, the nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu) is often recited is specific format:
Junen: The nembutsu is recited 8 times in one breath, without the final 'tsu' sound, then recited fully in one breath, and recited a final time without the 'tsu' sound again. This is 10 recitations total
Nembutsu Ichie: The nembutsu is repeated as many times as the practitioners choose to.
Sanshorai: The nembutsu is recited 3 times in a long, drawn-out fashion, after which the practitioner bows. This process is repeated twice more for a total of 9 recitations.
Shingon Buddhism
The gongyo of Shingon Buddhism differs amongst various sub-sects, but all of them mainly recite the Hannya Shingyo, the mantras of the Thirteen Buddhas and other mantras, the Light Mantra, and the gohogo; the saintly name of Kukai. In addition, recitation of other texts such as the Prajanaparamita-naya Sutra (Rishukyo), the Samantamukha chapter of the Lotus Sutra, longer mantras, and praises in mantra form are common in temples where priests reside.[7] Gongyo is important for lay Shingon Buddhists to follow since the practice emphasizes meditation of the body, speech and mind of a buddha.
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhists perform a form of gongyo that consists of reciting certain passages of the Lotus Sutra and chanting daimoku. The format of gongyo varies by denomination and sect. For Nichiren Shoshu, Gongyo is performed twice daily, upon rising and before retiring ("Often translated as morning and evening gongyo"). Nichiren Shu has many types of gongyo a person can perform. There is an additional form of gongyo performed at homes and in temples in which the entire Lotus Sutra is recited over the course of 32 days. Concerning Soka Gakkai, its gongyo has evolved over the years. In the 1970s, silent prayers were added for the success of the Soka Gakkai itself, and in memory of its first two presidents.
Chen, Pi-yen (2002). "The contemporary practice of the Chinese Buddhist daily service: Two case studies of the traditional in the post-traditional world". Ethnomusicology. 46 (2): 226–249. doi:10.2307/852780. JSTOR852780.(subscription required)
Tilakaratne, Asanga (2012). Theravada Buddhism: The View of the Elders, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, pp. 155–158 (Appendix 1 A, "Sample of Basic Theravada Liturgy: Vandana and Puja")
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