This morning I completed my shindoku recitation of the Lotus Sutra. Each day in February I chanted an entire chapter of the sutra. In the evening I continued my reading aloud of the English translation, doing both morning and evening portions at one time.

This was something of an experiment. I wasn’t sure how it would work, and whether the occasional hour-long morning practice would present a problem. The doubling up of the reading aloud in the evening was a question when I began.

Having now successfully completed the month’s effort I’m confident I’ll be able to make this an annual practice. Reciting one chapter a day in shindoku in the morning and doubling my reading aloud in the evening is certainly made “easier” by the fact that I’m retired, with few scheduled events in my day. It also helps that until December of last year, my daily practice ran 40 to 45 minutes morning and evening. When I had to chant for more 44:50 minutes on February 3 or 45:22 minutes of February 7 and my time before my altar extended past an hour, it was not particularly difficult.

Tomorrow I return to my 45 Day pace of reading aloud the Threefold Lotus Sutra. It’s going to seem like a vacation.