Our Kigan (Aspiration) Eko (Prayer) [in the Shodaigyo ceremony] is comprised of three components:

First is So (All) Gan (Wish): Prayer for All People. What is Sogan? It is the prayer of common interest: a general prayer for anybody, anywhere, anytime. In a phrase: “Pray for World Peace.” Kenji Miyazawa, acclaimed Japanese poet and author (and adherent of the Lotus Sutra), once said, “Until we achieve world peace, individual happiness will never be present.” This is our spirit of Sogan.

Betsu (Specific) Gan (Wish) is individual prayer. It is so because we each aspire to live in a world of peace. We must all strongly assume our individual roles in manifesting this aspiration. For example, if you aspire to create a connection with Sogan, then pray for a healthy body for helping others if you are not healthy enough to help others, or pray to be accepted into a better school for obtaining more knowledge or skills to help others. Doing so allows you to achieve your own personal aspirations through the prayers of others.

As example, in practicing Shodaigyo with many people, there will be both healthy and unhealthy individuals participating. Pray for all those in attendance. This is indicative of how our prayers should be.