Note: Updated July 20, 2021, to include additional page of Odaimoku to trace.

In Buddhism for Today, Nikkyō Niwano offers this description of the Five Practices of those who follow the Lotus Sutra:

Receiving and keeping the sutra (juji), reading and reciting it (doku-ju), expounding it (gesetsu), and copying it (shosha) are called the five practices of teachers of the Law (goshu hosshi). These are most important practices for those who spread the Lotus Sutra. The description of these five practices of the teacher of the Law is the first of the seven essentials mentioned in the chapter “A Teacher of the Law.”

Of these five practices of the teacher, “receiving and keeping” (juji) is called “the intensive practice” (shōgyō), while the other four practices are called “the assisting practic.es” (jogyō). The reason we must set apart “receiving and keeping” as the intensive practice is that this is the most important and fundamental practice of the five; without it, the other four practices mean little. “Receiving” (ju) indicates believing deeply in the teachings of the Buddha, and “keeping” (ji) means to adhere firmly to that belief.

Buddhism for Today, p140

Two of these assistive practices are Shabusto – riturally tracing a Buddhist image – and Shakyo – ritually copying the Lotus Sutra.

One example of copying the Lotus Sutra, is tracing the Odaimoku – Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. Instructions for this practice include ritual preparation necessary to correctly set the stage for the practice. Rather than just tracing the characters of the Daimoku, these instructions include stroke-by-stroke instruction on writing each character.

These Instructions were originally distributed by Rev. Shoda Kanai of the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada and are provided here with permission.