Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 51-52[During the Shodaiqyo ceremony w]hether ten, one hundred, or one thousand people chant together, they should chant collectively with “one voice” during Shodaigyo. Our hearts should ride upon this voice of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.
When you and Odaimoku become one, you may wonder, “Am I chanting? Or am I being chanted? Is the Odaimoku me? Or am I the Odaimoku?”
It becomes easy to fold and blend into the Odaimoku. Such is the condition of Shodai Zanmai “the Expanse of Shodai Boundlessness.”
At the stage of integration with our mind and the Odaimoku at that time our mind becomes Buddha mind. The state of chanting is the state of Buddha, the words of chanting are the words of Buddha, and the heart of chanting is the heart of Buddha. This state of becoming a Buddha is called Sokushin Jobutsu (becoming a Buddha in this very lifetime).
It is very difficult to remain in this state of Shodai Zanmai “the Expanse of Shodai Boundlessness.” In this state, one may perhaps only remain there for three to five minutes. During chanting, it is easy for the mind to stray. But rather than straying, we should eliminate straying and return to focusing on Shodaigyo. Doing so, we put ourselves again into Shodai Zanmai. If you are in Shodai Zanmai for just three or five minutes during a Shodaigyo session, the merits are huge.
Quotes
Kigangyo
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 60-61[In the Shodaigyo ceremoney we offer] Kigangyo (Prayer)
With reverence, we offer up the merits we have accumulated through the chanting of the Odaimoku so that, in doing so, we may receive the greatest of compassion through the transcendental powers of the Original Buddha.
For all people we uphold this universal Dharma-teaching of equality that benefits all. We deeply vow to diligently strive for the improvement of both our societies and ourselves, as well as to diligently strive for the achievement of world peace. We pray that all people throughout the four corners of the world may return their lives to the Eternal Buddha’s Pure Land through the Wonderful Dharma of Myōhō Renge Kyō.
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō
We pray that each and every family member, as well as our benefactors and our friends, all live in accordance with the True Dharma. We pray they all enjoy good health in both body and mind. May they increase their understanding of the Buddha’s wisdom, expiate their past transgressions, do good deeds, and lead a virtuous life. May they learn to respect each other. We pray that they embrace the correct practice of Buddhism, perform virtuous work, assiduously improve themselves, and achieve family happiness. May they all obtain the eternal peace and happiness. We pray that all beings, as well as myself, will awaken to the true nature of reality, which is the Buddha nature, and that we all will attain the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō
We pray for all of the deceased: for the spirits of our ancestors, for all those who have formed a relationship with the Buddha, and for all those who have not. May you all follow the benevolent life of the Tathagata. May you cross the ocean of suffering, reach the further shore and attain Buddhahood.
May the merits we have accumulated through this deep offering of prayer be distributed equally among all living beings. May we all attain the enlightenment of the Buddha. May all the Dharma Realms equally benefit all.
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō
Kigan Eko
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 62-63Our 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.
Zenkon Kudoku
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 63-64Tsuizen (Memorial Service) Eko (Prayer) “We pray for the spirits of our ancestors, for those who have formed a relationship with Buddha, and for all those who have not: May they all follow the benevolent life of the Tathagata.” The meaning of this is Zenkon (Good Roots) Kudoku (Virtues). Practicing Shodaigyo, we have accumulated much merit that we now send to the spirits of our ancestors and to all of the deceased. We say, “May you all follow the benevolent life of the Tathagata.” In daily life you may say, “I have some extra money at the moment. You are in need. Let me please help you.” In the same context, we send our bountiful merits garnered from our practice to the deceased. This is what is meant by Zenkon Kudoku.
Interpreting the Four Great Vows
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 66-67After the Eko (Prayer) [in the Shodaigyo ceremony], the Four Great Vows are recited. Regarding the Four Great Vows, most members of Buddhist communities recite these Four Great Vows as a Buddhist maxim (code of truth and conduct). A simple explanation of The Four Great Vows is the following:
“There are innumerable people in this world, yet, if but only one person is suffering, let me save them from that suffering.” And as I save them from that suffering, so must we relinquish the defilements that are the foundation of that suffering.
“There are inexhaustible defilements, let us relinquish them all.” To relinquish the defilements, so must we understand the teachings of Buddha nature and all things of this world.
“There are immeasurable teachings, let us know them all.” In doing so, all people throughout the world will, also then, recite this same declaration before the Three Treasures.
“The way of the Buddha is preciously unexcelled, let us therefore advance on the way of the Buddha and become a Buddha ourselves. And let us build a world of goodness.”
Kie
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 67-68[In the Shodaigyo practice], Kie is recited: “With this Body, Until I attain Buddhahood, I will uphold my faith in the Lotus Sutra.”
This brief, but heartfelt, pledge profoundly expresses the following silent vow:
“We vow to attain the supreme life of Buddha just as we are, even though our circumstances are that of a common mortal. Though we may transmigrate throughout eternity, we will nonetheless continue to bear possession of this Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō and nothing more. Though unworthy of such, our wish is to live in the realm of the Buddha with the Buddha, that is to become a Buddha ourselves. As we can only achieve this aspiration through the five and seven characters of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, we sincerely renew this vow but once again.”
For Ourselves and Others
Buddhism is not an easy, passive religion. It really isn’t possible to simply say you are a Buddhist and then do nothing. There is no nominal Buddhism. Those kinds of delusions only lead to more suffering since the cause for suffering is not being eliminated. Buddhism is an ever deepening and ever-expanding journey into the depths of our lives. But it isn’t simply a self-help philosophy; it is a journey into the depths of self for the benefit of other beings. There really isn’t a simple way around it, there is no shortcut.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraThe Focus of Devotion
In order to portray his insight, Nichiren Shonin inscribed the Ceremony in the Air as a mandala in Chinese calligraphy. This mandala is not some icon or external power that we ask to intercede for us. Instead, the Great Mandala concretely manifests the Focus of Devotion enabling us to more easily identify with the Eternal Buddha and realize our own Buddhahood. Of course, Nichiren Shonin was not against using statues or portraits to represent the Focus of Devotion. In most Nichiren Shu temples, the Focus of Devotion is represented by statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathagata flanking a stupa with Namu Myoho Renge Kyo inscribed upon it. Other representations of the Focus of Devotion might feature a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and the four great bodhisattvas who were the leaders of the bodhisattvas who emerge from beneath the earth, a simple statue of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, a simple inscription of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, or even an elaborate display of statues representing all the beings portrayed on the calligraphic mandala. The calligraphic mandala, however, is the most popular form of the Focus of Devotion for enshrinement in one’s home. No matter what form it takes, the point of the physical object or objects used to portray the Focus of Devotion is to help us become aware of, and participate fully in, the reality of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha at the Ceremony in the Air.
Lotus SeedsThe True Nature of All Life
One can say that the teaching of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha during the Ceremony in the Air is not merely a mythological portrayal of the timeless and placeless qualities of Buddhahood, but is also a symbol of the workings of the pure consciousness within the depths of our lives. This is likewise the dimension of our life that transcends space and time. Essentially, Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra teaches that the true nature of Shakyamuni Buddha’s life is the true nature of all life, including our own. This means that the Buddha’s life and all of his awakened qualities are just as present here and now as they were 2,500 years ago in India when he was teaching the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we should no longer feel we must devote ourselves to any cold, abstract principles or to any personifications of incomplete aspects of the life of the Buddha. Based upon his understanding of the Ceremony in the Air, Nichiren Shonin taught that we should take refuge in the Eternal Shakyamnni Buddha as the unity of the historical, ideal, and universal aspects of the Buddha-nature. These are fully realized and manifested by Shakyamuni Buddha, and are also the potential within all of us. The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, therefore, should be our Focus of Devotion if we want to fully realize the true nature of the Buddha’s awakened life and our own.
Lotus SeedsApplying the Lotus Sutra to Actual Life
Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture, {author-numb}In order for the Lotus Sutra to be applied to actual life, its ideas had to be derived from the parables and stories that made the sutra so popular. These ideas were articulated in the interpretations of Chinese and Japanese commentators, many of whom were drawn to the sutra by its own merits and not simply through sectarian affiliation. Enhanced by these interpretations, the sutra took on greater meaning, for without the understanding of a positive view of emptiness, a unifying truth that embraces all life, an eternal Buddha who reigns throughout time, and the bodhisattva practices that must be carried out in society, the Lotus Sutra could not have had the wide influence and applications that it did.