Guide to Shin Buddhist Practice

Moreover, these observances and practices serve as daily reminders of our highest spiritual values such as the Three Jewels and the Shin Affirmation; in addition, they serve as opportunities to deeply hear the primordial call of Amida Buddha, the Boundless Life and Light, via quiet sitting meditation and and enter the world of a sacred story by chanting or reading the mythopoetic Juseige.

Where Do I Begin?

Copy and print the following Guide to Shin Buddhist Practice for your personal use. Please read the suggested steps and modify them if needed based on your life situation. Don’t forget, there are two Buddhist prayers at the bottom of this page: the Mid-day Prayer and the Buddhist Mealtime Prayer.

1. Face shrine, Nembutsu scroll or Buddha image

1. Palms in reverence in gassho) with mallas (meditation beads) wrapped around hands. Sit in chair or cushion.
2. Ring bell (three times and then slowly bow) while you do this follow your breath mindfully.

2. The Candle & Incense Offering

Do one or both of the following:

a. Light the Wisdom Candle and recite:

“Mindful of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, I calmly light this candle, brightening the face of the Earth.”
(bell & bow)

b. Light the incense and recite the following. Before lightening the incense, place the incense at the forehead level and say Amida’s name, “Namu Amida Butsu” or “Namo Amitabha,” then, in order to light the incense stick, lower it. Don not blow out the flame, that is considered disrespectful. Simply, wave the incense stick with your hands to blow it out. Then, place on the incense holder.

“In gratitude and joy,
I offer this incense
to the living heart of wisdom and compassion,
Amida, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light.”
(bell & bow)

3. Recite the Five Remembrances (optional)

“I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health.
There is no way to escape having ill health.

I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.

By relying on the teachings of the Buddha. The path of the Dharma, And the fellowship of the Sangha,

May I be embraced by Immeasurable Life and Light, In this very here and now, And realize the entrusting heart of shinjin, So, upon my passing , I may be born in the Pure Land. “Namu Amida Butsu” or “Namo Amitabha” (bell & bow)

4. Going for Refuge in the Three Jewels

This core practice allows us to entrust ourselves to life’s highest universal values.

“I take refuge in the Buddha. May I absorb myself in the living source of understanding, faith and compassion, and may be embraced by and awakened to the inconceivable Primal Vow.”
(bell & bow)

“I take refuge in the Dharma. May I be submerged in the depths of the Teachings and Reality-as-it-is, and discover wisdom as deep as the ocean.”
(bell & bow)

“I take refuge in the Sangha. May I live in harmony with all beings, united with the disciples of Buddha, in the spirit of universal oneness and freed from the bondage of selfishness.”
(bell & bow)

5. Recite the Shin Affirmation

“Entrusting in the Primal Vow of Buddha,
Calling out the Sacred Name,
I shall pass through the journey of life with strength and joy.

Living in the Light of Buddha,
Reflecting upon my imperfect self,
I shall proceed to live a life of gratitude.

Following the Teachings of Buddha,
Listening to the wholesome Path,
I shall share the Dharma with all.

Rejoicing in the compassion of Buddha,
Respecting and aiding all sentient beings,
I shall work towards the welfare of society and the world.”
(bell & bow)

6. Quiet Sitting Meditation

If time permits. Practice quiet sitting meditation to help generate inner silence and introspection. Choose from vipassana, zazen or shikantaza. Sit on a zafu (meditation pillow) or chair for 15-20 minutes or more. If you are new to quiet sitting meditation, you may start with 5 minutes per session and increase it over time.

7. SCRIPTURAL CHANTING OR READING

The Juseige chant and reading may be viewed as a meditation to enter into the mythopoetic story recounter in the Larger Sutra that the sums up the intentions and significance of Amida Buddha, so that we may better hear the primordial calling of Life itself beckoning us to spiritually awaken to the heart of the Great Compassion.

To clarify further, the Juseige is the second of three gathas (Songs of Praise) in the primary sutra of Shin Buddhism, The Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life. This sutra passage recounts Chapter 8 of the Sacred Story, in which the Bodhisattva Dharmakara promises to embark on a quest for enlightenment and then makes 48 Vows to the Buddha Lokes-vara-raja. After declaring these vows, he praises these vows with this gatha (poem).

7a. Practice Version A: Juseige Chant / Song of Praise

Instructions: Put your hands in gassho (reverence) and strike the bell and begin to chant one syllable at a time. The underlined words are chanted with 2 beats and the second syllable is not pronounced. CLICK HERE to listen to the Juseige and Nembutsu chants on YouTube in order in learn them for daily home practice, or watch, listen and chant along. Attention: For those two syllables ending words located at the end of each verse, do not pronounce the second syllable. For example. ZOKU is pronounced ZOK.

(bell)

BUSSETSU MURYO JUKYO

GA GON CHO SE GAN
HIS-SHI MU JO DO
SHI GAN FU MAN ZOKU
SEI FU JO SHO GAKU

GA O MU RYO KO
FU I DAI SE SHU
FU SAI SHO BIN GU
SEI FU JO SHO GAKU

GA SHI JO BUTSU DO
MYO SHO CHO JIP-PO
KU KYO Ml SHO MON
SEI FU JO SHO GAKU

RI YOKU JIN SHO NEN
JO E SHU BON GYO
SHI GU MU JO DO
I SHO TEN NIN SHI

JIN RIKI EN DAI KO
FU SHO MU SAI DO
SHO JO SAN KU MYO
KO SAI SHU YAKU NAN

KAI Hl CHI E GEN
MES-SHI KON MO AN
HEI SOKU SHO AKU DO
TSU DATSU ZEN SHU MON

KO SO JO MAN ZOKU
I YO RO JIP-PO
NICHI GATSU SHU JU KI
TEN KO ON PU GEN

ISHU KAI HO ZO
KO SE KU DOKU HO
JO O DAI SHU CHU
SEP-PO SHI SHI KU

KU YO IS-SAI BUTSU
GU SOKU SHU TOKU HON
GAN E SHITSU JO MAN
TOKU I SAN GAI O

NYO BUTSU MU GE CHI
TSU DATSU Ml FU SHO
GAN GA KU E RIKI
TO SHI SAI SHO SON

SHI GAN NYAK-KO KA
DAI SEN O KAN DO
KO KU SHO TEN NIN
TO U CHIN MYO KE
(bell)

Nembutsu Chant (shortened version)

The Nembutsu Chant, experienced as the call of Boundless Life and Light, is known as the Name-That-Calls. Moreover, it is the living embodiment of Amida Buddha, the manifestation of Suchness or the Oneness of reality. Shinran Shonin said, “just say the nembutsu and be liberated.”

As a practice suggestion, visualize the sacred light of Amida, full of warmth, love and compassion, before you. Then, allow yourself to entrust and totally surrender to this living Light. Then, let the Light penetrate you until you can visualize yourself becoming totally penetrated and embraced by the sacred Light. Then, from deep within your self, hear the sacred voice calling unto you. Begin chanting the nembutsu in Japanese or Sanskrit, as the living revelation of your infinite nature. Voice the following shorten version 10x, 30x or even 108x.

“NA MAN DAM BU” in Japanese

NA MO MI TA BHA YA in Sanskrit

7b. Practice Version b: Read the Juseige and Nembutsu

Below is version B, in which the Juseige may be read instead of being chanting in traditional sino-Japanese.  Reading in English will you a sense of and connection to the mythopoetic splendor of Amida Buddha. After its reading, return to step 7a and chant the Nembutsu in Japanese or Sanskrit. This translation for the below reading comes from the small online book titled, “Shin Sutras to Live By” edited by Ruth Tabrah and Shoji Matsumoto. This book also has other chants or readings you may incorporate in your daily practice. Visit this link to view “Shin Sutras to Live By”

Juseige Chant / Song of Praise

These forty-eight great vows which I,

Dharmakara Bodhisattva,

Established for myself and all beings –

None to be excluded –

Now,

Everywhere,

In the ongoing timelessness of this present moment

Affirm the reality of the infinite

Within this world of birth-and-death.

Through these vows I vow

The Vow that is primal vow of life itself.

Until this shall be fulfilled for each one,

Everywhere,

I will not accept the great supreme enlightenment.

I will not rest as Amitabha,

Amitayus,

Amida,

The Buddha of universal reality,

The Buddha of truth of things-as-they-are.

Throughout all time

In every generation of beings,

If my vow does not become

The source of wisdom and compassion,

The cause of this great awakening

In each and every one everywhere,

I will not accept the great supreme enlightenment.

I will not rest as Amitabha,

Amitayus,

Amida,

The Buddha of universal reality,

The Buddha of the truth of things-as-they are.

Upon my becoming a Buddha,

My name shall resound

Throughout the farthest reaches of the universe.

If there is even one place

Where my name is not being heard,

I will not accept the great supreme enlightenment.

I will not rest as Amitabha,

Amitayus,

Amida,

The Buddha of universal reality.

The Buddha of the truth of things-as-they-are.

To attain the great supreme enlightenment

To become the dharma teacher of gods and men,

I shall, without ceasing,

Practice the great practice: Brahma-carya,

The all inclusive

Most difficult

And final practice

Without the hindrance of desire,

In the dhyana-samadhi of contemplation

From which the purest wisdom,

The immeasurably pure compassion

Of the workings of my vow shall flow.

This Great Vow shall be all-penetrating,

Universal,

A shining light of wisdom and compassion,

An inconceivable light

Illuminating our inner darkness,

Enabling us to see our ignorance,

Our hatred,

Our unquenchable desires,

Our own deep, awesome true reality.

But the Vow’s incomparable enlightenment rescue us

Just as we are!

From the heavens of self-pride,

The hellish torments of the worlds of illusion

Which we constantly create.

The Vow’s unfailing light replaces our blindness

With the eye of wisdom.

It dispels the illusions of these empty worlds

To which we cling.

It transforms the realms in which we suffer

And opens to us the real world of things-as-they-are,

The Pure Land,

The realm of this extraordinary light.

Amitabha, Amitayus, Infinite Light and Life

Awakens us to a joy that never diminishes –

The true happiness of working for the welfare

Of all beings everywhere,

The true happiness of Buddha-hood,

The universe endowment of the Vow.

For the sake of all beings,

To all, at all times, everywhere,

With the light of wisdom itself

I preach the Dharma.

My vow assures this treasure of all treasures,

The virtue among virtues,

The inexhaustible storehouse of Dharma

Which my Name shall convey.

I offer the flowers of enlightenment

To all Buddhas-to-be.

I show my reverence to each of them.

I praise each one’s virtuous roots.

As my vows become fulfilled

I will be the champion of naturalness,

Freed from the proud thought of

“I am such.”

A Tathagata’s eye of wisdom

Penetrates even man’s self-centeredness,

Penetrates conditioned and unconditioned equally,

Piercing the depths of inner darkness.

I vow that the power of my wisdom will be such

That I will become a true Buddha.

This having become so,

The cosmos will resound with the dharma.

Flowers of enlightenment

Like a rain of light

Will adorn all beings. (bell)

Nembutsu Chant (shortened version)

Voice the following shorten version 10x, 30x or even 108x.

“NA MAN DAM BU” in Japanese

NA MO MI TA BHA YA in Sanskrit

8. Dedication and End Observance

After chanting the Nembutsu, recite the following dedication.

“I dedicate my life, practice and faith,
To the enlightenment of all beings,
May I share all the merit generated by today’s observance.”
(half bow & 1 or 3 bells)

Throughout the day, practice deep hearing; become aware and entrust in the Great Compassion, (Amida Buddha), which surrounds and sustains you and all beings. Let the feeling of gratitude and compassion arise from within you and recite the Buddha Name, Namo Amitabha.

Suggested Daily Prayers

Mid-Day Prayer Practice

During lunch break, to help remember the dharma and cultivate deep hearing, compassion, and love, you may want to recite The Prayer of Metta-karuna. This beautiful and popular Pure Land prayer, adapted by Rev. D. Senpai M.A., from the 8th century Indian Buddhist saint, Shantideva. Recite it with palms in gassho and with mallas wrapped around hands.

”Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into your conduit of Eternal Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured.
May I become food and drink during time of famine.
May I protect the helpless and the poor.
May I be a lamp for those who need your Light.
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all experience the entrusting heart,
Through the Primal Vow of Other Power,
and realize the Pure Land.

“Namu Amida Butsu” or “Namo Amitabha”

Buddhist Mealtime Prayer

For breakfast, lunch, snack time and dinner, practitioners should recite either vocally or in the mind the Prayer of Mealtime Thanksgiving.

“This food is the gift of the whole universe;
Each morsel is a sacrifice of life.
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food
Give me the strength
To transform my unwholesome qualities into wholesome ones.

I am grateful for this food;
I accept this sacrifice.
May I realize the Path of Awakening
for the sake of all beings.

“Namu Amida Butsu” or “Namo Amitabha”

Instructions and versions of: Going for Refuge, Prayer of Metta-Karuna, Buddhist Mealtime Prayer: Copyright 2024. Buddhist Faith Fellowship, All Rights Reserved.

Written by Rev. D. Senpai, M.A.
The BFF of CT grants permission to copy this document for personal use and for NASBA chapter