Welcome. This daily home practice, or sadhana, is offered as a simple and grounded way to bring the Buddha’s teachings into your life through mindful presence, compassion, and wholehearted engagement. At Buddhist Faith Fellowship, we believe awakening unfolds within daily life. By engaging in these ten steps regularly, you can open to clarity, compassion, and a deeper connection with yourself, others, and the world, allowing the Buddha’s compassionate activity to naturally flow through your life.
This practice draws on the living BFF Buddhist lineage, which guides how these steps are integrated so that the daily practice itself becomes a source of insight, compassion, and connection in everyday life. Each step is offered as an invitation, not a requirement, and moving through them with sincerity and openness can transform your everyday experience.
Instructions for beginners
- Find a quiet space at home where the energy feels calm, welcoming, and supportive.
- Sit or stand comfortably and take a moment to settle in.
- Read each step before beginning, allowing the words to guide your attention naturally.
- Recite prayers, chants, or dedications aloud or silently, whichever feels most receptive.
- Move through each step gently, without forcing or striving, letting the practice unfold naturally.
- Allow the insights and qualities from the practice to carry into your daily life.
How to begin
You can print and use the PDF version of the BFF’s Buddhist Sandhana: Daily Home Practice in 10 Steps Booklet for your personal practice at home. Please refer to the copyright information below.
1. Face shrine, scroll and/or Buddha image
1. Palms in anjali (in reverence) with mallas (meditation beads) wrapped around hands. Stand, sit in chair or cushion.
2. Ring bell (three times and then bow) while you do this follow your breathe mindfully
2. The Candle & Incense Offering
1. 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)
2. Light the incense and recite:
“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. Lineage Prayer
Homage to the Buddhas of the Three Times,
Abiding as wisdom and compassion beyond measure.
Homage to Amida Buddha,
Infinite Light and Infinite Life.
Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha,
Who revealed this path within the world.
Homage to Maitreya Bodhisattva,
Revealer of Buddha-nature and future fulfillment.
Homage to the Great Bodhisattvas
And to the lineage of wisdom and vow. (bell & bow)
4. Going for Refuge in the Three Jewels
Buddhaṃ sharanam gacchāmi
To the Buddha I go for refuge.
Dharmam sharanam gacchāmi
To the Dharma I go for refuge.
Samgham sharanam gacchāmi
To the Sangha I go for refuge.
Buddham sharanam gacchāmi
Dharmam sharanam gacchāmi
Samgham sharanam gacchāmi
Buddham sharanam gacchāmi
Dharmam sharanam gacchāmi
Samgham sharanam gacchāmi. (bell & deep bow)
5. Contemplation and/or Prayer
Choose one or both of the below.
Option A: The Five Remembrances
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.
And yet, within this very karma,
The path of awakening unfolds.
By relying on the teachings of the Buddha,
The practice of the Dharma,
And the fellowship of the Sangha,
May awakening arise within the heart of Immeasurable Life and Light,
Revealing my true nature,
So that suffering is released,
And all beings are carried toward liberation. Namo Amida Buddha. (bell)
Option b. The Four Immeasurable Minds Prayer
Through the working of Great Compassion in their hearts,
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow;
May all never feel separated from universal understanding and love;
May all come to peace without too much attachment and too much aversion;
And live believing in the equality of all beings.
Namo Amida Buddha. (bell)
7. Chant the Juseige
The Juseige is the second of three Songs of Praise in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life. It recounts Bodhisattva Dharmakara’s vows of compassion and awakening, praising their depth and the power of the Primal Vow. If this is too difficult to chant this traditional Japanese version, then proceed to Step 8, Quiet Sitting Meditation.
Instructions:
- Place your hands in gassho (reverence), strike the bell, and chant one syllable at a time.
- For underlined words, chant with two beats; the second syllable is silent.
- Recite with an open, attentive heart, allowing the chant to connect you with the Buddha’s vows.
- Click here to listen to the Juseige chant on YouTube to learn them for daily home practice.
| Juseige Song of Compassion From Larger Sutra of Infinite Life, 1st century C.E., (Sanskrit) – Traditional Japanese version. Note: Each syllable is one beat, italicized syllables are 2 beats. With ending words with two syllables, The very last one is silent. Ex. ZOKU, the KU remain silent. (bell) BUSSETSU MURYO JUKYO GA GON CHO SE GAN HIS-SHI MU JODO 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 Rl 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 JUKI TEN KO ON PU GEN | I SHU 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) Choose one of the below. Buddha Name (Smarana) Chant (Sanskrit) OM NA MO A MI TA BHA YA YA (6x+) (3 bells & bow) Nembutsu Chant (Japanese) NAM AN DAM BU (6x+) (3 bells & bow) |
7. Buddha Name Recitations
If you skipped chanting the Juseige, then practice intoning either version of the Buddha Name chants below in Sanskrit, meditatively one syllable at a time, for 3 or 4 sets; each set is composed of 3 recitations. That is either 9 or 12 recitations.
“NA MO A MI DA BU DDHA”
“OM NA MO A MI TA BHA YA“
8. Quiet Sitting Meditation
Practice quiet sitting meditation, allowing the mind to settle and rest naturally. Sit on a zafu (meditation cushion) or a chair for 10–20 minutes. If you are new to meditation or have time constraints, begin with 5 minutes.
Guidance for Quiet Sitting (Beginners) with a Non-Dual (Advaya) Orientation
Posture
- Sit in a way that feels stable and relaxed.
- If sitting on a chair, place both feet flat on the floor.
- If sitting on a cushion, allow the knees to rest lower than the hips.
- Let the spine be upright without stiffness.
- Rest the hands comfortably in the lap or on the thighs.
- Allow the shoulders to soften and the chest to open naturally.
- Let the head balance gently, with the chin slightly tucked.
- The eyes may be open or closed. If open, keep a soft, unfocused gaze.
Settling the Mind
- There is nothing to fix or achieve.
- Allow the body to breathe naturally.
- Gently notice the sensation of breathing, wherever it is most vivid.
- When thoughts, sounds, or sensations arise, let them come and go.
- If attention wanders, simply return to the breath or to open awareness.
- Relax on the exhale, allowing the face and jaw to soften.
- At times, allow awareness to rest naturally, open and clear, without trying to change anything.
- Sit with kindness and simplicity.
9. Dedication
After the quiet sitting meditation, recite the following dedication with a sincere heart. Recall the Buddha’s example of compassion, and allow the fruits of the practice to be shared with family, friends, co-workers, the human and non-human worlds.
The Buddha gave his teachings for the good of many,
for the happiness of the many,
out of compassion for the world.
May the fruits of these practices
be shared with family, society, and with all sentient beings. (bell & bow)
10. Daily Life InTegration
Throughout the day, practice deep listening, mindful awareness, and kindness in daily activity. Entrusting in the dynamic working of the fulfilled Primal Vow, allow gratitude and compassion to arise naturally. As remembrance and expression, recite the Buddha Name, Namo Amida Buddha or the Buddha-Smarana, Om Namo Amitabhaya
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 the fruit of countless causes and conditions.
With gratitude, I receive this offering.
May this nourishment sustain body and mind
and support the path of awakening.
In thankfulness for this gift,
may compassion and wisdom naturally unfold
for the benefit of all beings.
Namo Amida Buddha
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