Sutras and Chants
Chanting is a part of Zen practice, of wholeheartedly using voice and body to practice in harmony, with your own body and with other voices. When chanting with others, pay attention to both blending your voice with others, yet expressing the fullness of the chant in your own breath and body.
SUTRA BOOK - Downloadable PDF
MORNING BELL CHANT
ALL: May the sound of this bell spread throughout the universe,
Making darkness bright,
relieving the three realms of suffering,
shattering swords.
May it bring all beings to enlightenment.
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EVENING BELL CHANT
ALL: Hearing the sound of the bell,
all thinking is cut off,
wisdom grows,
enlightenment appears,
confusion is left behind.
I vow to perceive true self and to save all beings.
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GATHA OF ATONEMENT
ALL: All evil karma ever committed by me since of old,
on account of my beginning-less greed, anger, and ignorance,
born of my body, mouth, and consciousness,
now I atone for it all.
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THE FOUR VOWS
ALL: Creations are numberless, I vow to free them;
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them;
Reality is boundless, I vow to perceive it;
The enlightened way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it.
SHI GU SEI GAN MON
(The Four Great Bodhisattva Vows in Japanese)
(Repeat 3 times)
SHU JO MU-HEN SEI GAN DO
BON NO MU-JIN SEI GAN DAN
HO MON MUR-YO SEI GAN GAKU õ
BUTSU-DO MU-JO SEI GAN JO õ
INCENSE OFFERING
(Three bells. When Teacher is in place to offer incense, chanting begins.]
ALL: In Gratitude we offer this incense to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time.
(Two bells. Teacher bows and raises incense.)
ALL: Teaching and living the way of awareness in the very midst of suffering and confusion, Shakyamuni Buddha, the Enlightened One, to whom we bow in gratitude.
(Two bells. Teacher bows and raises incense.)
ALL: Showing the way fearlessly and compassionately, the stream of ancestral teachers, to whom we bow in gratitude.
(One bell. Teacher bows, raises incense and returns to her/his place.)
GATHA ON OPENING THE SUTRA
ALL: The Dharma, incomp'rably profound and infinitely subtle,
is rarely encountered, even in millions of ages.
Now we see it, hear it, receive and maintain it.
May we completely realize the Tathagata's true meaning.
MEAL GATHA
ALL: First, seventy-two labors brought us this food;
we should know how it comes to us.
Second, as we receive this offering, we should consider
whether our virtue and practice deserve it.
Third, as we desire the natural order of mind to be free from clinging, we must be free from greed.
Fourth, to support our life we take this food.
Fifth, to attain our Way we take this food.
MAHA PRAJNA PARAMITA HEART SUTRA
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, doing deep prajna paramita,
Clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions,
Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
O Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form.
Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form.
Sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
O Shariputra, all dharmas are forms of emptiness: not born, not destroyed;
Not stained, not pure, without loss, without gain.
So in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, conception,
discrimination, awareness;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena;
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness;
No ignorance and no end to ignorance;
No old age and death, and no end to old age and death;
No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path;
No wisdom and no gain; no gain and thus the Bodhisattva lives prajna paramita
With no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear.
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is nirvana.
All past, present, and future Buddhas live prajna paramita,
And therefore attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Therefore know: prajna paramita is the great mantra, the vivid mantra,
The best mantra, the unsurpassable mantra.
It completely clears all pain. This is the truth, not a lie.
So set forth the Prajna Paramita Mantra,
Set forth this mantra and say:
Gate! Gate! Paragate! Parasamgate!
Bodhi svaha!
MERIT OFFERING
We dedicate the merit of chanting the Sutras
to the stream of Ancestral teachers,
to all the Women Ancestors whose names have been forgotten or left unsaid,
to Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, Roshi, and Sandra Jishu Angyo Holmes, Roshi; founders of the Zen Peacemakers,
to Rose Mary Myoan Dougherty, Sensei, our founding teacher, and her teacher Janet Jinne Richardson, Roshi.
And to our families and friends.
You are invited to name those who are in your thoughts and heart tonight ..... [pause for names of loved ones or events in our world]
[After pause]
For all victims of coronavirus, racial injustice, oppression, economic hardship, war, natural disaster and terror.
For those who are trapped in ignorance and hate.
For all who are in prison in body and in mind.
For all beings in the ten directions and the three times.
May all beings be free from suffering and enjoy happiness,
Realizing the Buddha Way.
IDENTITY OF RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE
(Version 1) by Shitou Xiqian
(õ - bell)
The mind of the Great Sage of India was intimately conveyed from west to east.
Among human beings are wise men and fools, but in the Way there is no northern or southern Patriarch.
The subtle source is clear and bright; the tributary streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion; to encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
õ Each and all, the subjective and objective spheres are related.
And at the same time, independent.
Related, yet working diff'rently, though each keeps its own place.
Form makes the character and appearance diff'rent; sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort.
The dark makes all words one; the brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their nature as a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, wind moves, water is wet, earth hard.
Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes the salt and sou'r.
Each is independent of the other; cause and effect must return to the great reality.
The words high and low are used relatively.
Within light there is darkness, but do not try to understand that darkness;
Within darkness there is light, but do not look for that light.
Light and darkness are a pair, like the foot before and the foot behind, in walking.
õ Each thing has its own intrinsic value and is related to everything else in function and position.
Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box and its lid.
The absolute works together with the relative like two arrows meeting in mid-air.
õ Reading words you should grasp the great reality.
Do not judge by any standards.
If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened:
Do not waste your time by night or day.
IDENTITY OF RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE
(Version 2) by Shitou Xiqian
(õ - bell; words in Bold one tone higher, words italicized one tone lower.)
õ The mind of the Great Sage of India
Is intimately conveyed west and east.
Among human beings are wise ones and fools
In the Way there is no teacher of north and south.
The subtle Source is clear and bright;
The branching streams flow in the dark.
To be attached to things is primordial illusion;
To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
õ All spheres, every sense and field
intermingle even as they shine alone,
Interacting even as they merge,
Yet keeping their places in expressions of their own.
Forms differ primally in shape and character
And sounds in harsh or soothing tones.
The dark makes all words one;
The brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their true nature
As a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, water is wet,
Wind moves and the earth is dense.
Eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell,
Tongue and taste, the sweet and sou'r.
Each independent of the other
Like leaves that come from the same root.
And though leaves and root must go back to the Source
Both root and leaves have their own uses.
Light is also darkness,
But do not move with it as darkness.
Darkness is light;
Do not see it as light.
Light and darkness are not one, not two
Like the foot before and the foot behind in walking.
õ Each thing has its own being
Which is not diff'rent from its place and function.
The relative fits the absolute
As a box and its lid.
The absolute meets the relative
Like two arrow points that meet in mid air. õ
Hearing this, simply perceive the Source,
Make no criterion.
If you do not see the Way,
You do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the way you draw no nearer,
Progress no farther.
Who fails to see this
Is mountains and rivers away.
Listen, those who would pierce this subtle matter:
Do not waste your time by night or day!
ENMEI JUKKU KANNON GYŌ
(Chant 3 to 9 times, increasing in tempo and volume)
KAN ZE ON
NA MU BUTSU
YO BUTSU U IN
YO BUTSU U EN
BUP PŌ SŌ EN
JŌ RAKU GA JŌ
CHŌ NEN KAN ZE ON
BŌ NEN KAN ZE ON
NEN NEN JU SHIN KI
NEN NEN FU RI SHIN
ENMEI JUKKU KANNON GYO (English) (õ - bell;)
Kanzeon!
One with the Buddha, ((õ)
Directly Buddha
Indirectly Buddha
One with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
Joyful, pure, eternal being!
Morning mind, Kanzeon. (õ-last verse only)
Evening mind, Kanzeon. (õ-last verse only)
Mind of this moment, Kanzeon. (õ-last verse only)
There is nothing but this.
SHŌ SAI MYŌ KICHIJŌ DHĀRANĪ
("Auspicious dharani for averting calamity")
(Chant 3 times*)
(õ) NO MO SAN MAN
DA MOTO NAN OHA
RA CHI KOTO SHA
SONO NAN (õ) TO JI
TO EN
GYA GYA
GYA KI GYA KI
UN NUN
SHIU RA SHIU RA
HARA SHIU RA HARA SHIU RA
CHISHU SA CHISHU SA
CHISHU RI CHISHU RI
SOWA JA SOWA JA
SEN CHI GYA
SHIRI EI SO MO KO
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part One) by Xinxin Ming
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who do not pick and choose.
When pref'rences are cast aside
the Way stands clear and undisguised.
But even slight distinctions made
set earth and heaven far apart.
If you would clearly see the truth,
discard opinions pro and con.
To founder in dislike and like
is nothing but the mind's disease.
And not to see the Way's deep truth
disturbs the mind's essential peace.
The Way is perfect like vast space,
where there's no lack and no excess.
Our choice to choose and to reject
prevents our see'ng this simple truth.
Both striving for the outer world
as well as for the inner void
condemn us to entangled lives.
Just calmly see that all is One
and by themselves false views will go.
Attempts to stop activity
will fill you with activity.
Remaining in duality,
you'll never know of unity
And not to know this unity
lets conflict lead you far astray.
When you assert that things are real
you miss their true reality.
But to assert that things are void
also misses reality.
The more you talk and think on this
the further from the truth you'll be.
Cut off all useless thoughts and words
and there's nowhere you cannot go.
Returning to the root itself,
you'll find the meaning of all things.
If you pursue appearances
you overlook the primal source.
Awak'ning is to go beyond
both emptiness as well as form.
All changes in this empty world
seem real because of ignorance.
Do not go searching for the truth
just let those fond opinions go.
Abide not in duality,
refrain from all pursuit of it.
Just let go now of clinging mind,
and all things are just as they are.
In essence nothing goes or stays.
See into the true self of things,
and you're in step with the Great Way,
thus walking freely, undisturbed.
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part Two) Xinxin Ming
But live in bondage to your thoughts,
and you will be confused, unclear.
This heavy burden weighs you down-
so why keep judging good and bad?
If you would walk the highest Way,
do not reject the sense domain.
For as it is, whole and complete,
this sense world is enlightenment.
The wise do not strive after goals,
but fools themselves in bondage put.
The One Way knows no diff'rences,
the foolish cling to this and that.
To seek Great Mind with thinking mind
is certainly a grave mistake.
From small mind come rest and unrest,
but mind awakened transcends both.
Delusion spawns dualities-
these dreams are merely flow'rs of air-
why work so hard at grasping them?
If there's a trace of right and wrong.
True-mind is lost, confused, distraught.
From One-mind comes duality,
but cling not even to this One.
When this One-mind rests undisturbed
then nothing in the world offends.
And when no thing can give offense,
then all obstructions cease to be.
If all thought-objects disappear
the thinking subject drops away.
For things are things because of mind,
as mind is mind because of things.
These two are merely relative
and both at source are Emptiness.
In Emptiness these are not two,
yet in each are contained all forms.
Once coarse and fine are seen no more
then how can there be taking sides?
The Great Way is without limit,
beyond the easy and the hard.
But those who hold to narrow views
are fearful and irresolute;
their frantic haste just slows them down.
If you're attached to anything,
you surely will go far astray.
Both gain and loss, and right and wrong-
once and for all get rid of them.
When you no longer are asleep,
all dreams will vanish by themselves.
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part Three) by Xinxin Ming
If mind does not discriminate,
all things are as they are, as One.
To go to this mysterious Source
frees us from all entanglements.
When all is seen with "equal mind,"
to our Self-nature we return.
This single mind goes right beyond
all reasons and comparison.
Seek movement and there's no-movement,
seek rest and no-rest comes instead.
When rest and no-rest cease to be, then even oneness disappears.
This ultimate finality's beyond all laws, can't be described.
With single mind one with the Way,
all ego-centered strivings cease.
Doubts and confusion disappear,
and so true faith pervades our life.
There is no thing that clings to us,
and nothing that is left behind.
All's self-revealing, void and clear
without exerting power of mind.
Thought cannot reach this state of truth
here feelings are of no avail.
In this true world of Emptiness
both self and other are no more.
To enter this true empty world,
immediately affirm "not-two."
In this "not-two" all is the same,
with nothing separate or outside.
The wise in all times and places
awaken to this primal truth.
The Way's beyond all space, all time,
one instant is ten thousand years.
Not only here, not only there,
truth's right before your very eyes.
Distinctions such as large and small
have relevance for you no more.
The largest is the smallest too--
here limitations have no place.
What is is not, what is not is-
if this is not yet clear to you,
you're still far from the inner truth.
One thing is all, all things are one,
know this and all's whole and complete.
When faith and Mind are not separate,
and not separate are Mind and faith,
this is beyond all words, all thought.
For here there is no yesterday,
no tomorrow, no today.
SONG OF ZAZEN
by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1758)
All beings by nature are Buddha,
as ice by nature is water;
apart from water there is no ice,
apart from beings no Buddha.
How sad that people ignore the near
and search for truth afar,
like someone in the midst of water
crying out in thirst,
like a child of a wealthy home
wandering among the poor.
Lost on dark paths of ignorance
we wander through the six worlds;
from dark path to dark path we wander,
when shall we be freed from birth and death?
For this the zazen of Mahayana
deserves the highest praise:
offerings, Precepts, Paramitas,
Nembutsu, atonement, practice,
the many other virtues
all rise within zazen.
Those who try zazen even once
wipe away immeasurable crimes.
Where are all the dark paths then?
The Pure Land itself is near.
Those who hear this truth even once
and listen with a grateful heart,
treasuring it, revering it,
gain blessings without end.
Much more, if you turn yourself about,
and confirm your own self-nature,
self-nature that is no nature,
you are far beyond mere argument.
The oneness of cause and effect is clear,
not two, not three, the path is straight;
with form that is no form,
going and coming never astray
with thought that is no thought,
singing and dancing is the voice of the Law.
Boundless and free is the sky of Samadhi,
bright the full moon of wisdom,
truly is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes,
this very place is the Lotus Land,
this very body the Buddha.
METTA SUTRA
(Karaniya Metta Sutra or Discourse on Loving Kindness)
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature,
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state,
Let none through anger or ill will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will,
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.
HOMAGE TO THE GREAT WIDE BUDDHA
From the Hwa Yen Sutra, Kwan Um
If you wish to understand thoroughly all buddhas past, present and future,
You should view the nature of the universe as mind alone.
No time, no space, perceiving the universe, all minds one mind,
connected, with emptiness as the string; nothing unconnected.
One with "just this," Buddha of infinite life.
One infinite time infinite space Buddha.
The blue mountain of many ridges is the Buddha's home.
The vast ocean of many waves is the palace of stillness.
Be with all things without hindrance.
Few can see the crane's red head atop the pine tree.
Become one; infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Sitting quietly in a mountain temple in the quiet night,
Extreme quiet and stillness is original nature.
Why then does the western wind shake the forest?
A single cry of winter geese fills the sky.
Become one: infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Vowing openly with all world beings,
Entering together Amita's ocean of great vows,
Continuing forever to save sentient beings,
You and I simultaneously attain the Buddha way.
Become one: infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Great love, great compassion, Amita Buddha.
THE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THE TRUE MIND By Chinul
Zen stops all naming and verbalizing.
If even one name is not established, how could there be many names?
And yet, when responding to feelings and adapting to potentials, there are indeed many names.
Sometimes it is called the Self, because it is the basic essence of a living being.
Sometimes it is called the True Eye, because it mirrors all appearances.
Sometimes it is called the Wondrous Mind, because its open awareness shines serenely.
Sometimes it is called the Host or Master, because it has been carrying the burden all along.
Sometimes it is called the Bottomless Bowl, because of living life wherever one may be.
Sometimes it is called the Stringless Harp. because its melody is beyond the present.
Sometimes it is called the Inexhaustable Lamp, because its illumination breaks through deluded feelings.
Sometimes it is called the Rootless Tree, because the root and stem are firm and strong.
Sometimes it is called a Razor-Sharp Sword, because it cuts through senses and objects.
Sometimes it is called the Land of Effortlessness, because the ocean is peaceful and the rivers clear.
Sometimes it is called the Pearl of the Sage, because it rescues the poor and the destitute.
Sometimes it is called the Keyless Lock, because it locks up the six senses.
It is also called the Clay Ox, the Wood Horse, the Mind Source, the Mind Seal, the Mind Mirror, the Mind Moon, the Mind Pearl.
There are too many diff'rent names to note them all; if you arrive at the true mind, all names are clear. If you are ignorant of this true mind, all names hang you up. Therefore be careful when investigating True Mind.
VOW FOR AWAKENING by Dahui Zonggao
Our deepest prayer is to be firm in our determination to give ourselves completely to the Buddha’s Way,
So that no doubts arise however long the road seems to be.
To be light and easy in the four parts of the body;
To be strong and undismayed in body and in mind;
To be free from illness and drive out both depressed feelings and distractions;
To be free from calamity, misfortune, harmful influences and obstructions;
Not to seek the Truth outside of ourselves, so we may instantly enter the right way;
To be unattached to all thoughts that we may reach the perfectly clear bright mind of Wisdom.
And have immediate enlightenment on the Great Matter.
Thereby we receive the transmission of the deep wisdom of the Buddhas.
To save all sentient beings who suffer in the round of birth and death.
In this way we offer our gratitude for the compassion of the Buddhas and ancestors.
We offer this to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and mahasattvas of the past, present and future in the ten directions, and to the maha prajna paramita.
PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE Jack Kornfield
I offer my gratitude for the people, animals, plants, insects, creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, and for all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day.
I offer my gratitude for the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me.
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the blessings of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the Sangha and for all sentient beings.
THE DIAMOND SUTRA - QUESTIONS
~ Bell * Soft Bell and Gatz
1. ~ Though all the sentient beings to be delivered by me are innumerable and without limit, / in reality, / there are no sentient beings to be delivered. Why? *
2. ~ When the Buddha speaks of great universes/ does he have in mind any definite idea? *
3. ~ Is this true for the words Buddha and Dharma? *
4. ~ Should a disciple strive to attain Buddhahood? *
5. ~ How is it possible to explain this sutra without ideas of things and dharmas? *
6. ~ Should a Bodhisattva make an assertion / such as "I have entered the stream?" *
7. ~ Because of his virtue / will Buddha be reborn either in this world or any other world? * ~
8. ~ Is there anyone who is a fully enlightened one? *
9. ~ If there is no distinction between one's own self and the selfhood of others, / how do we practice kindness? *
10. ~ Is there any merit for acts of kindness? *
11. ~ What does it mean to say there is no such thing as supreme-perfect-wisdom / and that the Buddha does not teach any fixed dharma? *
12. ~ What does it mean to say the Buddha has come or has gone? *
13. ~ Why does the Buddha use words and ideas in his teachings? *
14. ~ Has the Buddha given us any definite teaching in this sutra? *
Q: "Like a meteor, A: like darkness,
as a flickering lamp an illusion,
like hoar frost, or a bubble,
like clouds, a flash of lightening,
or a dream, So all conditioned existence is to be seen.”
THE DIAMOND SUTRA - ANSWERS
1. Because should there exist in the minds of Bodhisattvas / arbitrary conceptions of phenomena / such as the existence of one’s self / or the self of another / or selfness as divided into beings / or selfness as united into one universal self, existing eternally/ they would be unworthy to be called Bodhisattvas.
2. No. When the Buddha uses he words great universes / he does not assert any definite idea. /
He merely uses the words as words.
3. There are no Buddhas and there are no dharmas.
4. No. That would mean the disciple is striving to attain something limited. / as in perfect supreme wisdom; / but true Buddhahood, whose essence is identical with the essence of all things, / is inconceivable / and beyond all striving.
5. This sutra can only be explained / by keeping the mind in perfect oneness and tranquility.
6. No. Because / he has not entered anything / nor has his mind entered any idea /
such as form, sound, taste, odor, or touch.
7. No. / There will be no rebirth / either in this world / or in any other world. / It is because he knows this / the Buddha is called a Buddha.
8. No. Should a disciple cherish in his mind an idea such as / "I have become enlightened," / he would soon be grasping after things /such as his own selfhood. / or other selves / or a universal self.
9. We practice kindness / by giving not only objective gifts / but the selfless gifts of kindness and sympathy.
10. Bodhisattvas never seek merit / nor look upon kind acts as private possessions / but as the common possessions of all animate beings.
11. This means Bodhisattvas are not enlightened by any fixed teaching / but by an intuitive process / that is spontaneous and natural.
12. This means the Buddha is never coming from anywhere / nor is he going anywhere. / The name Buddha is merely a word.
13. The Buddha uses words and ideas in his teachings / in resemblance to a raft, / of use only to cross a river. / As a raft is of no use after the river is crossed, / it should be discarded. / So too ideas about things should be given up as one attains enlightenment.
14. No. The Buddha has not given us any definite teaching in this sutra.
Q: "Like a meteor, A: like darkness,
as a flickering lamp an illusion,
like hoar frost, or a bubble,
like clouds, a flash of lightening,
or a dream,
ALL: So all conditioned existence is to be seen.
LIBERATION FROM ALL OBSTRUCTIONS Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi
In the presence of Sangha, in the light of Dharma, in oneness with Buddha,
May my path to complete enlightenment benefit everyone.
In this passing moment, karma ripens and all things come to be.
I vow to affirm what is:
If there’s cost, I choose to pay.
If there’s need, I choose to give.
If there’s pain, I choose to feel.
If there’s sorrow, I choose to grieve.
When burning, I choose heat.
When calm, I choose peace.
When starving, I choose hunger.
When happy, I choose joy.
Whom I encounter, I choose to meet.
What I shoulder, I choose to bear.
When it’s my birth, I choose to live.
When it’s my death, I choose to die.
Where this takes me, I choose to go.
Being with what is, I respond to what is.
This life is as real as a dream; the one who knows it cannot be found;
and truth is not a thing, therefore I vow to choose THIS Dharma entrance gate!
May all Buddhas and Wise Ones help me live this vow.
FIVE REMEMBRANCES
Upajjhatthana Sutra ("Subjects for Contemplation")
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.
EVENING GATHA
Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken, awaken
Take heed, this night your days are diminished by one
Do not squander your life.
MAKA HANNYA HARAMITA SHINGYO
(Heart Sutra -Japanese) (õ - bell;)
Kan ji zai bo sa gyo jin han-nya ha-ra-mi-ta ji
sho ken (õ) go on kai ku do is sai ku yaku.
Sha ri shi shiki fu I ku ku fu I shiki
shiki soku ze ku ku soku ze shiki.
Ju so gyo shiki yaku bu nyo ze.
Sha ri shi ze sho ho ku so
Fu sho fu metsu fu ku fu jo fu zo fu gen ze ko ku chu
Mu shiki mu ju so gyo shiki mu-gen ni bi ze- shin
I mu shiki sho ko mi soku ho mu-gen kai nai shi mu I shiki kai
Mu mu-myo yaku mu mu-myo jin.
Nai shi mu ro shi yaku mu ro shi jin
mu ku shu metsu do mu chi yaku mu toku I mu sho toku ko.
Bo dai sat ta. E han-nya ha-ra-mi-ta (õ) ko
shin mu kei ge mu kei ge ko Mu u ku fu
on ri is-sai ten-do mu so ku-gyo ne-han.
San ze sho butsu e han nya ha-ra-mi-ta (õ) ko
Toku a noku ta ra san myaku san bo-dai.
Ko chi han-nya ha-ra-mi-ta. Ze dai shin shu. Ze dai myo shu
Ze mu jo shu Ze mu to do shu No jo is-sai ku Shin jitsu fu ko
Ko setsu han-nya ha-ra-mi-ta shu soku setsu shu watsu
Gya tei gya tei (õ) ha ra gya tei hara so gya tei (õ)
Bo-ji so wa-ka Han -nya shin -gyo.
THE LAST INSTRUCTIONS OF MACHIG
Machig Labdron (1055-1149) Tibet
Once discursive thoughts are totally abandoned
Dharmakaya is no other than that.
Once the five poisons are totally abandoned
The five wisdoms are no other than that.
Once the three poisons are totally abandoned
The three kayas are no other than that.
Once conventional mind is totally abandoned
Buddhahood is no other than that.
Once samsara is totally abandoned.
Nirvana is no other than that.
Once mental agitation is totally abandoned
Skilled means are no other than that.
Once emptiness is totally abandoned
Discriminating wisdom is no other than that.
Once mind is totally abandoned
Fearsome places are no other than that.
Once virtue and non-virtue are totally abandoned
Gods and demons are no other than that.
Once the six consciousnesses are totally abandoned
The six classes of being are no other than that.
Once the eight consciousnesses are totally abandoned
The eight armies of demons are no other than that.
Once wandering thoughts are totally abandoned
Magical displays are no other than that.
Once discursive thoughts are totally abandoned
The practice of Zen is no other than that.
Once mindfulness is achieved
The level of final accomplishment is no other than that.
Once the ultimate nature of the mind is realized
The definitive sign of realization is no other than that.
This mind of ours is empty and clear
Like the depth of space
Like the passing of a bird in the sky
Right now you have the opportunity.