Updated Gongyo

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Permalink Reply by Kanani on May 26, 2008 at 1:48pm

Interestingly when a friend of mine gave me his dog "CUJO".. Cujo had been severly beaten and mistreated. My friend picked him up on the side of the road and thought that my kids could use a new playmate... when Cujo first came into my home, he was somewhat agressive and at times cowering... as I would chant, he would slowly creep up towards the altar (many times napped behind me)... eventually he came to sitting right next to me soon as the bell rang. It became the talk of the SGI in Corpus, because...... if you were a member, Cujo led you straight to the altar.... if you were NOT a member, YOU COULDN'T ENTER the home unless one of the boys or myself, allowed you in, and then, Cujo DID NOT leave YOUR side... He was our shoten zenjin for a long time and he healed very fast... he eventually left us one day and I know it was time for him to move on... YES... ALL LIVING BEINGS includes plants and animals and spiders and grasshoppers and snakes...etc...love your comment...nani

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Permalink Reply by chihiro on May 27, 2008 at 5:46am

hey dear buddhas,

I'm working on a small info sheet for our womensday here in in Amsterdam... explaining gongyo & daimoku... and though I know what they mean and though i do it everyday I'm having difficulty explaining why the hoben chapter & the juryo chapter are so important one needs to recite it everyday... what does is do...

I do it with pleasure... but .... yeah... I'm having difficulty putting it to words... And when I google "Why gongyo" I don't find any text on sgi sites... only introductions to slow gonyo which do not go into WHY

I know bits and pieces (translations) but I never read a full translation and if I would I would need an intensive course to fully grasp what is intended by it in its cultural context and everything...

hmmm... sounds stupid maybe... but the more i look into to it... the less -I find- I know... And the more the stuff that I know sounds like an empty explanation....

IS there somebody who can shed some light on to this matter

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Permalink Reply by Dan (site assistant) on May 27, 2008 at 9:21am

Hello, Chihiro

Patrick Matthews, a member of this SGIBuddhism group, once gave a great answer...Unfortunately can't remember it right now ;-D

For now, though, here in part is why we do gongyo from a May 14th, 2002 SGI memo:
___________________

FORM OF GONGYO

In a discussion about the format of gongyo with Soka Gakkai International and Soka Gakkai leaders, the following points were made:

The SGI standard for gongyo is the single recitation of the A and C portions of the sutra, plus the silent prayers and chanting of daimoku. If people want to recite five prayers in the morning and three in the evening in their own homes as their personal practice,
that is, of course, respectworthy
.
One of the questions asked was about the word gongyo, which means assiduous practice. One representative asked, "Now that we are doing A & C gongyo, is it appropriate to still call it gongyo, since it no longer seems so assiduous?" The history of gongyo was then discussed.

The Daishonin wrote about chanting daimoku and reciting portions of the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters. The format we are adopting does not mean that gongyo has been made less assiduous, or easier. What we’ve been calling the "full" gongyo of five and three sutra recitations originated with Nichiren Shoshu. The priests at one time would go to five different buildings on the head temple grounds to conduct gongyo. Later, instead of doing one prayer at each of five different locations, they did all five prayers in one place. For us, since we only do gongyo in one place, reciting the sutra portions once is natural and appropriate.

It was President Toda who suggested that we should adopt the practice of five and three recitations. Doing gongyo daily thus became a great tradition of the Soka Gakkai. Now, at the start of the 21st century, as more and more people have come to seek Nichiren Buddhism, the most important thing is to emphasize chanting daimoku. When people do A and C gongyo with abundant daimoku, that is certainly an assiduous practice.

Assiduous practice means that through doing gongyo,one actually polishes one’s life. What changes one’s life is not formality, but faith based on wholeheartedly chanting daimoku together with reciting the sutra. The benefit of performing the practice of gongyo comes from one's correct faith.

Not reciting the prose, or B section, of the "Life Span" chapter raises the question of whether part of the message or teaching is being left out. Actually, that is not the case. The verse, or C section, repeats the message contained in B. The last line of the prose section states: "At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form" (The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson, p. 229).

If one has time, it is more valuable to spend it chanting daimoku. the primary practice of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. There was a clear consensus among all the SGI representatives to adopt the new format of gongyo.

It was suggested that following A and C gongyo in the morning, we recite all five of the current silent prayers; and the second, third and fifth silent prayers at the end of evening gongyo.

Living Buddhism will publish an article in its June issue titled "An Examination of the History and Meaning of Daily Buddhist Practice (Gongyo)." The following excerpts on gongyo and daimoku were published in the May 2002 issue of Living Buddhism,
pp.8-9: In "The One Essential Phrase" Nichiren Daishonin explains the great power and benefit of the primary practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In other works where he elucidates his teachings, he explains the importance of reciting portions of the
"Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters of the Lotus Sutra. Together, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting portions of the Lotus Sutra comprise the primary and supplementary components of daily practice before the object of devotion, the Gohonzon.

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Permalink Reply by Dan (site assistant) on May 27, 2008 at 9:27am

(continued)

The following quotes from the Daishonin and SGI President
Ikeda address the importance of reciting the sutra.

"Though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible,
among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the 'Expedient
Means' chapter and the 'Life Span' chapter are
particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters are
all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two
chapters. Therefore, for your regular recitation, I
recommend that you practice reading the prose sections
of the 'Expedient Means' and 'Life Span' chapters."
("The Recitation of the 'Expedient Means' and 'Life
Span' Chapters," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
p. 71)

"I have written out the prose section of the
'Expedient Means' chapter for you. You should recite
it together with the verse portion of the 'Life Span'
chapter, which I sent you earlier." ("Reply to the Lay
Priest Soya," WND, 486)

"The Lotus Sutra represents the bone and marrow of all
the sacred teachings of the Buddha's lifetime, and the
verse section of the 'Life Span' chapter represents
the soul of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra.
The various Buddhas of the three existences look upon
the 'Life Span' chapter as their very life, and the
bodhisattvas of the ten directions likewise regard the
chapter?s verse section as their eyes." ("Letter to
Horen," WND, 516)

"In light of all this, we can say that each morning,
[when he recites the verse section of the 'Life Span'
chapter] the priest Horen is sending forth golden-hued
characters from his mouth. These characters are 510 in
number, and each character changes into a sun, and
each sun changes into a Thus Come One Shakyamuni. They
emit great beams of light that penetrate the earth and
shine upon the three evil paths and the great citadel
of the hell of incessant suffering." ("Letter to
Horen," WND, 517?18)

"As you know, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or the
daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, is termed the 'primary
practice' and reading or reciting the 'Expedient
Means' and 'Life Span' chapters is called the
'supplementary practice' or 'supporting practice'.

"... The benefit from carrying out the primary
practice is immense. When you also recite the
'Expedient Means' and 'Life Span' chapters, it has the
supplementary function of increasing and accelerating
the beneficial power of the primary practice. Our
basic way of gongyo is to chant daimoku as its primary
component and recite the 'Expedient Means' and 'Life
Span' chapters as the supplementary." (Lectures on the
"Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the
Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda, pp. 16 & 17)

"The primary practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism is
to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate truth of
the highest Buddhist teaching. Since we are carrying
out the supreme primary practice, anything less than
the highest supplementary practice would be of no help
at all.

"The supplementary practice the Daishonin chose is the
recitation of the 'Expedient Means' and 'Life Span'
chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the purpose of Shakyamuni
Buddha?s advent in this world. Of the sutra's
twenty-eight chapters, these two represent 'the
essence of the theoretical teaching' and 'the essence
of the essential teaching,' respectively.

"During the Daishonin?s time, as well, his followers
recited these two chapters." (Lectures on the
"Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the
Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda, pp. 18 &19)

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Permalink Reply by Saera on May 28, 2008 at 6:35am

Thank you so much for sharing that! It was very clarifying!

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Permalink Reply by Skoria on May 29, 2008 at 4:59am

Aside from what Dan has posted in reply to Chihiro, I'd add that to understand the importance of these two chapters you have to study the lotus sutra: these chapters we recite contain some of the most important concepts in it(10 worlds + 10 factors etc are in the last bit of hoben pon for example - the bit we recite 3 times). Another very important chapter is "emerging from the earth" which I think some Nichiren sects still recite (the nichiren shu?).

The full translation of the lotus sutra is online, and in print although we use the Burton Watson translation, and although it's best to study it in a group and read some of the commentaries on it too (like the ongi kuden - Nichiren's lectures on it, transcribed by Nikko: http://nichiren.info/OngiKuden/index.html) - here in the UK we have a publication that reviews some sections of the LS sometimes, so there may be similar stuff in your country. I say this because when I read it as a new member I didn't know the cultural context in which it was written and how the writings have been interpreted since then...

Still though - no history or reason why we have silent prayers. Anyone know where these came from originally?

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Permalink Reply by Dan (site assistant) on May 29, 2008 at 11:10am

History of Gongyo 2.... Hope this somewhat helps:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/gongyo/originofgon...

or:

http://sokaspirit.org/about/featured/gongyo2.shtml

The History of Gongyo (2)

During the time of Nicchin, the 12th high priest (1469- 1527) : The origin of 5 prayer format

“The five-prayer format of gongyo became formalized during the term of Nicchin, who served as high priest from 1482-1527” (Toryu gyoji sho ni manabu, p. 244). In his work On Reciting the Sutra at Each Temple, Nicchin indicates that morning and evening gongyo were conducted while making the rounds among various temples on the Taiseki-ji grounds. This was first recorded as having taken place on the evening of May 1, 1523, in which gongyo was conducted in the following manner:

Evening gongyo : May 1, 1523
At Hondo: Recite A, B, C, then, chant 100 daimoku
At Temmi-kyo: Recite A, B, C, then, chant 100 daimoku
At Miei-do: Recite A, B, C, then, chant 100 daimoku,
then recite B, C, B, C, B, C, B, C, and 300 daimoku

Morning gongyo: May 2, 1523
At Miei-do: Recite A, B, C, A, B, C, A, B, C, then chant 300 daimoku
At Tenmi-kyo: Recite A, B, C, then chant 100 daimoku
At Hon-do: Recite A, B, C, then chant 100 daimoku
At Miei-do: Recite A, B, C, then chant 100 daimoku
At Mutsubo(lodgings): [prayers for the deceased]

Whether this pattern of morning and evening gongyo was conducted every day is not clear. Nittatsu, the 66th Nichiren Shoshu high priest, suggested that “prayers of appreciation for the Gohonzon were offered at the Hondo, while prayers at the Miei-do were offered for gratitude to the Three Teachers and for the accomplishment of kosen-rufu, and during the outdoor prayer, appreciation was offered for the protection of the shoten zenjin, and furthermore, prayers for the deceased were offered at the priests' lodgings, and that this formed the basis for today's five-prayer format of gongyo”(Renge, July 1971, p.12).

During the time of Nissei, the 17th high priest (1600-1683): Origin of “one-site gongyo”

As noted, gongyo included reciting different parts of the sutra at several different buildings on the head temple. The change to “one-site” gongyo started during the tenure of Nissei, the 17th high priest. Nissei, however, is known for two major doctrinal errors: the first was the establishment of a statue of Shakyamuni as an object of devotion, and the second was the mandate that all Twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus sutra be recited during gongyo(*10). As mentioned above, this mandate directly contradicted the teachings of the Daishonin and of his great disciple Nikko Shonin who clearly specified the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters.

In 1631, some important buildings at the head temple burned to the ground. In the following year, Nissei built a new building called the “Daido,” which replaced the previous buildings. According to Nittatsu, “the practice of making the rounds among the various temples to perform gongyo was discontinued at that time”(p.42). Thus, one-site gongyo began.

During the time of Nichikan, the 26th high priest (1665-1726)

Interestingly enough, according to the historical documents, it was nearly 400 years after the passing of Daishonin, sometime between 1682 to 1719(*11) (between 23rd high priest Nikkei to 26th high priest Nichikan) that the practice of doing gongyo twice a day became an established practice at Taiseki-ji. In 1719, Nichikan sent a letter responding to a question from a lay believer in which he lists the form that gongyo was then carried out at the head temple. The following chart shows that format:

Gongyo at Taiseki-ji, in 1719
In the morning(between 2 and 4 a.m) [Silent prayers for:]
1. Recite A, B, C [Heavenly deities]
2. Recite A, A+, B, C [Gohonzon]
3. Recite A, B, C [Three teachers]
4

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Permalink Reply by Dan (site assistant) on May 29, 2008 at 11:21am

http://sokaspirit.org/about/featured/gongyo1.shtml

The History of Gongyo (1)

While the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the recitation of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters of the Lotus Sutra constitute an unchanging facet of Buddhist practice, the forms these practices have taken over time—including such details as the number of times the sutra is recited in the morning and evening, and the accompanying silent prayers that go with each recitation—were all established after the Daishonin’s death and have evolved with the times. In this article, let us review the history of gongyo based on the Nichiren Daishonin’s writings in order to deepen our understanding of our daily Buddhist practice.

First of all, the Daishonin never prescribed a specific format or number of repetitions of sutra recitation, although he did frequently write of the importance of reciting the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters of the Lotus Sutra. For example, in 1264, the wife of Daigaku Saburo(*1) wrote to the Daishonin and told him that she was reciting the “Medicine King” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In replying to her, he recommended that she recite both the “Expedient Means” and the “Life Span” chapters instead: “Therefore, for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practice reading the prose sections of the ‘Expedient Means’ and ‘Life Span’ chapters”(WND p. 71).

Eleven years later in 1275, the Daishonin composed a letter to Soya Kyoshin (*2) stating: “I have written out the prose section of the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter for you. You should recite it together with the verse portion of the ‘Life Span’ chapter, which I sent you earlier” (WND, p. 486).

Although we are not sure which prose section of the “Expedient Means” chapter the Daishonin meant here, as there are more than one in the chapter, the important thing is that he once again recommended the recitation of the these two chapters.

Further, in a 1276 letter to Matsuno Rokuro Saemon(*3) , the Daishonin states: “In your letter you write: ‘Since I took faith in this sutra, I have continued to recite the ten factors of life and the verse section of the ‘Life Span’ chapter and chant the daimoku without the slightest neglect’”(WND, p. 755-756). Here, “ten factors” refers to that part of the “Expedient Means” chapter that the SGI recites in gongyo; just as the words verse section of the ’Life Span’ chapter” correspond to that part of the chapter that the SGI also recites. These are the parts of the Lotus Sutra that the SGI used to refer to as “Section A” and “Section C” of gongyo.

Daishonin’s disciples and their practice

In 13th century Japan, not many people(*4) were able to read kanji, the Chinese characters into which the Lotus Sutra was translated into from Sanskrit. Therefore, the Daishonin sent letters to his literate disciples such as Toki Jonin(*5) and Shijyo Kingo(*6) , and asked them to read them to many other disciples. Furthermore, and unlike most other Buddhist priests of his day, the Daishonin often used the common language of the time (Hiragana, or Japanese phonetic characters) in his letters, so that as many of his followers as possible could read them.

Among the Daishonin’s disciples, many were farmers and common people such as the famous three brothers of Atsuhara Village(*7) . Their practice probably only consisted of chanting daimoku, since they could not read the Lotus Sutra. Obtaining a copy of the Lotus Sutra was expensive and very difficult, so it seems most unlikely that they would have had such a copy.
In fact, it seems likely that most disciples relied solely on chanting daimoku as their primary practice. At any rate, the Daishonin certainly stressed the importance of chanting daimoku as the primary practice.

In 1277, Nichiren Daishonin wrote a letter to Matsuno Rokuro Saemon: As I have been saying for some time, in your situation as a lay believer, you should just single-mindedly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo morning and evening, day and night” (WND p. 843).

A year later, in 1278, the Daishonin wrote to the lay nun Myoho(*8) : “The Heart of the Lotus Sutra is its title, or the daimoku, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Truly, if you chant this in the morning and evening, you are correctly reading the entire Lotus Sutra.” (WND p.923)

The Atsuhara brothers must have chanted daimoku single-mindedly to fight as they did against governmental authority and to have been willing to sacrifice their lives for their beliefs. Although they probably did not recite the Lotus Sutra, they were examples of true disciples. Indeed, it was their strong faith and courageous actions that eventually led to the Daishonin inscribing the Dai-Gohonzon for the sake of people throughout the world.
After the Daishonin passed away, Nikko Shonin wrote in his treatise, “On the Betrayal of the Five Senior Priests (Gosho Zenshu, p.1614),” that it was wrong to advocate that practitioners recite all the chapters of the Lotus Sutra. He insisted that followers of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism should simply recite the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters, as Daishonin instructed. Nikko Shonin also emphasized the importance of “chanting five character of daimoku.” Clearly, as a true disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin believed that one should chant daimoku as the primary practice.

During the time of Nichiu, the 9th high priest (1402-1482)

In Taiseki-ji(*9) the format of gongyo evolved over centuries and was modified with the changing of the times. In a record of 9th high priest Nichiu's words and behavior entitled Various Accounts of the Teacher Nichiu (Essential Teachings of the Fuji School, vol. 2, p. 140), there is reference to performing gongyo three times each day. The times at which these gongyo services were performed seems to have been between the hour of the dragon and the hour of the snake (between 8 and 10 a.m.), at the hour of the horse (around noon) and during the hour of the dog (around 8 p.m.). In addition, in the same document, we find record of the content of what is referred to as “morning gongyo”—possibly ushitora gongyo, the early morning gongyo ceremony conducted at the head temple between the hour of the ox (ushi) and the tiger (tora) [between around 2 and 4 a.m.]. Moreover, priests at that time moved from building to building on the head temple grounds to conduct each recitation of the sutra:
The format of morning gongyo around 1480

At Godo(Main Temple):
1. Facing toward morning sky Recite A, B, C
2. Facing Gohonzon Recite A, A+, B, C

At Mieido(Image Temple):
3. Facing statues of the Three Teachers (Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin and Nichimoku Shonin) Recite A, B, C

When doing gongyo at Bo( lodging ),the format was different: Step 1 & 2 only



Notes
Throughout this article, each section of the gongyo indicated with following alphabetic symbols:

A: “Expedient Means” chapter (through the ten factors)
A+ : “Expedient Means” chapter (including the long prose portion)
B : “Prose” section of “Life Span” chapter
C : “Verse” section of the “Life Span” chapter

*1.Hiki Daigaku Saburo Yoshimoto (1202-1286): An official teacher of Confucianism to the kamakura shogunate in Japan. It is said that Yoshimoto converted to Nichiren”s teachings upon reading a draft of Nichiren’s treatise On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land. He and his wife both become strong believers.

*2.Soya Kyoshin (1224-1291): Also known as the lay priest Soya or Kyoshinbo. A follower of Nichiren who lived in Shimosa Province, Japan.

*3.A follower of Nichiren Daishonin who lived in the village of Matsuno in Ihara District of Suruga Province, Japan. His daughter married Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro,the father of Nanjo Tokimitsu. Matsuno converted to Nichiren’s teachings through his relationship with the Nanjo family. (For more detail, see The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p.397)

*4.Generally, aristocrats, priests and samurai had a very high literacy rate in Kanji. Recent studies, however, show that literacy in Kanji among other groups in society may have been somewhat higher than previously understood. For example, a court document from the Kamakura period, submitted by farmers, was prepared in Kanji. Some believe that both the Kanji literacy rate and skills in math both improved toward the end of Kamakura period. (Matsuura, Yoshinori. Fukuiken-shi, Vol.2)

*5.Toki Jonin (1216-1299): A lay follower of Nichiren who lived in Wakamiya, Katsushika District of Shimosa Province, Japan. Toki became Nichiren’s follower around 1254.He served as a retainer to Load Chiba. While Nichiren was in exile on Sado from 1271 through 1274, Toki Jonin and Shijo Kingo, served as a rallying point for his followers. (For more detail, see The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p.747)

*6.Shijo Kingo (c.1230-1300): A follower of Nichiren who lived in Kamakura, Japan. A Samurai retainer. Kingo was well versed in both medicine and the martial art. (For more detail, see The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p.588-589)

*7.Three followers of Nichiren who were arrested and beheaded during the Atsuhara Persecution. They were brothers named Jinshiro, Yagoro, and Yarokuro, farmers in Atsuhara Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province, Japan. (For more detail, see The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p.713-714).

*8.Lay nun Myoho lived in Okamiya in Suruga Province, Japan. She asked Nichiren whether one can attain enlightment by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone.

*9.The head temple of Nichiren Shoshu, located in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Founded by Nikko (1246-1333) in 1282. (For more detail, see The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p.650-651).

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Permalink Reply by Anna on August 5, 2008 at 12:30pm

Do you have a copy of the old liturgy book (prior to the changes)? I have been looking for it but I cannot find anything on the internet or used bookstores.

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