Heart Sutra Japanese Pronunciation Guide (a bit irreverent)

[Mp]

Oh, I just noticed a funny one .... top picture, third column from left, three from botton ... Sa ... the sound of a dog peeing.

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

LOL

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Meitou]

Hou sounds like cheek in Japanese.

Gassho, J

StLah

Hah that makes more sense. Thank you Jundo.
Gassho
Frankie
Satwithyoualltoday /lah

[Troy]

I recently found this Heart Sutra ceremony on youtube done at a Soto Zen temple. I found it interesting because of rituals.

https://youtu.be/De15EaR_irk

Sat2day

[Jundo]

I recently found this Heart Sutra ceremony on youtube done at a Soto Zen temple. I found it interesting because of rituals.

https://youtu.be/De15EaR_irk

Ah, this is the Morning Service at Sojiji ... an amazing, beautiful ballet performed daily for hundreds of years. There are other like ceremonies at other times of the day, and for special events too. What fancy footwork! Of course, so many smaller temples perform a simpler and smaller ritual each morning.

Here are some notes on the content:

This is the "Morning Service"　(朝課 Choka) at Sojiji Head Monastery. It is said the ceremony has been performed without missing a morning for the 700 years of Sojiji.

It starts with 荒神諷経（こうじんふぎん）Kojin Fugin, Sutra Chanting for the Protective Guardian of the Three Treasures (Sambo Kyojin) ... D.T. Suzuki explains ...

Of the many protecting gods of Buddhism the following may be
counted as belonging more or less exclusively to Zen, and they have
each his or her own special quarter where they perform their several
official duties for Buddhism. ...

Sambo Kojin seems to be a Japanese mountain god in the form of
an Indian god. He is found outside the temple buildings. As the
monasteries are generally located in the mountains this god who is
supposed to preside over such districts, is invited to have his
residence in the grounds so that he would be a good protector of the
Brotherhood against the inimical influence of evil spirits.

It begins with the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingo) and Dedication (Eko), then (from 9:10) the "tendoku" ritual reading of the 600-fascicle Large Prajña Paramita Sutra (Dai Hannya Kyo). Tendoku ritual reading involves shouting the title and volume number of the sutra, then quickly flipping through the sutra book itself. The purpose is a bit esoteric, much like the belief that simply praising the name of a Sutra equals the merit of reading the whole Sutra.

(From 11:00) the Protective Deity Dharani (Kojin Shingon ... Onken Baya Ken Baya Un Batta So Wa Ka ... don't ask what it means, for the sound is the power more than the meaning now lost ... and it derives from esoteric Buddhism ... ) followed by Eko ...

Sanbokojin was considered to be the same as Kenbaya, which was a deity of earthquakes ... The etymology of Kenbaya was "Kampa" (seismic wave) in Sanskrit.


Next portion (from 16:45) is 伝灯諷経 (Dento Fugin ... Sutra Chanting for the Transmission of the Lamp) for all the ancestors from India, China etc. That consists of the Sandokai (Relative & Absolute) and Eko then (from 20:20) the Names of the Ancestors & Eko then (from 24:35) at a very slow rhythm picking up toward the end, the Daihishin Dharani (Great Compassionate Heart Dharani, sometimes called Daihishû ) ...

http://web.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/translations/gongyo_seiten/translations/part_1/daihishu.html

see also

http://www.izauk.org/multimedia-archive/daihi-shin-darani/

... and (from 34:30) Eko with Prostrations to Founders Ancestors of Sojiji (御両尊諷経・五院尊諷経)...

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/translations/gongyo_seiten/translations/part_2/morning_service/kaisan_rekiju_fugin.html

You can see the Master visit the mortuary tablets for the dead at 37:45. Then Eko.

Then (from 40:00) Mortuary Hall Sutra Chanting (Shido Fugin 祠堂諷経) for deceased monks with chanting of Verse of the Life Span of the Tathâgata Chapter of the Lotus Sutra (Juryôbon ge) ...

http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/eng/practice/sutra/pdf/02/a05.pdf

http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/eng/practice/sutra/pdf/01/07.pdf

finishing at 45:45 with a nice 3 Bows (Sanpai). All retire.

At Treeleaf, minimalists that we are, and with much less emphasis on ritual, our little Ceremonies are all that in a nutshell ... the universe in a grain of sand ... the tendoku summarized even more simply, down to just the "ten" ... to the "one."

Gassho, J SatTodayLAH

[Troy]

Heart Sutra Japanese Pronunciation Guide (a bit irreverent)

Thanks Jundo! I thought you might know more about it. I have seen monks flip through sutra books before and wondered what it meant. It would be cool to attend a traditional ceremony one day for the experience, but our minimalist ways here at Treeleaf are definitely more my style.


Sat2day

[Heisoku]

May have to replace my version!
Love the pictograms. It's amazing to see the whole teaching in these ways! Sound and vision.

Gassho Heisoku
S2D/LAH

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Seishin]

Dear Frankie
You can download the pdf and print it. I've got a copy on the wall above where I sit.
Thank you for enjoying it.

Gassho
Heisoku
Sattoday/LAH

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Great image Heisoku and lovely idea to have this visible at all times. Have downloaded and will look for a frame today and hang it in my den/office/music studio/Zendo room where I sit, above the PC screen where I "attend" Zazenkai.

As much as I like our English version and now chant it daily, to me there is something oddly more spiritual listening to the Japanese version. Don't know why just something I feel, maybe its something in dem bones at last.

SZIZTM

[Seishin]

Great image Heisoku and lovely idea to have this visible at all times. Have downloaded and will look for a frame today and hang it in my den/office/music studio/Zendo room where I sit, above the PC screen where I "attend" Zazenkai.

As much as I like our English version and now chant it daily, to me there is something oddly more spiritual listening to the Japanese version. Don't know why just something I feel, maybe its something in dem bones at last.

SZIZTM

Please note I do not sit above my PC screen as I've yet to master levitation.

[Heisoku]

Please note I do not sit above my PC screen as I've yet to master levitation.

I'm glad you enjoy it. I found it amazing that the whole of the teachings can fit inside a 5x 4 frame, although we know they are endless and whole right in front of us anyway!
BTW I still can't remember it in Japanese, but love it's rythmn and sound.
Gassho Heisoku
S2D/LAH

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[Seishin]

BTW I still can't remember it in Japanese, but love it's rythmn and sound.

Heisoku

I think I'll take the same approach as I did with our English version one line at a time. Stick with that line until its ingrained and move on to the next. Get the 2nd line "phrase" under your belt, then add to the 1st. Wash rinse repeat. I know this will take a heck of a time to master but reckon its good practice.............would still like a French version of the Treeleaf HS but loathed to use google translate and my grammar's pants!

SZIZTM

[Heisoku]

Heisoku

I think I'll take the same approach as I did with our English version one line at a time. Stick with that line until its ingrained and move on to the next. Get the 2nd line "phrase" under your belt, then add to the 1st. Wash rinse repeat. I know this will take a heck of a time to master but reckon its good practice.............would still like a French version of the Treeleaf HS but loathed to use google translate and my grammar's pants!

SZIZTM

Hi Seishin-do

Good idea one line at a time.
Perhaps Blue Mountains white Clouds Hermitage has a French translation? Or put out a call to all Treeleafers!

Gassho Heisoku
S2D/LAH

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Meitou]

Dear Frankie
You can download the pdf and print it. I've got a copy on the wall above where I sit.
Thank you for enjoying it.

Gassho
Heisoku
Sattoday/LAH

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Yes, I've downloaded it and like Toby I'm looking for a suitable frame. I think I'll also put a copy on the front of my Treeleaf liturgy folder, thank you again.
Gassho
Frankie
satwithyoualltoday/lah

[Souchi]

Here is a French translation of the Heart Sutra. It's from the sutra book of one of the French AZI temples. Don't know how close it is to the Treeleaf translation, though, since my French is not that good...

IMG_20171119_124149.jpg
IMG_20171119_124030.jpg
IMG_20171119_124042.jpg

Gassho,
Stefan

SatToday

[Hoyu]

Wow, that mush have been a considerable amount of work to create this pronunciation guide! That will surly help A LOT of people who want to learn the Japanese version or just to be able to follow along during those times it’s chanted during Zazenkai. Well appreciated, thank you Jundo

*edit*
Sat Today

[Seishin]

Here is a French translation of the Heart Sutra. It's from the sutra book of one of the French AZI temples. Don't know how close it is to the Treeleaf translation, though, since my French is not that good...

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]4777[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]4778[/ATTACH]

Gassho,
Stefan

SatToday

Many thanks Stefan, even if its miles away from our Treeleaf version, it will come from the same heart (no pun intended folks).

STMIZ