At home liturgy

[Onki]

When I get up in the morning before I sit I do a few things: light the candle on the altar, light incense, chant The Heart Sutra, sit, and chant All Buddhas to close.

I was wondering if there is a proper way of doing these things or if there is a specific order. What would I do for the evening sitting? How do you build an at home liturgy?

Gasshō,

On

Sat today


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shinshi]

Hi Onki,

There is thread on this topic here that you might find useful.

RECOMMENDED 'At Home' Liturgy

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Onki]

Hi Onki,

There is thread on this topic here that you might find useful.

RECOMMENDED 'At Home' Liturgy

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

Thank you, Shinshi! I’ll have a look [emoji846]

Gasshō,

On

Sat today

[Tokan]

Thank you, Shinshi! I’ll have a look [emoji846]

Gasshō,

On

Sat today

Hey Onki

Yeah I'd have to agree with Shinshi here. I don't use anything outside of the treeleaf chant book or the at home liturgy. I do the short service most days and the long one once or twice a week, with the vows and verse of atonement, metta and so on. I am trying to recite the sutra opening and closing verses when I read or listen to a buddhist podcast too, treating more of life with sacredness. Many years ago I had a copy of the 'Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives', which is very detailed and has specific services throughout the day, much like an Anglican or Catholic practice, and they were lovely practices at Throssel Hole Priory as I'm sure Seiko can attest. I'm slowly reading the Gyoji and Eihei Shingi to learn more about all of the aspects of monastic/community life but don't expect to implement them all. Interesting thought though Onki, I'm sure we all have our quirks in this regard.

As always, please take my comments with a grain of salt or less, and certainly not as an attempt at teaching Zen, I only share what I know which is nothing (not a zen pun by the way!)

Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[Jundo]

When I get up in the morning before I sit I do a few things: light the candle on the altar, light incense, chant The Heart Sutra, sit, and chant All Buddhas to close.

I was wondering if there is a proper way of doing these things or if there is a specific order. What would I do for the evening sitting? How do you build an at home liturgy?

Gasshō,

On

Sat today

I am glad that folks pointed out the "RECOMMENDED 'At Home' Liturgy'" postings ... as there is much information, and many good things recommended there.

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?193-RECOMMENDED-At-Home-Liturgy

But what you describe sounds lovely, Onki ... candle, incense, Heart Sutra, sit, and, at the end, I guess you mean "All Buddhas throughout space and time ... "

As to "proper order" ... if you are in a temple or monastery or Zen Center, then do things the way of that temple or monastery or Zen Center. When at a Treeleaf Zazenkai, we do things the Treeleaf Zazenkai way ... when to bow, how to hold the Incense, etc.

But at home, I think it fine to do things in just a respectful way, and do not worry so much about "proper order" or "proper way." That is especially true for our general members. You can also learn from our Treeleaf Zazenkai and adapt from there what resonates and suits your home ritual.

Of course, Onki, as you are a brand new priest-in-training here at Treeleaf, I hope that in the coming months you will learn our "Treeleaf way" of undertaking our little rituals, and will adapt what you do at home accordingly.

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

PS -

Many years ago I had a copy of the 'Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives', which is very detailed and has specific services throughout the day, much like an Anglican or Catholic practice, and they were lovely practices at Throssel Hole Priory as I'm sure Seiko can attest.

Every Sangha has its own way. The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives did seek to blend Soto Zen with Anglican high church ways, so they developed their very unique ways. San Francisco Zen Center has their way, a big temple in Japan has their way ... We have our way. All good ways, same but different ... different yet the same.

[Onki]

Yes I will definitely model my morning practice off of Treeleaf’s Zazenkai.

Thank you [emoji1431]

Gasshō,

On

Sat today

[Seiko]

How do you build an at home liturgy?

Many years ago I had a copy of the 'Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives' ... they were lovely practices at Throssel Hole Priory as I'm sure Seiko can attest.

Hi Onki & Hi Tokan,
Sure, any of us that have old habits from previous temples (it feels like a previous life!) have to set them aside. We are not in those places any more.
The more I walk the Treeleaf Way, the more I get from it, the more precious it feels.

It's great to be here.

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[Tokan]

Hi Onki & Hi Tokan,
Sure, any of us that have old habits from previous temples (it feels like a previous life!) have to set them aside. We are not in those places any more.

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

You are so right Seiko, though even after all these years I still have the 'songs of THP' in my head. I don't engage with it, I just treat them kindly as part of how I came to be here.

Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[joshr]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to toss one more question into this mix: I didn't see the verse of the robe in the Treeleaf Chant Book. With rakusu sewing kicking off this week, I wanted to learn it in Japanese for the second verse of the daily recitation. Could anybody point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Gassho,
Joshua

Sat this morning at 0-dark-and-ugly.

[Bion]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to toss one more question into this mix: I didn't see the verse of the robe in the Treeleaf Chant Book. With rakusu sewing kicking off this week, I wanted to learn it in Japanese for the second verse of the daily recitation. Could anybody point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Gassho,
Joshua

Sat this morning at 0-dark-and-ugly.

Hi, Josh, please have a look here: About the Verse of the Kesa (Takkesa Ge)

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=15740&share_tid=20703&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etreeleaf%2Eorg%2Fforums%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D20703&share_type=t&link_source=app

[emoji1374] Sat

[joshr]

Hi, Josh, please have a look here: About the Verse of the Kesa (Takkesa Ge)

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=15740&share_tid=20703&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etreeleaf%2Eorg%2Fforums%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D20703&share_type=t&link_source=app

[emoji1374] Sat

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for!

Gassho,
Joshua

Sat this morning

[michaelw]

If you want the full Soto Shu liturgy you can find it here

https://www.sotozen.com/eng/practice/sutra/scriptures.html

We obviously only use a reduced version but always handy to know what the full version is.
For home liturgy I include Heart Sutra, Sandokai and Precious Mirror Samadhi.

Gassho
MichaelW

satlah

[Jundo]

If you want the full Soto Shu liturgy you can find it here

https://www.sotozen.com/eng/practice/sutra/scriptures.html

We obviously only use a reduced version but always handy to know what the full version is.
For home liturgy I include Heart Sutra, Sandokai and Precious Mirror Samadhi.

Gassho
MichaelW

satlah

Frankly, I think that the "official" Soto Shu liturgy is awfully clunky in its translations. I know of almost no Sangha in the West that uses it as is.

In the end, these are all translations, interpretations, of originally Chinese-Japanese writings, sometimes Sanskrit, which are open to a variety of ways of expression. There is nothing particularly more reliable about the Soto-shu versions and, in fact, many other versions around are more artful and well done, in my view. None are perfect, many are lovely and true.

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

[Anthony]

On the topic of chants, I was looking at the Treeleaf Chant book and particularly at the English translation of Heart Sutra used at Treeleaf which I find beautiful. I noticed that we spell the name of the Boddhisatva "Avolokitesvara" rather than "Avalokitesvara" which is the spelling I am familiar with. It truly doesn't matter at all to me how it is spelled so I hope this doesn't come across as pedantic, I was just curious if we pronounce that initial "o" in the chant rather than like an "ah" sound?

Gasshō, Anthony.
Sat today, Lah.

[Jundo]

On the topic of chants, I was looking at the Treeleaf Chant book and particularly at the English translation of Heart Sutra used at Treeleaf which I find beautiful. I noticed that we spell the name of the Boddhisatva "Avolokitesvara" rather than "Avalokitesvara" which is the spelling I am familiar with. It truly doesn't matter at all to me how it is spelled so I hope this doesn't come across as pedantic, I was just curious if we pronounce that initial "o" in the chant rather than like an "ah" sound?

Gasshō, Anthony.
Sat today, Lah.

After 16 years ... you found a typo!

Among Kannon's 1000 eyes ... yours are the first to notice. Hah!

Well, I will fix it in our online version for now.

Gassho, Jundo

stlah