Live simply with gratitude, peace,
joy and compassion.
The following daily
practices are recommended for all Brevard County Buddhist Fellowship’s friends and interested parties. We highly
encourage you to diligently practice them on a daily basis so that your life can manifest its potential for peace, gratitude,
harmony and compassion. The Buddha said that the mind is a creator; it paints your reality like a artist paints a portrait.
Your mind's portrait is the life you are leading right at this moment. Through the practice of daily observances, you
can transform your inner reality and “paint” a new life, full of liberation, peace and joy, thereby positively
transforming your life and the world you live in.
Moreover, these practices
serve as daily reminders of our highest spiritual values like Going for Refuge in the Three Jewels and the Shin Affirmation;
in addition, they serve as opportunities to deeply hear the primordial call of Boundless Life and Light itself via these
spiritual values, quiet sitting meditation and chanting the Juseige. Finally, the
Observance ends with the voicing of the nembutsu, as the direct and living manifestation of the Oneness of reality, which
is regarded as the embodiment of the Three Jewels and is the consolidation Noble Eightfold Path. Refer to our What is Shin Buddhism? web page and Becoming a Buddhist on the Buddhist Faith Fellowship's
web site for detailed information on the Buddhist lifestyle and beliefs.
Copy and
print the following Daily Observance for your personal use. Please read the suggested
steps and modify them if needed.
I. Face shrine, nembutsu scroll or Buddha image
a. Palms in gassho (in reverence) with mallas
(meditation beads) wrapped around hands. Sit in chair or cushion.
b. Ring bell (three times and then bow) while you do this follow your breathe mindfully.
II. The
Candle & Incense Offering
Do
one or both of the following:
a. 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)
b. 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)
III. Recite the Five Remembrances (optional)
“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.
By relying on the
compassion of Buddha,
The wisdom of the Dharma,
And the fellowship
of Sangha.
May I realize my true
nature
And liberate other
beings from suffering. (bell & bow)
III. Going for
Refuge in the Three Jewels
(This
fundamental practice allows us to entrust ourselves to life’s highest universal
values)
I take refuge in the Buddha. May I absorb myself
in the living source of understanding,
faith
and compassion, and awaken to the boundless Pure Land
here and now.
(bell & bow)
I take refuge in the Dharma. May I be submerged in
the depths of the Teachings and Reality-as-it-is, and gain wisdom as deep as the ocean. (bell
& bow)
I take refuge in the Sangha. May I live in harmony with all beings,
united with the disciples of Buddha, in the spirit of universal oneness and freed from the bondage of selfishness. (bell & bow)
Iv. Recite the Shin Buddhist Affirmation.
Calling out her Sacred
Name,
I shall pass through
the journey of life with strength and joy.
Revering the Light
of Buddha,
Reflecting upon my
imperfect self,
I shall proceed to
live a life of gratitude.
Following the Teachings
of Buddha,
Listening to the wholesome
Path,
I shall share the Dharma
with all.
Rejoicing in the compassion
of Buddha,
Respecting and aiding
all sentient beings,
I shall work towards
the welfare of society and the world. (bell & bow)
V. Zen meditation if time permits. Practice meditation to help generate inner silence so you
can deeply hear the call of Boundless Life and Light as the Nembutsu-Namu-Amida-Butsu.
Sit on a zafu (meditation pillow) or chair for 10-20 minutes.
VI. Chant the Juseige & Nembutsu
(These chants are viewed as a meditation
to hear the primordial calling of Life itself beckoning us to spiritually awaken to Immeasurable Life & Light, symbolized
as Amida Buddha)
Juseige Chant
Song of Praise
The Juseige is the
second of three gathas (Songs of Praise) in the primary sutra of Shin Buddhism, The
Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life. This sutra passage recounts Chapter 8 of this mythical Sacred Story, in which the Bodhisattva
Dharmakara promises to embark on a quest for enlightenment and then makes 48 Vows to the Buddha Lokes-vararaja. After declaring
these vows he praises these vows with this gatha (poem).
Instructions: Put your hands in gassho and strike the bell and
begin to chant one syllable at a time. The underlined words are chanted with 2 beats and the second syllable is not pronounced.
