Liturgy, ritual..
Kotishka
Veteran
The closest liturgy I’ve ever followed was the Hare Krishna puja. I attended these regularly for about 4–5 months back in Berlin. Another experience was attending a Tibetan Buddhist group meditation session, though there was only a simple incense offering near some photos by the altar.
Now, the closest thing to that is me chanting the Heart Sutra before zazen, early in the morning.
What’s your experience with chanting? Does it ever feel a bit off to you? I find that my relationship with this sutra sometimes reminds me of the Pure Land schools — Recite and you will be saved! It’s a kind of critical view I hold toward it. But maybe, the more accustomed you become to chanting, the more you’re also letting go of other habits?
Could it be that it works?
I light a candle,
burn some incense.
Chant, sit.
Peace!
Comments
My experience with prayer, I say short ones before meditation sessions, meals and going to bed and I've had periods in my practice where I'd spend 30-40 minutes daily saying set prayers more than meditation.
I think they take affect in the mind, slowly adjusting motivation and outlook. Something like how doing anything else on the regular might. The Dalai Lama says something regarding prayer about how its important to pay attention to the words and take them in otherwise you might as well just play a tape recorder.
For example, my meditation prayer that I recite 3 times is "Until enlightenment I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Through the merits of this practice may I free my mind from greed, hatred and ignorance so I may be of benefit to beings". I got into Buddhism just to sort my own stuff out, and I still search for peace and insight for personal reasons. But when I think about any spiritual qualities I may possess its almost always in relation to how it can be of benefit to those I come into contact with in my life.
I’ve never really said any prayers. In the Osho communes where I grew up there was no such thing, although during a certain period there was the public chanting of the gauchhami’s. So I didn’t really grow up with the concept of prayer. So in fact I’ve never participated in ritual worship.
long live amitabu......the great japan buddha in the mudra hand bowl serves all.
i love you now red buddha of the west of rest the sun of sunyata.
all things is possible in the unity of emptyness and form or samsara is nirvanna
and ty my lord his bodhistva dog p of shakimooni. you son living a sunny day in his purland mother earth. mu example, pure mu, impure mu.
prayer...long live the buddhas of the birds,bees,people and good earth.