Questions about Buddhist liturgy
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is Buddhist liturgy and what does it involve?
Buddhist liturgy is a formalized service of veneration and worship performed within Buddhist Sangha communities across nearly every traditional denomination. It typically involves chanting or reciting sūtras, mantras, and dhāraṇīs, singing verses of praise to Buddhist deities and figures, and performing offering and repentance rites. Services are almost always conducted before an object of veneration, accompanied by offerings of light, incense, water, or food, and may be performed at a temple or at home.
Who compiled the Zhujing Risong Jiyao and why?
The Zhujing Risong Jiyao was compiled by the eminent monk Yunqi Zhuhong (1535-1615), the Eighth Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land tradition. He created it after discovering that a widely circulated liturgical manual contained false scriptures; he used that manual as a foundation, removing erroneous material and inserting correct scriptures and mantras. The compiled text was later reprinted and re-edited by Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655), the Ninth Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land tradition.
What is the difference between the zaoke and wanke in Chinese Buddhist liturgy?
The zaoke is the morning service and the wanke is the evening service of the Chinese Buddhist daily liturgy, collectively called the zhāo mù kè sòng. The zaoke includes the Śūraṅgama mantra, the Ten Small Mantras, the Heart Sūtra, and the Ten Great Vows of Bodhisattva Puxian. The wanke alternates between the Amitābha Sūtra on odd-numbered evenings and the Eighty-eight Buddhas Repentance Ceremony on even-numbered evenings, and always includes the Mengshan Shishi food bestowal ritual for hungry ghosts.
Where does the word gongyō come from?
The word gongyō originated in ancient China and first appeared in the Taoist classic Zhuang Zi, where it meant assiduous or hard and frequent walking and practice. The philosopher Zhuangzi derived it from Laozi's Tao Te Ching. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Chinese Buddhist philosophers borrowed the term from Taoist literature, and it traveled with Buddhism to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
How has Soka Gakkai International gongyō changed over time?
SGI gongyō originally followed the format of Nichiren Shoshu, then in the 1970s silent prayers were added for the Soka Gakkai's success and in memory of its first two presidents, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda. The most recent format revision was in 2015 and the full sutra recitation portion now takes approximately five minutes, leaving more time for the primary practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Who was Yinguang and what liturgical text did he produce?
Yinguang (1862-1940) was the Thirteenth Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land tradition and the founder of the Honghua Society. In 1937, the Honghua Society published the Risong Jingzhou Jianyao Keyi, or Concise Rituals for the Daily Chanting of Sūtras and Mantras, under his direction.