Kai kyoo Ge, or the Poem of opening Sutra
Kai Kyoo Ge
Kai means to open, and Kyoo means Sutra, and Ge means a poem. Therefore Kai Kyoo Ge means the Poem of opening Sutra. And when we want to begin the Buddhist lecture, we usually recite the Poem of opening Sutra loudly by both the lecturer and the audience together with joining hands.
So we would like to maintain the same traditional habit in Dogen Sangha too.
(pronunciation)
mujoo jinshin mimyoohoo hyaku, sen, man goo nansoguu
ga kon kenmon toku juuji gan ge nyorai shinjitsu gi
(meaning)
mujoo means the highest, and jinshin means very profound. mimyoo means delicate and fine.
And hoo means originally Dharma, and so Gautama Buddha's teachings, or the Rule of the Universe.
hyaku means hundreds, sen means thousnds, man means tens of thousands, and goo means Kalpa, or a limitlessly long age, therefore hyaku, sen, man goo means hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of limitlessly long age. And nan means very difficult, and sooguu means to meet. Therefore the meaning of the whole line is it is very difficult for us to meet Buddhism even though we pass hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of limitlessly long time.
ga means we, and kon means now. kenmon means to look at and heard, and toku means have been able, and juuji means to have received and maintain. So the line means that now we have been able to meet them fortunately.
And gan means sincerely to hope, and ge means to understand. And nyorai means a person, to whom Reality has come, that is, Gautama Buddha, and shinjitsugi means the true meaning.
Therefore the meaning of the four lines are Gautama Buddha's teachings are the highest, profound, delicate and fine criterion, which is very difficult for us to meet. But we have met and listened to it fortunately, and so we sincerely beg to understand the Gautama Buddha's teachings wholeheartedly.
Kai means to open, and Kyoo means Sutra, and Ge means a poem. Therefore Kai Kyoo Ge means the Poem of opening Sutra. And when we want to begin the Buddhist lecture, we usually recite the Poem of opening Sutra loudly by both the lecturer and the audience together with joining hands.
So we would like to maintain the same traditional habit in Dogen Sangha too.
(pronunciation)
mujoo jinshin mimyoohoo hyaku, sen, man goo nansoguu
ga kon kenmon toku juuji gan ge nyorai shinjitsu gi
(meaning)
mujoo means the highest, and jinshin means very profound. mimyoo means delicate and fine.
And hoo means originally Dharma, and so Gautama Buddha's teachings, or the Rule of the Universe.
hyaku means hundreds, sen means thousnds, man means tens of thousands, and goo means Kalpa, or a limitlessly long age, therefore hyaku, sen, man goo means hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of limitlessly long age. And nan means very difficult, and sooguu means to meet. Therefore the meaning of the whole line is it is very difficult for us to meet Buddhism even though we pass hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of limitlessly long time.
ga means we, and kon means now. kenmon means to look at and heard, and toku means have been able, and juuji means to have received and maintain. So the line means that now we have been able to meet them fortunately.
And gan means sincerely to hope, and ge means to understand. And nyorai means a person, to whom Reality has come, that is, Gautama Buddha, and shinjitsugi means the true meaning.
Therefore the meaning of the four lines are Gautama Buddha's teachings are the highest, profound, delicate and fine criterion, which is very difficult for us to meet. But we have met and listened to it fortunately, and so we sincerely beg to understand the Gautama Buddha's teachings wholeheartedly.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 11:05 AM
3 Comments:
Hello Roshi,
I wonder your opinion about use of the "Chant to Close the Teachings," which I do not recall you used in your lectures (although I think it is used quite often in Sotoshu). It is the one which is ...
Ji ho san shi i shi fu
Shi son bu sa mo ko sa
Mo ko ho ja ho ro mi
Which, I believe, is sometimes translated:
May the merit of this practice penetrate
Into each thing in all places.
So that we and every sentient being
Together can realize the Buddha Way.
Also, you often teach that all we need practice is our Zazen, and you disapprove of other schools which emphasize chanting such as Nembutsu. You also do not emphasize many traditional chanting ceremonies of the Sotoshu, such as Fusatsu, Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo, Sho Sai Myo Kichijo Dharani and others. Why do you approve of the Verse of the Kesa, Meal Chants, Kai Kyoo Ge, but not those?
Thank you, Roshi.
Jundo
Gassho, Judno
For Zushi San
What you have asked me is called [The Ten Buddhas Names.]
shin jin pashin birushaanoofu
The very pure universal body of Vairocana
enmon hooshin rushanofu
Concretely manifested body of Vairocana
senpai kashin shikya muni fu
Thousands, or tens of billion individual bodies of Shakyamuni Buddha
toorai asan mirusonfu
Maitreya Buddha, who will come down in future
jihoo sanshi iishifu
The whole miscelaneous Buddhas in ten directions at past, present, and future
daijin myoohoo haringakin
Lotus Sutras in Mahaya Buddhism
daishin bunjusuri busa
The great Bodhisattva Manjusri
daijin fuen busa
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra in Mahayana
daihi kanshi-in busa
Greatly benevolent Bodhisttva Avalokitesvara
shison busa mokosa
Miscellneously reverent Bodhisattva, and Mahasattva
moko hoja horomi
With Maha Prajna-paramita
For jundocohen San
At the end of my Buddhist lectutres I usually recited Fuekoo, or the general presence of benevolence to all living beings, and I will explain it in the next blog.
I noticed that what you indicated in your question manifests the short words, which are recited for example at the end of Avalokitesvara Sutra, and the translation, which you showed after the short words meight be the translation of Fuekoo, or the general presence of benevolence to all living beings.
Generally speaking, I do not like to criticize other Buddhist schools openly, but at the same time I would like to simplify many kinds of traditional chantings into what Master Dogen permitted us to do.
The reason, why I recommend the four kinds of chantings in Dogen Sangha, comes from that eating meals, wearing Kashaya, having Buddhist lectures, and presenting benevolence to others, are very important in our daily life.
For Michael San
We can say that to practice Zazen is all in Buddhism.
Sutras are discription of Buddhist teachings, chants are almost nothing to Buddhism, among traditions some are valuable, some are not valuable.
Therefore it is impossible for us to think that they are all upaaya, but some parts are true Buddhism, and some parts do not have any relation with Buddhism.
In Shobogenzo Bendowa, Master Dogen describes that "After the inicial meeting with [good] counselor we never need again to need burn incense, to do prostrations, to recite Buddhist name, to practice confession, to read sutras. Just sit and get the state which is free of body and mind."
In the case of upaaya, it means methods, which are related with Buddhism, but in cases of reciting sutras, monastic rules, tradition, and so forth they do not have sometimes any relation with Buddhism at all.
For Zushi San
As you know I have studied Buddhism almost only relying Master Dogen's thoughts, and so I think that you might suggest Master Daio Kokushi, who was called Nanpo Shomyo , who belonged to Rinzai Sect, but I am very sorry that I do not know him almost at all.
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