Dharma Rain

(The Sutras and Shastras used in this service are based on the Translation Compilation copyright Soto Shumucho 1997. Slight modifications to accomodate chant style were done by Dharma Rain Zen Center.)

 

How great, the robe of liberation!

A formless field of benefaction.

Wrapping ourselves in Buddha's teaching

We free all living beings.

 

Chant Leader Alone -

"Harmony of Difference and Sameness"*

[Single syllable words are usually one beat. Multi-syllable words usually get one beat per syllable. However, when two syllables are on one beat, they are connected by an underline. When a "*" or a "+" appears in the text, it means a gong is sounded.]

All Together - (reading down the first column, then over to the second column)

 
The mind of the great sage of In•di•a is
in•ti•mate•ly trans•mit•ted from west to east.
While hu•man fa•cul•ties are sharp or dull,
the Way has no nor•thern or sou•thern an•ces•tors.
The True source shines clear in the light; the
branch•ing streams flow on in the dark.
Grasp•ing at things is sure•ly de•lu•sion;
ac•cor•ding with same•ness is still not enligh•ten•ment.
* All the ob•jects of the sen•ses in•ter•act
and yet do not.
In•ter•act•ing brings in•volve•ment.
Oth•er•wise, each keeps its place.
Sights var•y in qual-i•ty and form, sounds
dif•fer as pleas•ing or harsh
Re•fined and com•mon speech come to•
geth•er in the dark, Clear and mur•ky phra•ses are distin•guished in the light.
The four el•e•ments re•turn to their
na•tures just as a child turns to its mo•ther;
Fire heats, wind moves, wa•ter wets,
earth is so•lid.
Eye and sight, ear and sound, nose and
smell, tongue and taste;
 
Thus with each and eve•ry thing,
de•pen•ding on these roots, the leaves spread forth.
Trunk and bran•ches share the es•sence
re•vered and com•mon, each has its speech.
In the light there is dark•ness, but
don't take it as dark•ness;
In the dark there is light, but don't
see it as light.
* Light and dark op•pose one an•o•ther
like the front and back foot in walk•ing.
Each of the myriad things has its
mer•it, ex•pressed ac•cord•ing to func•tion and place.
Phe•nom•ena ex•ist; box and lid fit;
prin•ciple res•ponds; ar•row points meet.
* Hea•ring the words, un•der•stand the mean•ing;
don't set up stand•ards of your own.
If you don't un•der•stand the Way right be•fore you,
how will you know the path as you walk?
Pro•gress is not a mat•ter of far or near, but
if you are con•fused, moun•tains and riv•ers block your way.
+ I re•spect•ful•ly urge you who stu•dy the
mys•tery, do + not pass your days and nights in vain.

 

 

Chant Leader Alone - "The Precious Mirror Samadhi"*

 

All Together - (reading down the first column, then over to the second column)

 
The dhar•ma of thus•ness is in•ti•mate•ly
trans•mit•ted by budd•has and an•ces•tors;
Now you have it; pre•serve it well.
A sil•ver bowl filled with snow; a he•ron hid•den
in the moon.
Tak•en as sim•i•lar, they are not the same;
Not dis•ting•uished, their pla•ces are known.
The mean•ing does not re•side in the
* words, but a pi•vo•tal mo•ment brings it forth.
Move and you are trapped; miss and you fall
in•to doubt and va•cil•la•tion.
Turn•ing a•way and touch•ing are both wrong,
for it is like mas•sive fire.
Just to por•tray it in lit•erar•y form is to stain it
with de•file•ment.
In dark•est night it is per•fect•ly clear;in the light
of dawn it is hid•den.
It is a stan•dard for all things; its use re•moves
all suf•fer•ing.
'Though it is not con•struct•ed, it is not
be•yond words.
Fac•ing a pre•cious mir•ror; form and re•flec•tion
be•hold each o•ther.
You are not it, but in truth it is you.
Like a new•born child, it is ful•ly en•dowed with
five as•pects:
No go•ing, no com•ing, no aris•ing,
no a•bid•ing;
A ba•by bab•bles is an•y•thing said or not?
In the end it says no•thing, for the words are
not yet right.
In the Illum•ina•tion hex•a•gram,appar•ent
and real in•ter•act,
Stacked togeth•er they be•come three, the
per•muta•tions make five,
Like the taste of the five fla•vored herb, like the
five pronged va•jra.
Won•drously em•braced with•in the real,
drum•ming and sing•ing be•gin to•ge•ther.
Pen•etrate the source and trav•el the
path•ways; em•brace the ter•rito•ry and trea•sure the roads.
You would do well to re•spect this; do
not ne•glect it.
Na'•tral and won•drous, it is not a mat•ter
of delu•sion or en•light•en•ment.
 
With in cau•ses and condi•tions, time and
sea•son,it is ser•ene and illu•min•a•ting.
So mi•nute it ent•ers where there is no gap, so
vast it tran•scends all di•men•sion.
Just a hair's breadth's dev•i•a•tion,and you are
out of tune.
Now there are sud•den and gra•du•al, so
teach•ings and ap•proa•ches a•rise.
With these mat•ters dis•tin•guished, each
has its stand•ard,
Mast•ered or not, re•al•ity con•stant•ly flows.
Out•side still and in•side trem•bling, like
teth•ered colts or cow•er•ing rats,
The an•cient sa•ges grieved for them, and
of•fered them the dhar•ma.
Led by their in•vert•ed views, they take black for
white.
When invert•ed think•ing stops,the af•firm•ing
mind na•t'rally ac•cords.
If you want to fol•low in the anc•ient tracks,
please ob•serve the sa•ges of the past.
One on the verge of real•izing the Bud•dha
Way con•templated a tree for ten long kal•pas,
* Like a bat•tle scarred ti•ger, like a horse
with shanks gone gray.
Be•cause some are vul•gar, jewel•ed ta•bles
and or•nate robes;
Be•cause some are wide eyed, cats and white
ox•en.
With a great arch•er's skill one can hit the mark
at a hund•red yards,
* But ar•rows meet•ing head on, how could it
be a mat•ter of skill?
Wood•en man starts to sing; Stone wo•man
gets up danc•ing.
It is not reached by feelings or
con•scious•ness, how could it in•volve de•lib•era•tion?
Min•is•ters serve their lords, chil•dren o•bey
their par•ents;
Not obey•ing is not fil•i•al, fail•ure•to serve
is no help.
+ With prac•tice hid•den, fun•ction se•cretly,
like a fool, like an i•di•ot;
+ Just to do this con•tinu•ously is
called the host with•in the host.

 

 

 

 

Chant Leader -

We offer the merit of this recitation of "The Harmony of Difference and Sameness" and "The Precious Mirror Samadhi" in gratitude, to:

 

All together - (reading down, then over)

* Bi bashi butsu Dai osho,

* Shiki butsu Dai osho,

* Bi shafu butsu Dai osho,

* Kuru son butsu Dai osho,

* Kuna gon muni butsu Dai osho,

* Kasho butsu Dai osho,

* Shakya muni butsu Dai osho,

Maka ka shyo Dai osho,

Anan da Dai osho,

Shona wa shyu Dai osho,

Ubaki kuta Dai osho,

Dai taka Dai osho,

Mi shaka Dai osho,

Bashu mitsu Dai osho,

Butsu da nan dai Dai osho,

Fuda mit ta Dai osho,

Bari shiba Dai osho,

Funa ya sha Dai osho,

Ana bo tei Dai osho,

Kabi mora Dai osho,

* Na gyaa ra jyuna Dai osho,

Kana dai ba Dai osho,

Rago rata Dai osho,

So gya nan dai Dai osho,

Kaya shya ta Dai osho,

Kumo rata Dai osho,

Shy yata Dai osho,

Ba shyu ban zu Dai osho,

Manu ra Dai osho,

Kaku ro kuna Dai osho,

 

Shishi bodai Dai osho,

Bashya shita Dai osho,

Funyo mi ta Dai osho,

Hann ya tara Dai osho,

* Bodai daruma Dai osho,

Tai so Eka Dai osho,

Kanchi Sosan Dai osho,

Daii Do shin Dai osho,

Daiman Ko nin Dai osho,

* Dai kan Eno Dai osho,

Seigen Gyoshi Dai osho,

Seki to Kisen Dai osho,

Yaku san Igen Dai osho,

Un gan Don jo Dai osho,

* To zan Ryo kai Dai osho,

Un go Do yo Dai osho,

Do an Do hi Dai osho,

Do an Kan shi Dai osho,

Ryo zan En kan Dai osho,

Dai yo Kyo gen Dai osho,

Tosu Gisei Dai osho,

Fuyo Do kai Dai osho,

Tanka Shi jyun Dai osho,

Cho ro Sei ryo Dai osho,

Ten do So kaku Dai osho,

Set cho Chikan Dai osho,

* Ten do Nyojo Dai osho,

* Ei hei Do gen Dai osho,

Ko un Ej o Dai osho,

Tetsu Gikai Dai osho,

 

*Kei zan Jo kin Dai osho,

Mei ho So tetsu Dai osho,

Shu gan Do chin Dai osho,

Tetsu zan Shi kaku Dai osho,

Kei gan Ei sho Dai osho,

Chuzan Ryo hun Dai osho,

Gisan To nin Dai osho,

Sho gaku Ken ryu Dai osho,

Kinen Ho ryu Dai osho,

Tei shitsu Chi sen Dai osho,

Kokei Sho jun Dai osho,

Ses so Yu ho Dai osho,

Kai ten Genju Dai osho,

Shu zan Shun sho Dai osho,

Cho zan Sen yetsu Dai osho,

Fuku shu Kochi Dai osho,

Mei do Yu ton Dai osho,

Haku ho Gen tekki Dai osho,

Ges shu So ko Dai osho,

* Man zan Do haku Dai osho,

Gek kan Gi ko Dai osho,

Dai yu Es sho Dai osho,

Ke gon So kai Dai osho,

Sho un Tai zui Dai osho,

Nichi rin Togo Dai osho,

Son no Kyo do Dai osho,

So gaku Rei do Dai osho,

Dai shun Ben gyu Dai osho,

Koho Haku gun Dai osho,

* Kei do Chisan Dai osho,

* Ho un Ji yu Dai osho,

Chant Leader Alone -

We pray that we may be able to show our gratitude to the Four Benefactors, rescue all beings in the Three Worlds and make the Four Wisdoms perfect together with all living things.

We pray that this sangha may prosper and all misfortune cease.

All Chant Together:

• All Buddhas throughout space and time,
• All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas, mahasattvas,
• Wisdom beyond wisdom, Maha Prajna Paramita.

 

 

Chant Leader Alone -"Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra"*

 

All Together - (reading down, then over)

A•va•lo•ki•tesh•var•a Bodhi•sat•tva, when deep•ly pract•ic•ing praj•na para•mi•ta, clear•ly saw that all five ag•gre•gates are emp•ty and thus re•lieved all suf•fer•ing.

Shari•pu•tra, form does not differ from emp•ti•ness, emp•ti•ness does not differ from form. Form it•self is emp•ti•ness, emp•ti•ness it•self form. * Sen•sa•tions, per•cep•tions, for•ma•tions, and conscious•ness are al•so like this.

Shari•pu•tra, all dhar•mas are marked by emp•ti•ness; they nei•ther a•rise nor cease, are nei•ther de•filed nor pure, nei•ther in•crease nor de•crease.

There•fore, given emp•ti•ness, there are no forms, sen•sa•tions, per•cep•tions, for•ma•tions, or conscious•ness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, bo•dy, or mind; no sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or ob•jects of mind; no realm of sight, and so forth, down to no realm of mind conscious•ness.

 

There is nei•ther ig•nor•ance nor ex•tinc•tion of ig•nor•ance, and so forth, down to nei•ther old age and death, nor ex•tinc•tion of old age and death; no suf•fer•ing, no cause, no ces•sa•tion, no path; no know•ledge and no at•tain•ment.

* With no•thing to at•tain, a Bodhi•sat•tva re•lies on praj•na para•mi•ta, and thus the mind is without hind•rance. Without hind•rance, there is no fear. Far be•yond all in•ver•ted views, one real•i•zes nir•va•na.

All Bud•dhas of past, pres•ent, and fu•ture re•ly on praj•na para•mi•ta and there•by at•tain un•sur•passed, com•plete, per•fect en•light•en•ment.

There•fore, know the praj•na para•mi•ta as the great mir•acu•lous man•tra, the great bright man•tra, the su•preme man•tra, the in•comp•'rable man•tra, which * re•moves all suf•fer•ing and is true, not false.

There•fore we pro•claim the praj•na para•mi•ta man•tra, the man•tra that says: + "Ga•te Ga•te Par•a•ga•te + Para•sam•ga•te Bod•hi Sva•ha."

 

 

Chant Leader Alone -

We offer the merit of this recitation of the Heart Of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra to the Great master Shakyamuni Buddha, the Highest Ancestor, Great Master Joyo Dogen, the Greatest Ancestor, Great master Josai Keizan, and to the Three Treasures in all the worlds.

We pray that we may be able to show our gratitude to the four Benefactors, rescue all beings in the Three Worlds, and make the Four Wisdoms perfect with all living things.

We pray that this sangha may prosper and all misfortune cease.

All chant together:

• All Buddhas throughout space and time,
• All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas, mahasattvas,
• Wisdom beyond wisdom, Maha Prajna Paramita.
 
   
 
STILL POINT edit of 2 July 2001
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
Dharma Rain Logo
Copyright Northwest Zen Sangha.
No portion of this publication
may be reproduced in any form
without permission.
This Web page may be linked
to other Web pages provided
its contents is not altered in any way.
email to Staff@Dharma-Rain.Org

Save a tree


([an error occurred while processing this directive])

If there are broken links or other problems with this page, contact the Still Point Web Manager, Jeanette Ryan, at ryanjb@ipns.com