Zen Chants and Sutras

CHANTS AND SUTRAS FOR SKY ABOVE ZEN

Gatha Of Atonement

All evil karma ever created by me of old
On account of my beginningless greed, hatred, and ignorance
Born of my conduct, speech and thought,
Now I atone for it all.

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The Four Great Vows

Creations are numberless, I vow to be one with them
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to endure them
Dharmas are boundless, I vow to be teachable
The enlightened way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it.

Shi Gu Sei Gan Mon (Japanese)

Shu Jo Muhen Sei Gan Do
Bon No Mujin Sei Gan Dan
Ho Mon Muryo, Sei Gan Gaku
Butsodo Mujo Sei Gan Jo.

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Evening Gatha

Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken, awaken
Take heed, this night your days are diminished by one
Do not squander your life.

Meal Gatha

First,
Seventy-two labors brought us this food,
We should know how it comes to us.

Second,
As we receive this offering,
We should consider
whether our virtue and practice deserve it.

Third,
As we desire the natural order of mind
to be free from clinging,
We must be free from greed.

Fourth,
To sustain our life, we take this food.

Fifth,
To attain our Way, we take this food.

Maha Prajna Paramita Heart (Hrdaya) Sutra

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
(The Awakened One of Compassion)
Doing deep Prajna Paramita,
Clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions,
Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
O Shariputra (a disciple), form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form; Form is exactly emptiness,
Emptiness exactly form;
Sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
O Shariputra, all dharmas are forms of emptiness,
Not born, not destroyed;
Not stained, not pure,
Without loss, without gain:
So in emptiness there is no form,
No sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena;
No realm of sight,
No realm of consciousness;
No ignorance
And no end to ignorance …
No old age and death
And no end to old age and death;
No suffering, No cause of suffering,
No extinguishing,
No path; No wisdom and no gain.
No gain and thus the Bodhisattva lives Prajna Paramita
With no hindrance in the mind,
No hindrance, therefore no fear,
Far beyond deluded thoughts,
This is Nirvana.
All past, present and future Buddhas live Prajna Paramita,
And therefore attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (enlightenment)
Therefore know Prajna Paramita is the great mantra,
The vivid mantra,
The best mantra,
The unsurpassable mantra;
It completely clears all pain –
This is the truth, not a lie.
So set forth the Prajna Paramita mantra,
Set forth this mantra and say:
Gate! Gate! (arriving, arriving)
Paragate! (fully arriving)
Parasamgate! (fully arriving together)
Bodhi Svaha! (Awake, Rejoice) Prajna Heart Sutra!

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Sutra on the Heart of Realizing Wisdom Beyond Wisdom
(The Heart Sutra)

Avalokiteshvara, who helps all to awaken,
moves in the deep course of
realizing wisdom beyond wisdom,
sees that all five streams of
body and mind are boundless,
and frees all from anguish.

Oh Shariputra,
form is not separate from boundlessness;
boundlessness is not separate from form.
Form is boundlessness; boundlessness is form.
Feelings, perceptions, inclinations
and discernment are also like this.

Oh Shariputra,
boundlessness is the nature of all things.
It neither arises nor perishes,
neither stains nor purifies,
neither increases nor decreases.

Boundlessness is not limited by form,
nor by feelings, perceptions, inclinations, and discernment.
It is free of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind;
free of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and any object of mind;
free of sensory realms, including the realm of mind.
It is free of ignorance and the end of ignorance.
Boundlessness is free of old age and death,
and free of the end of old age and death.
It is free of suffering, arising, cessation, and path,
and free of wisdom and attainment.

Being free of attainment, those who help all to awaken
abide in the realization of wisdom beyond wisdom
and live with an unhindered mind.
Without hindrance, the mind has no fear.
Free from confusion, those who lead all to emancipation
embody complete serenity.

All those in the past, present, and future,
who realize wisdom beyond wisdom,
manifest unsurpassable and thorough awakening.

Know that realizing wisdom beyond wisdom
is no other than this wondrous mantra,
luminous, unequalled, and supreme.
It relieves all suffering.
It is genuine, not illusory.

So set forth this mantra of realizing wisdom beyond wisdom.
Set forth this mantra that says:
Gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté, bodhi! svaha!
_

This translation by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Joan Halifax

______________________________

*** * *** ^ (pok) Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo

* Kan Ji Zai Bo Sa Gyo Jin Han Nya Ha Ra Mi Ta Ji

Sho Ken * Go On Kai Ku Do Is Sai Ku Yaku Sha Ri

Shi Shiki Fu I Ku Ku Fu I Shiki Shiki Soku Ze Ku Ku

Soku Ze Shiki Ju So Gyo Shiki Yaku Bu Nyo Ze Sha

Ri Shi Ze Sho Ho Ku So Fu Sho Fu Metsu Fu Ku Fu Jo

Fu Zo Fu Gen Ze Ko Ku Chu Mu Shiki Mu Ju So Gyo

Shiki Mu Gen Ni Bi Zes Shin Ni Mu Shiki Sho Ko Mi

Soku Ho Mu Gen Kai Nai Shi Mu I Shiki Kai Mu Mu

Myo Yaku Mu Mu Myo Jin Nai Shi Mu Ro Shi Yaku Mu

Ro Shi Jin Mu Ku Shu Metsu Do Mu Chi Yaku Mu

Toku I Mu Sho Tok Ko Bo Dai Sat Ta E Han Nya Ha

Ra Mi Ta Ko * Shin Mu Ke Ge Mu Ke Ge Ko Mu U Ku

Fu On Ri Is Sai Ten Do Mu So Ku Gyo Ne Han San Ze

Sho Butsu E Han Nya Ha Ra Mi Ta Ko * Toku A

Noku Ta Ra San Myaku San Bo Dai Ko Chi Han-Nya

Ha Ra Mi Ta Ze Dai Jin Shu Ze Dai Myo Shu Ze Mu Jo

Shu Ze Mu To Do Shu No Jo Is Sai Ku Shin Jitsu Fu

Ko Ko Setsu Han Nya Ha Ra Mi Ta Shu Soku Setsu

Shu Watsu

Gya Tei Gya Tei * Ha Ra Gya Tei Hara So Gya Tei

* Bo Ji Sowa Ka Han Nya Shin Gyo ^ (pok)

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Heart Sutra in Sanskrit by Bernadette Fernandes of Morning Star Zendo

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The Diamond Sutra (From Morning Star Zendo)

The Sutra of Perfection of Wisdom of the Diamond that Cuts through Illusion

Excerpts from the teaching dialogue in which the Buddha questions his disciple Subhuti.

Q1. Though all the sentient beings to be delivered by me are innumerable and without limit, / in reality, / there are no sentient beings to be delivered. / Why?

A1. Because should there exist in the minds of Bodhisattvas / arbitrary conceptions of phenomena / such as the existence of one’s self / or the self of another / or selfness as divided into beings / or selfness as unified into one universal self existing eternally, / they would be unworthy to be called Bodhisattvas.

Q2. When the Buddha speaks of great universes / does he have in mind any definite idea?

A2. No, When the Buddha uses the words great universes / he does not assert any definite idea. / He merely uses the words as words.

Q3. Is this true for the words Buddha and
Dharma?

A3. There are no Buddhas and there are no Dharmas.

Q4. Should a disciple strive to attain Buddhahood?

A4. No, that would mean the disciple is striving to attain something limited. / as in perfect-supreme-wisdom; / but true Buddhahood, whose essence is identical with the essence of all things, / is inconceivable / and beyond all striving.

Q5. How is it possible to explain this sutra without ideas of things and dharmas?

A5. This sutra can only be explained / by keeping the mind in perfect oneness and tranquility.

Q6. Should a Bodhisattva make an assertion / such as “I have entered the stream?”

A6. No. Because / he has not entered anything / nor has his mind entered any idea / such as form sound, taste. odor or touch.

Q7. Because of his virtue / will Buddha be reborn either in this world or any other world?

A7. No. / There will be no rebirth / either in this world / or in any other world. / It is because he knows this / the Buddha is called a Buddha.

Q8. Is there any one who is a fully enlightened one?

A8. No. Should a disciple cherish in his mind an idea such as / “I have become enlightened,” / he would soon be grasping after things / such as his own selfhood, / or other selves, / or a universal self.

Q9. If there is no distinction between one’s own self and the selfhood of others, / how do we practice kindness?

A9. We practice kindness / by giving not only objective gifts / but the selfless gifts of kindness and sympathy.

Q10. Is there any merit for acts of kindness?

A10. Bodhisattvas never seek merit / nor look upon kind acts as private possessions / but as the common possessions of all animate beings.

Q11. What does it mean to say there is no such thing as supreme-perfect-wisdom / and that the Buddha does not teach any fixed dharma?

A11. This means Bodhisattvas are not enlightened by an fixed teaching / but by an intuitive process / that is spontaneous and natural.

Q12. What does it mean to say the Buddha has come or has gone?

A12. This means the Buddha is never coming from anywhere / nor is he going anywhere. / The name Buddha is merely a word.

Q13. Why does the Buddha use words and ideas in his teachings?

A13. The Buddha uses words and ideas in his teaching / in resemblance to a raft, / of use only to cross a river. / As the raft is of no use after the river is crossed, / it should be discarded./ So too ideas about things should be given up as one attains enlightenment.

Q14. Has the Buddha given us any definite teaching in this sutra?

A14. No. The Buddha has not given us any definite teaching in this sutra.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

“Like a meteor, like darkness,
as a flickering lamp, an illusion,
like hoar frost, or a bubble,
like clouds, a flash of lightning,
or a dream.
So all conditioned existence is to be seen.”

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Sandokai: Identity of Relative and Absolute

The mind of the great sage of India
Was intimately conveyed from west and east
Among human beings are wise and fools
But in the way there is no northern or southern Patriarch
The subtle source is clear and bright
The tributary streams flow through the darkness
To be attached to things is illusion
To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment
Each and all the subjective and objective spheres
Are related
And at the same time independent
Related yet working differently
Though each keeps its own place
Form makes the character and appearance different
Sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort
The dark makes all words one
The brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases
The four elements return to their nature
As a child to its mother
Fire is hot
Wind moves
Water is wet
Earth hard
Eyes see
Ears hear
Nose smells
Tongue tastes the salt and sour
Each is independent of the other
Cause and effect must return to the great reality
The words high and low are used relatively
Within light there is darkness
But do not try to understand the darkness
Within darkness there is light
But no not look for that light
Light and darkness are a pair
Like the foot before and the foot behind in walking
Each thing has its own intrinsic value
And is related to everything else in function and position
Ordinary life fits the absolute
As a box and its lid
The absolute works together with the relative
Like two arrows meeting in mid-air
Reading words you should grasp the great reality
Do not judge by any standards
If you do not see the Way
You do not see it even as you walk on it
When you walk the Way
It is not near
It is not far
If you are deluded
You are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened
Do not waste your time by night or day.

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Emmei Jukku Kannon Gyo (Kanzeon Sutra of Compassion)

KAN ZE ON
NA MU BUTSU
YO BUTSU U IN
YO BUTSU U EN
BU PO SO EN
JO RAKU GA JO
CHO NEN KAN ZE ON
BO NEN KAN ZE ON
NEN NEN JU SHIN KI
NEN NEN FU RI SHIN

Kanzeon (Bodhisattva of Compassion)

At one with Buddha
Directly Buddha
Also indirectly Buddha
And indirectly Buddha
Dharma, Sangha Joyful
Pure Eternal Being
Morning Mind is Kanzeon (compassion)
Evening Mind is Kanzeon
This moment arises from Mind
The moment is not separate from Mind.

Hakuin’s Song of Zazen

Chant Leader: From the beginning all beings are Buddha …..
All: Like water and ice,
Without water no ice,
Chant Leader: Outside us no Buddhas
All: How near the truth,
Yet how fa-ar we seek
Being in water
Crying in thirst
Being the child//of a rich family
Wandering poor on this earth
Chant Leader: Endlessly circling the six worlds
All: The cause of our sorrow is ego delusion
From dark path to dark path
We’ve wandered in darkness
Chant Leader: How can we be freed from the wheel of samsara?
All: The gateway to freedom is zazen Samadhi
Beyond exaltation
Beyond all our praises
The pure Mahayana
Observing the Precepts, Repentance and Giving
The countless good deeds and the Way of Right Living
Chant Leader: All comes from Zazen
All: Thus one true Samadhi extinguishes evils.
It purifies karma, dissolving obstructions.
Then where are the dark paths to lead us astray?
The Pure Lotus Land// is not far away
Hearing this truth,// heart humble and grateful
To praise and embrace it
To practice its Wisdom
Brings unending blessings
Brings mountains of merit
And if we turn inward and prove our True Nature
That True Self is no-self,
Our own self is no-self
We go beyond ego
And past clever words
Then the gate to the oneness of cause-and-effect is thrown open
Not two and not three
Straight ahead runs the Way
Our form now being no-form
In going and coming
Chant Leader: We never leave home
All: Our thought now being no-thought
Our dancing and singing
Chant Leader: Are the Voice of the Dharma
All: How vast is the heaven of boundless Samadhi!
How bright and transparent the moonlight of wisdom!
What is there outside us?
What is there we lack?
Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes
Chant Leader: This earth where we stand is the pure lotus land!
And this very body, the body of Buddha.

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The Gate of Sweet Nectar

Opening Verse:

Calling out to hungry hearts
Everywhere through endless time
You who wander, you who thirst
I offer you this bodhi mind.
Calling out to hungry spirits
Everywhere through endless time
Calling out to hungry hearts
All the lost and left behind.

Gather round and share this meal
Your joy and your sorrow
I make mine.

Closing verse:

This is our life
The length of our days.
Day and night
We meditate upon it.

Practice of Gratitude

I offer my gratitude for the people, animals, plants, pebbles, insects, and creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, and for all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day
I offer my gratitude for the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the blessings of this earth I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the sangha and for all sentient and insentient beings.

The Five Remembrances

from the Upajjhatthana Sutra
or “Subjects for Contemplation”

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.

—translated by Thich Nhat Hanh

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Liberation from All Obstructions

In the presence of Sangha, in the light of Dharma, in oneness with Buddha
– may my path to complete enlightenment benefit everyone!
In this passing moment karma ripens and all things come to be.
I vow to affirm what is:

If there’s cost, I choose to pay. If there’s need, I choose to give.
If there’s pain, I choose to feel. If there’s sorrow, I choose to grieve.
When burning, I choose heat. When calm, I choose peace.
When starving, I choose hunger. When happy, I choose joy.
Whom I encounter, I choose to meet. What I shoulder, I choose to bear.
When it’s my birth, I choose to live. When it’s my death, I choose to die.
Where this takes me, I choose to go. Being with what is, I respond to what is.

This life is as real as a dream; the one who knows it cannot be found;
and truth is not a thing, therefore I vow to choose THIS Dharma entrance gate!
May all Buddhas and Wise Ones help me live this vow.