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Please join our SPECIAL MEMORIAL ZAZENKAI in honor of someone who was my friend and teacher of many years, Azuma Ikuo Roshi (東郁雄老師), who left our visible world this week at the age of 94.
Azuma Roshi shared tea with me, practicing his English and answering my silly questions, for most of 10 years when I sat with the weekly lay Zazenkai at Sojiji Honzan in Japan. He was a great Dogen scholar, lecturing us each week on Shobogenzo, and instructor of hundreds of young monks as well as the lay persons' group there (including quite a number of foreigners who would wander in). I may not have stayed with this practice without him. He was always so kind, down to earth.When I came here 20 years ago, my Japanese was pretty bad the first few years, and he lectured in Japanese ... but always took time to summarize in broken English so I would get the gist. Later, he returned to his temple of Jikouji in Kyushu.
To mark Rev. Azuma's passing, I shall chant today the SHARIRAIMON (Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics) (once in Japanese ... the words are below if you wish to follow along) ... then, we shall continue in our usual way with the Heart Sutra in English and according to the schedule below.
Azuma Roshi.png
Please join us at the following link ...
OUR SITTING SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS (90 MINUTES):
00:00 – 00:20 CEREMONY (SHARIRAIMON in Japanese; HEART SUTRA in English ONLY) and Dedication
00:20 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 FOUR VOWS, & VERSE OF ATONEMENT
Please download and print out the words of the Chants we will recite at the following link:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2231
JUNDO ONLY WILL CHANT THE SHARIRAIMON (Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics) first in Japanese, then in English, then in Japanese ...
Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics
???? (Shariraimon)
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IS-SHIN CH? RAI
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MAN DOKU EN MAN
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SHA KA NYO RAI
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SHIN JIN SHA RI
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HON JI H?S-SHIN
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H? KAI T? BA
????
GA T? RAI KY?
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I GA GEN SHIN
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NY? GA GA NY?
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BUTSU KA JI KO
????
GA SH? BO DAI
????
I BUTSU JIN RIKI
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RI YAKU SHU J?
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HOTSU BO DAI SHIN
????
SHU BO SATSU GY?
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D? NY? EN JAKU
????
BY? D? DAI CHI
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KON J? CH? RAI
With wholehearted reverence we bow to the relics of the true body of the Tathagata Shakyamuni, who is fully endowed with myriad virtues; to the dharma body, which is the fundamental ground; and to his stupa, which is the whole universe. With deep respect we venerate the one who manifested a body for our sake. Through the sustaining power of the Buddha, which enters us even as we enter it, we verify awakening. By means of the Buddha’s spiritual power, we benefit living beings, arouse the thought of awakening, cultivate Bodhisattva practice, and together enter perfect peace, the knowledge of the equality of all things. Now let us reverently bow.
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