Learning Gongyo

Hello!

I spent the afternoon teaching Gongyo. Gongyo is the recitation of the Lotus Sutra (just two of the chapters) that we recite every morning and evening at our altars.

It is a very deep cause we make for our lives. It is a recitation of the actual words of the Lotus Sutra...the words of the Buddha (and remember, he didn't start expounding the Lotus Sutra until he was 72 years old...that is SO inspiring to me!)

When you recite Gongyo you are speaking the words of the Buddha. I like to think of it as a renewed declaration that you know you ARE in fact, The BUDDHA!

When we recite Gongyo it has absolutely precise pronunciation and rhythm. Once you master it, you can do Gongyo with anyone, anywhere in the world...but the most important thing I can tell you is this:

Learn Gongyo correctly!!! Make a determination to absolutely master it so that you can teach anyone, and you can master your own life. It is one of the very first things to do when you begin your practice, and I promise it will make a difference in your life. I will always be grateful to Terri Wong, my District leader in San Francisco. At one point she led the way and all of us took every syllable and got it absolutely right. That is the reason I can be such a good teacher today. I can lead Gongyo anytime anywhere and feel totally confident...because early in my practice I sat down with a pencil and the gongyo book and learned it. I treated it like learning music and circled the parts I found difficult, and wrote the phonetic spelling of anything I found tricky. And it is tricky!

Gongyo is a sacred rite. When you do Gongyo and chant Daimoku (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo over and over) you are joining the microcosm of your life with the macrocosm of the universe. It is a sacred rite, and honor, NOT a duty! When you view it in that manner, living itself becomes a sacred rite...and your problems melt away. You see them instead as part of your mission, not your burden. These are important distinctions.

And the point of this blog is THIS:

It is easier to learn Gongyo correctly the FIRST time, then it is to RELEARN what you've gotten wrong. Learn it perfectly and you won't be sorry. make it a determination for your own happiness and watch your life so beautifully unfold!!!!