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Gatha of Atonement

All the evil karma ever created by me of old

On account of my beginning-less greed, hatred and ignorance

Born of my conduct, words and thought

I atone for it all.

Gatha on Opening the Sutra

The Dharma, incomparably profound and infinitely subtle,

Is rarely encountered, even in millions of ages.

Now we see it, hear it, receive and maintain it;

May we completely realize the Tathagata’s true meaning

Great Vows For All / Shigu Seigan-mon

Creations are numberless

I vow to free them.

Delusions are inexhaustible

I vow to transform them.

Dharmas are boundless

I vow to experience them.

The Enlightened Way is unsurpassable

I vow to embody it.

SHU JO MU HEN SEI GAN DO

BON NO MU JIN SEI GAN DAN

HO MON MU RYO SEI GAN GAKU

BUTSO DO MU JO SEI GAN JO

MAHA PRAJNA PARAMITA HEART SUTRA

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, doing deep prajna paramita,

Perceived the emptiness of all five conditions,

And was freed of pain.

0 Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness,

Emptiness no other than form;

Form is precisely emptiness, Emptiness precisely form.

Sensation, perception, reaction and consciousness are also like this.

O Shariputra, all things are expressions of emptiness:

Not born, not destroyed; not stained, not pure, neither waxing nor waning.

Thus emptiness is not form,

Not sensation, nor perception, reaction nor consciousness;

No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;

No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing;

No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness;

No ignorance, no end to ignorance

No old age and death, no cessation of old age and death;

No suffering, no cause or end to suffering;

No path, no wisdom and no gain.

No gain  - thus bodhisattvas live this Prajna Paramita

With no hindrance in the mind.

No hindrance, therefore no fear,

Far beyond all such delusion Nirvana is already here.

All past, present, and future Buddhas live this Prajna Paramita,

And attain supreme perfect enlightenment.

Therefore know, prajna paramita is the holy mantra,

The luminous mantra, the supreme mantra, the incomparable mantra,

By which all suffering is cleared.

This is no other than truth.

Therefore set forth the Prajna Paramita Mantra,

Set forth this mantra and proclaim:

Gate! Gate! Paragate! Parasamgate!

Bodhi Svaha!

Evening Gatha

(Usually spoken only by chant leader)

Let me respectfully remind you

Life and death are of supreme importance.

Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.

Each of us must strive to awaken;

Awaken!!

Take heed; do not squander your life.

The Identity of Relative and Absolute

The mind of the Great Sage of India is intimately conveyed from West to East.

Among human beings are wise ones and fools,

But in the Way there is no northern and southern Ancestor.

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;

Brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.

The four elements return to their natures 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 that darkness.

Within darkness there is light,

but do 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!

Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo

KAN ZE ON NA MU BUTSU

YO BUTSU U IN

YO BUTSU U EN BUP 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 

(Translation)

Kanzeon!

At One with Buddha

Related to all Buddahs in cause and effect

And to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha

Joyful, pure, eternal being!

Morning Mind is Kanzeon

Evening Mind is Kanzeon

This very moment arises from Mind.

This very moment is not separate from Mind.

Meal Gatha

First, 72 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 should be free from greed.

Fourth, to support our life we take this food.

Fifth, to attain our way we take this food.