Secular Shu Special Prayers
(For an explanation about the underlying teachings that support these prayers, you are encouraged to read Lotus Buddhism Redefined for a Secular Worldview. Here is a link to a Microsoft Word version of the following prayers for reconfiguration and placement in a typical Nichiren Shu Gongyo book: Secular Shu Special Prayers.doc.)
Secular Shu Special Prayers
Services in the Nichiren Shu tradition take on different forms, from simple to very ornate. At home, morning and evening prayer sessions are conducted at an altar with an enshrined Gohonzon. These services may include reciting several chapters of the Lotus Sutra to just chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. A ritual recommended by the Nichiren Buddhist International Center in Hayward, CA, begins with reciting an invocation that honors the Gohonzon, the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni, Nichiren Shonin, and Nichiji Shonin, one of Nichiren’s six senior disciples. It also includes reciting the opening prose section of the Second Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the verse section of the Sixteenth Chapter, the Expedients section of Chapter Two, the Triple World Parable in Chapter Three, chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo for a while, and then reciting sections of Chapters Ten and Eleven of the Sutra. Following these recitations, a special prayer is read, usually out loud.
Before reading the following Secular Prayer, bow in reverence to the Gohonzon and recite in silence: "Faith's highest virtue is within and outside of us, but nothing other than our individual and collective effort can shape our lives in its likeness."
Secular Shu Special Prayer:
For transitioning Buddhism into the future, our sacred image has come to represent the conditional emergence of benevolence as gifted by time, process, and potential. While still depicting, an inherent purity meant to surpass and better both civil and religious authority and encourage the aspiration for a peaceful world.
Although the teachings of Nichiren Shonin are supernatural and rely on assumptions about the origins of the Lotus Sutra inconsistent with independent research, they remain widely embraced. To address this matter and revitalize the tradition without significant discord, we can cooperate with those who continue to believe in a mystical reading of the scripture, the eternal life of Sakyamuni, or Nichiren's role as the text's emissary in the Latter Day of the Law.
But, regarding the sutra's revelation of a supreme truth beyond comprehension, ours is a morality from immanence that requires understanding to respect. A conditional yet reliable guiding principle for those ready to embrace it.
This practice is to bond with the meaning and rhythm of a twice-daily recitation from the Lotus Sutra, reading our secular prayer, and chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Coupled with reflection on matters like overcoming difficulties, becoming a better person, and inspiring others to embrace the benevolent path.
Last, we pray to carry on with a tradition long dedicated to cultivating a foremost blend of wisdom and compassion in all.
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The following two links are, first, to a copy of the traditional Nichiren Shu liturgy and, second, a picture of their image of reverence:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230607031613/https:/www.lionsroar.com/what-is-the-gohonzon/ (accessed February 10, 2024).