Secular Soka
Silent Prayers

 (For an explanation of 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 Soka Gakkai Gongyo book: Secular Soka Silent Prayers.doc.)

The Soka Gakkai ritual is an abbreviation of the Nichiren Shoshu format. They recite only three prayers in both the morning and evening sessions. Their liturgy includes the initial prose section of the Second Chapter of the Lotus Sutra and only the verse section of the Sixteenth Chapter. Like Nichiren Shoshu, the Silent Prayers are read during quiet periods after reciting each prayer. Similarly, the recitation of the liturgy is followed by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for about five minutes or longer. 

While the wording of the secular silent prayers is different than the organization's versions, for purposes of integration, the structure remains the same. Because this part is performed in silence, the reading can be done alongside and without disturbing traditionalists.

Preamble (morning only): Before beginning the ceremony, bow in reverence to the Gohonzon and silently read the following:

With faith’s highest virtue sourced in immanence, the ability to shape our lives in its likeness depends on sincere and thoughtful effort alone. This ceremony supports the effort.

First Prayer (morning and evening): To begin the recitation of the liturgy, face the Gohonzon, ring the bell, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times. Then, after the liturgy is recited, read the following first silent prayer. 

Our sacred image has come to represent the conditional emergence of benevolence as gifted by time, process, and potential. Though relieved of its supernatural foundations, it continues to depict an inherent pureness that can surpass and better both civil and religious authority, and encourage the pursuit of a more peaceful world.

Second Prayer (A morning and B evening): Face the Gohonzon, ring the bell, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times, and offer the following Silent Prayer. There are different second prayers for the morning and evening. The second prayer in the morning is as follows:

A: In response to calls for a grounded principle capable of lifting all faiths, the Lotus Sutra's revelation of a supreme truth beyond understanding was converted into a universal ethic that requires understanding to respect. The implications are liberating, for the ultimate insight is no longer limited to a mystical union subject to claims of sectarian custody, but just as well observed firsthand in the natural order and open for emulation based on one's best judgment. 

B: This practice merges the meaning of these prayers with the rhythm of a twice-daily recitation from chapters two and sixteen of the Lotus Sutra. And, while chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, it welcomes reflection on such matters as overcoming difficulties, personal growth, and the advancement of a common good.

(Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times).

Third Prayer (morning and evening): Face the Gohonzon, sound the bell, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times. When finished with the liturgy, ring the bell as you begin chanting and continue chanting as long as you wish. To conclude chanting, sound the bell three times and read the following silent prayers in both morning and evening sessions:     

A: Before closing, a few moments of appreciation for those held dear. (Ring the bell continuously while bowing and paying respects).

Then, face the Gohonzon, chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo three times, and read:

B: We pray to carry on with a tradition long dedicated to cultivating a foremost blend of wisdom and compassion in all.

To conclude, ring the bell and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo three times.

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The following two links are, first, to a copy of the SGI Silent Prayers and, second, a picture of their image of reverence:

https://web.archive.org/web/20230924180821/https://chantforhappiness.blogspot.com/2015/12/revised-silent-prayers-for-sgi-members.html
and

https://web.archive.org/web/20211028184523/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SGI_Gohonzon.jpg (accessed February 10, 2024).