Welcome, everyone.
Here we will sit together, chant together, and offer our practice for peace in the world.
May you be at peace
May you be at peace
Let us sit.
(Sit in silence for 5 minutes or longer.)
(The facilitator gently says:)
Let us rise.
(The facilitator chants in Pali, and all respond in English)
Buddham saranam gacchami
I take refuge in the Buddha (the awakened one)
Dhammam saranam gacchami
I take refuge in the Dharma (the teaching and the way of truth)
Sangham saranam gacchami
I take refuge in the Sangha (the community of practice)
(All together)
All my ancient twisted karma
From beginningless greed, hate, and delusion
Born of body, speech, and mind
I now fully avow
(All together)
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva,
Practicing deeply the perfection of wisdom,
Clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty,
And passed beyond all suffering.
Shariputra,
Form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form.
Form is exactly emptiness,
Emptiness exactly form.
Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness
Are also like this.
Shariputra,
All things are marked by emptiness.
They are not born, not destroyed,
Not stained, not pure,
Not increasing, not decreasing.
So in emptiness there is no form,
No feeling, perception, formation, or consciousness;
No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind;
No sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or object of mind;
No realm of sight, and so on, to no realm of mind-consciousness.
No ignorance and no end of ignorance,
And so on, to no old age and death,
And no end of old age and death.
No suffering, no cause, no ending, no path.
No wisdom and no attainment,
Since there is nothing to attain.
The bodhisattva relies on the perfection of wisdom,
And the mind is without hindrance.
Without hindrance, there is no fear.
Far beyond all upside-down views,
This is nirvana.
All Buddhas of past, present, and future
Rely on the perfection of wisdom
And awaken to complete, perfect enlightenment.
Know then that the perfection of wisdom
Is the great mantra,
The bright mantra,
The highest mantra,
The mantra beyond compare,
Which removes all suffering.
This is true, not false.
So proclaim the mantra of the perfection of wisdom,
The mantra that says:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate
Bodhi svaha
(Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond. Awakening, so be it.)
(The Ten Verse Kannon Sutra, chanted in Japanese or English, all together, three times: slowly at first, then a little faster)
Kanzeon
Namu Butsu
Yo Butsu U In
Yo Butsu U En
Bup Po So En
Jo Raku Ga Jo
Cho Nen Kanzeon
Bo Nen Kanzeon
Nen Nen Ju Shin Ki
Nen Nen Fu Ri Shin
(Or chant it in English:)
Kanzeon!
Homage to the Buddha
We are one with the Buddha
Connected with the Buddha
Joined with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
True nature is eternal, joyful, selfless, and pure
In the morning, one with Kanzeon
In the evening, one with Kanzeon
This moment arises from mind
This moment is not separate from mind
Hatred is never ended by hatred
But by love alone
Hatred is never ended by hatred
But by love alone
This is an ancient law
This is an ancient law
Let us take a moment to share with one another
An experience, a hope,
Or what is on our hearts
(Time of sharing)
May all beings be happy
May all beings be happy
May all beings be well
May all beings be well
May all beings be free from suffering
May all beings be free from suffering
May all beings be at peace
May all beings be at peace
(The facilitator recites)
We dedicate the merit of this practice
To peace in our hearts, our homes, and our communities,
To peace among all nations,
And to the awakening of all beings, everywhere.
(All together, three times)
Beings are numberless, I vow to free them
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them
Dharma gates are boundless, I vow to enter them
The Buddha way is unsurpassable, I vow to become it
We now will end our time of gathering by lighting a candle with a prayer for peace.
May all beings be at peace
(The candle is lit. Sit together in silence.)
(All bow together.)
May you be at peace
May you be at peace