Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Gongyo 勤行

Most people likely associate the word Gongyo with Nichiren Buddhism, especially Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu. However, according to wiki, Gongyo 勤行 is a Japanese word that means "assiduous practice" and refers to a formalized service performed by followers of nearly every Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Buddhist denomination. It is often done once or more times a day and consists of the recitation of a sutra passage or passages, a mantra or mantras, or a combination of both. Gongyo can be done at a temple or at home, almost always in front of an object or objects of veneration and accompanied by offerings of light, incense, and food. Gongyo is also sometimes called o-tsutome (お勤め) or shōjin (精進). All three terms are common Japanese words and none is specific to any particular sect or school.

At any rate, Gongyo on Line is about chanting meditation in general. I have done a complete reformat, with more changes coming. There is a google search engine that is limited to selected sites, a Topical Video Feed, two video bars with chanting selections {I will be adding more}, and a Custom Music Playlist updated daily.

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