The Essential Services of the Nichiren Lotus Sutra Faith (English version)

Essential Services Auxiliary Practice [Part A Hoben-pon]

Note... Must chant Parts A and C or Parts A, B, and C at least once a day. May also chant any or all parts as many times as one wishes. May be chanted either in English or Sino-Japanese.

Part A

Sublime Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra

Chapter Two, Expedient Means

At the time the World Honored One peacefully and

quietly arose from Samadhi and announced to

Shariputra, "The Wisdom of the Buddhas is Most Profound

and immeasurable. The Gate of Their Wisdom is difficult to

understand and difficult to enter. It is something that none

of the Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas can understand

What is the reason?

The Buddha formerly approached hundreds of thousands

of myriads of tens of millions of numberless Buddhas

exhaustively practiced

the immeasurable Dharma Paths of the Buddhas,

being bold and effortful,

and His Renown was Universally Heard.

It is difficult to understand the import of what He, having

achieved the Most Profound, Unprecedented Dharma,

has preached following what is appropriate.

Shariputra. Since I attained Buddhahood, I have by

various sorts of causes and conditions and various sorts of

parables widely expounded the teaching expressed in

words, and by numberless expedients

I have gudied the masses of beings,

causing them to leave attachments.

What is the reason? The Tathagata

is fully possesses of all the

Paramitas of Knowledge and Vision and of expedience

Shariputra. The Knowledge and Vision of the Tathagata

is vast and great, profound and far-reaching.

Having the Immeasurable, the Unhindered, the Powers,

Fearlessness, Trance, Liberation, and Samadhi,

He has profoundly entered the unbounded

He has achieved all the Unprecedented Dharmas.

Shariputra. The Tathagata

can variously assign

and skillfully preach the various dharmas,

with words that are gentle and soft,

causing the mass of minds to rejoice.

Shariputra. If we speak of it in essence, it is all

of the immeasurable, unlimited, unprecedented dharmas

that the Buddha has achieved. I will stop. Shariputra.

I should not preach any further. What is the reason?

That which the Buddha has achieved

Is the rarest, difficult to understand Dharma.

Only a Buddha with a Buddha

can exhaustively penetrate

the Reality of the Dharmas.

That is to say, the various Dharmas

are Thus the Appearance, Thus the Nature, Thus the Essence,

Thus the Power, Thus the Action, Thus the Cause,

Thus the Condition. Thus the Effect. Thus the Retribution

and Thus the Ultimate Equality of the Original and the Last

[From That is to say to Thus the Ultimate Equality of the Original and the Last, is repeated three times.]

Essential Services Auxiliary Practice [Part B Ju-ryo hon] -- optional

Sublime Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra

Chapter Sixteen, the Measure of Life of the Tathagata

At that time the Buddha announced to the various

bodhisattvas as well as all the great assemblies

"Good sons. You should believe and understand

the Tathagata's words of sincerity and truth."

Again he announced to the great assemblies,

"You should believe and understand

the Tathagata's words of sincerity and truth."

And again He announced to the various great assemblies,

"You should believe and understand

The Tathagata's words of sincerity and truth,"

At this time the great assembly of the bodhisattvas

with Maitreya at their head

pressed their palms together and addressed the Buddha,

"World Honored One. We only pray that You would preach

them. We will receive with faith the words of the Buddha."

Having thus addressed Him thrice, they

again said, "We only pray that You would preach them.

We will receive with faith the words of the Buddha."

At that time the World Honored One

knowing that the various bodhisattvas

had thrice invited him without ceasing,

announced to them, "You hear clearly about

the Tathagata's Hidden Secret Divine Pervasive Powers.

The humans and devas

as well as asuras of all the worlds say,

"The present Shakyamuni Buddha,

having once gone forth from the palace of the Shakya Clan,

not far from the town of Gaya,

seated at the palace of Enlghtenment

has obtained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi."

However good sons.

since I truly attained Buddhahood

it has been immeasurable, limitless

hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of kalpas.

For example, it is like five hundreds

of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of asamkheyas

of great trichiliocosms

and supposing there is a person

who pulverizes them into dust atoms,

and having passed in the eastern direction

five hunreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of asamkheyas of countries,

he then drops one atom

and thus proceeding to the east

he would exhaust these dust atoms;

you good sons, what is in your minds?

Could one,

reflecting on and calculating these worlds,

know their number or not?"

The Bodhisattva Maitreya and the others

together addressed the Buddha,

"World Honored One. These various worlds

are immeasureable and limitless; they are not something

which numerical reckoning understands; likewise they

are not something which the power of the mind can reach.

All Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

reflecting with their Wisdom-Without-Outflow

cannot know their numerical limit.

Though we abide

in the stage of Avivartika(Non-backsliding),

in this matter

It is something we cannot attain to. World Honored One

Worlds such as these

are immeasurable and limitless."

At that time the Buddha announced

to the assembly of great bodhisattvas,

You good sons,

Now I am going to proclaim

to you with clarity: Of these various worlds,

if one took the ones to which atoms adhered

as well as those to which they did not adhere

and completely made atoms of them

with one atom as one kalpa,

the time since I attained Buddhahood

surpasses these

by hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of asemkheyas of kalpas.

since then I have been ever in this

Saha World preaching the Dharma and convertiing.

Likewise elsewhere

in hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of asemkheyas of countries

I have guided and benefitted the mass of beings. You good

sons. During this intermediate time I have preached

as the Buddha Nento(Dipamkara) and others. And,

furthermore, I have also said they have entered Nirvana.

All such as these I have distributed by expedients

You good sons. If there are beings

who come to where I am,

I contemplate by means of the Buddha Eye

the sharpness or dullness

of their various faculties of faith and so on

and, in accordance with how they should be saved,

everywhere I preach my name to be different

and my age to be great or little,

and, furthermore, I also manifest myself and say

'I am going to enter Nirvana',

and, furthermore by various types of expedients

preaching the Subtle Dharma

I have been able to cause the mass of beings

to give rise to joyful minds. You good sons.

When the Tathagata sees that the masses of beings

are those who rejoice in the Lesser Dharma,

poor in virtues, heavy with defilement,

for these people I preach

that when I was young I went forth from the household life

and obtained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

But the time since I really attained Buddhahood

is as long ago and distant as that.

It is just in converting the mass of beings by expedients

and causing them to enter the Buddha Way

that I create such a preaching as this. You good sons.

The Sutra Canons which the Tathagata expounds

are all for saving and liberating the mass of beings.

I either preach my own body

or preach the body of another or show my own body

or show the body of another or show my own matter

or show the matter of another. The various words I preach

are all true and not empty. What is the reason?

The Tathagata knows and sees the appearance

of the Three Worlds in accordance with reality:

there is no Birth-and-Death,

whether backsliding or emerging;

likewise there is neither existence in the world

nor extinction; they are not real; they are not void,

they are not thus; they are not different.

It is not as the Three Worlds

see the Three Worlds. In such a matter as this

the Tathagata sees clearly

and is without error. Because the various beings

have distinctions of various types of natures

and various types of recollections, I, desiring

to cause various good karmic roots to be produced

by means of considerable causalities,

parables, and words, preach various kinds of dharmas:

The work of the Buddha which I perform

I have never once abandoned even for a brief time.

Thus the time since I attained buddhahood

is very great, long and distant. My life is immeasurable

asemkheyas of kalpas

and I abide forever and am not extinguished.

You good sons. The life which I

achieved by originally practicing the bodhisattva way

is not yet extinguished

and it is twice the above number.

However, though it is not now real extinction,

yet I thereupon proclaim, I am going to take extinction.

the Tathagata thus converts

the masses of beings by expedients. What is the reason?

If the Buddha were to abide for a long time in the world,

people of poor virtue would not plant good karmic roots

Being poor and lowly

and greedily attached to the five desires

they would fall into the midst of the net of thought

and wrong views. If they saw the Tathagata

ever present and not extinguished

they would then give rise to arrogant licentiousness

and nourish a disdainful idleness and could not produce

the thought that I am difficult to encounter

nor the mind of reverence. For this reason the Tathagata

preaches by expedience. The Bhikshus should know:

it is difficult to encounter

the Buddhas' coming forth in the world."

What is the reason? Of the various people poor in virtue,

having passed through immeasurable hundreds of

thousands of tens of thousands of tens of millions of

kalpasthere are those who see the Buddha

and those who do not see. Because of this fact

I say these words: Bhikshus!.

It is difficult to be able to see the Tathagata."

These beings having heard such words

will necessarily produce

the thought that I am difficult to encounter

and nourish affectionate longing in their hearts

and adoring the Buddha, will then plant good karmic roots.

For this reason although the Tathagata is not extinct

yet He says that He is extinct. Furthermore, good sons,

with the various Buddhas, the Tathagatas,

the Dharmas all are thus.

Because they are for saving the masses of beings

they are all true and not empty.

It is like an excellent Physician, wise and perspicacious.

evidently practiced in prescriptions

and skillful in curing the multitude of illnesses.

that person has many sons whether ten, twenty,

and even as much as a hundred or more

Because there are conditions in his affairs,

he goes far off to another country.

The children later drink another's poison drugs, 
the poison becomes evident and they are in agony and confusion,

rolling over on the ground. At this time the father

comes back and returns to his house.

Among the children, having drunk the poison,

there are some who have lost their original minds

and some who have not lost them

Seeing their father from afar, they all rejoice greatly

and, bowing and kneeling, made inquiry:

'Well have you returned in safety.

We are foolish and stupid

and by mistake have swallowed poison drugs.

We request that you cure us and give us further life.'

The father seeing the children in agony like this,

seeks according to various prescriptions

good medicinal plants which all are fully endowed

with color, fragrance, and beautiful taste,

and pounding and sifting, he combines them

and gives it to his children and has them swallow it,

pronouncing these words: This great excellent medicine

is all fully endowed

with color, fragrance, and beautiful taste.

You should swallow it.

It will rapidly eliminate your agonizing sufferings

and you will have no sorrows." Those

among the various children who have not lost their minds

see that this excellent medicine is good in both color and

fragrance and at once swallow this,

their illness is completely eliminated and they are cured.

As to the remainder who have lost their minds,

although on seeing their father coming

they also rejoice and make inquiries

and request him to heal their illness,

yet when he gives them the medicine,

they are unwilling to swallow it.

What is the reason? It was

because, since the influence of poison has penetrated

deeply and has made them lose their original minds, they

said to themselves about this medicine with good color

and fragrancethat it is not beautiful. The father forms this

thought: 'These children should be pitied, ruined by the

poison, their minds are all wrong-headed.

Although they saw me and rejoiced

and sought to be saved and cured,

a good medicine such as this

they were not willing to swallow.

I now am going to set up an expedient

to cause them to swallow this medicine.'

Thereupon, he speaks these words:

'You should know i am now decrepit and old

and the time of my death has already arrived.

This good, excellent medicine now I leave here. You should take and swallow it.

Do not worry that you will not be cured.'

Having given these instructions,

he again goes to another country.

He sends a messenger to return and announce:

Your father is already dead.' At that time the children

having heard that their father has departed in death,

are greatly troubled in mind and form this recollection:

'If our father were here, he would take pity upon us

and save and protect us. Now he has left us

and died in another country far away.'

They think themselves to be orphaned and exposed

and to have no further refuge.

Ever nourishing sad feelings, their minds at last awaken

and they recognize this medicine

was beautiful in color and fragrance, and taste

and at once take and swallow it.

The illnesses from the poison are all cured.

When the father hears that the children

were already able to be cured, he then comes back shortly

all lets all of them see him. Good sons!.

How is it in your opinions: could there be a person who

could declare this excellent physician

guilty of vain falsehood or not?' 'No World Honored One.'

The Buddha said, 'I am also like this:

since I attained Buddhahood,

it has been immeasurable, boundless

hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of millions

of nayutas of asamkheyas of kalpas.

For the sake of beings, by the power of expedience

I say, 'I am about to become extinct.'

Yet again there are none who can

declare according to the Dharma

that I am guilty of vain falsehood."

At that time the World Honored One,

desiring to expound again this doctrine,

preached verses saying:

Essential Services Auxiliary Practice [Part C Jiga-ge]

Myo-ho Ren-ge Kyo

Sublime Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra

Chapter Sixteen, the Measure of Life of the Tathagata

Since I obtained Buddhahood the number

of kalpas that have passed is immeasurable

hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of

millions of quintillians of asemkheyas. I have

ever been preaching the Dharma, teaching and

converting numberless tens of millions of beings,

Causing them to enter the Buddha Way;

Since then it has been immeasurable kalpas.

For the sake of the masses of beings

By expedience manifest Nirvana,

Yet in reality I do not become extinct;

I ever abide here preaching the dharma,

Although I ever abide here,

By various Divine Pervasive Powers

I cause the wrong-headed masses of beings,

Though close by, not to see me.

The masses see My Extinction,

And widely make offering to my relics,

And all of them, nourishing affectionate longing,

Produce the mind of adoration. When the masses

of beings have already submitted and believed,

Are simple and upright with minds gentle and pliant

and with single mind desire to see the Buddha,

Not sparing their bodily lives, At that time I as

well as the assemblies of monks together come

forth at the Spiritual Eagle Mountain (Ryojusen)

I at that time say to the masses of beings,

'I am ever here, not extinguished.'

Yet by the power of expedience

I manifest extinction and non-extinction.

When in other countries there are masses of

beings, those who reverence and believe

with joy. I likewise among them

preach the Supreme Dharma for their sake.

You, not hearing this,

Merely say to yourselves that I am extinguished,

When I see the masses of beings,

They are drowning in the sea of suffering.

Therefore I do not manifest My Body,

To cause them to produce adoration.

Because of their hearts' affectionate longing

Then I come forth and preach the Dharma for

them. My Divine Pervasive Powers are like this

For Asemkheya[countless number] of kalpas

I have ever been at the Spiritual Eagle Mountain(Ryojusen).

As well as at various other abodes,

The masses of beings see the kalpas exhausted,

When they are burned by the great fires;

This land of mine is peaceful and secure;

Gods and humans ever fill it. Gardens

and forests and various halls and pavilions,

With various types of jewels adorned; On the

jewelled trees many flowers and fruit, Wherein

the masses of beings take their pleasure

and rejoice. The gods strike the celestial drums,

Ever making instrumental music.

Raining mandara flowers. Scattering them

Over the Buddha and the great assemblies.

Though My Pure Land is not destroyed,

Yet the masses see it burned up,

Worrisome fears and agonizing sufferings

And such things all filling it up. These

beings of various sins, Because of the causes

and conditions of their evil karma, Though

they pass through asemkheyas of kalpas,

Do not hear the name of the Three Jewels.

Those who have performed merit,

Who are gentle and pliant, simple and upright,

Then all see my body.

Staying here, preaching the Dharma.

Sometimes for these masses I preach the

Buddha's Life is immeasurable. To those who

see the Buddha only after a long time, I preach

for them the Buddha is difficult to encounter.

The power of My Wisdom is like this;

The illumination of the Light of My Wisdom is

immeasurable; My Lifespan is immeasurable

kalpas; It is what I obtained by performing the

karmas for a long time. You those who have

wisdom, Do not produce doubts about this. You

should cut them off and cause them to end forever:

The Buddha's Words are true and not empty.

It is like the physician by skilled expedience

for the sake of curing his children gone mad,

Though in reality he exists, yet he says he dies,

and there are none who can declare it is a vain

lie: I likewise am the Father of the World. The

One who saves from the various sufferings and

travails. Because the unenlightened worldlings are

wrong-headed, though in reality I exist, I say I am

extinguished; because by seeing my constantly,

They would produce an arrogant and licentious

mind, Self-abandoned, attached to the five

desires, And would fall among the Evil Ways of

Rebirth. I ever know the masses of beings

Proceeding on the Way or not proceeding on the

Way; according to what will save them,

I preach for them all sorts of Dharmas.

I Myself ever form this thought:

'By what shall I cause the masses of beings

To be able to enter the Supreme Way

And rapidly achieve the Buddha Body?'

The Essential Services of the Nichiren faith [The Principle Practice]

Namu Myoho renge kyo

Namu Myoho renge kyo

Namu Myoho renge kyo

(Chanting the Daimoku Namu Myoho renge kyo with utmost devotion for two minutes to three days or more at the believer's discretion)

(We may initiate and/or conclude the service by reciting aloud various passages of the Lotus Sutra and/or writings of Nichiren Daishonin).