First a follow up on Bowing and Merit. There turns out to be a Soto Zen verse you recite when doing prostrations.
Discovered in Soto School Scriptures for Daily Services and Practice ed/trans. by T Griffith Foulk
Here it is in Sino Japanese - not sure I have the intonation right
No rai shorai sho ku jaku
Jishin tashin tai mu ni
Gangu shu jo toku gedastu
Hotshu mujöi ki shin sai
And here in English translation, somewhat awkward translation for chanting:
Prostrations Verse (Raihai ge)
The nature of that which can be and is worshiped is empty and still
One's own body and the body of the other are in essence not two.
May we together with all beings obtain liberation,
Giving rise to the supreme intention and relying on the ultimate truth.
Or tightened up a bit:
Empty and still -
my body, your body: not two
Together with all beings:
deepest intentions, ultimate truth:
May all beings be free.
Found this in a translation project coordinate by Soto Shu and the same scholar, T Griffin Foulk, I was reading from about Zen ritual before, remember how he actually did a practice retreat at Eiheiji. It's a very cool fan fold Japanese style book. (show them)
For tonight's talk I thought I'd just share Griff's (what he goes by) introduction in the book.
And then we have a special treat - a little seminar with Desiree about pronouncing the Sino Japanese words (on yomi) according to the Japanese pronunciation rules.
Desiree went over her excellent handout:
https://www.redcedarzen.org/resources/Documents/handouts/Japanese%20Pronunciation%20Basics.pdf
