Question: I'd really like to start some kind of daily Pure Land practice and to be honest I'd be very grateful for some suggestions.
Response: First, you can place a container of clean water on the gongzhou (the table or shelf with you Buddha image, incense, etc.) if you have not already done so. Next, if you wish, light a stick of incense. If you have respiratory problems, there are some very nice smokeless varieties available. After lighting the incense, do not blow on the incense but fan it gently with your hand to put out the flame and allow it to burn slowly. Raise the lower tip of the incense to lightly touch your forehead with the incense pointed towards the Buddha and then place the incense in the holder.
In the following ceremony, which we follow sequentially, we first pay respects to Sakyamuni Buddha for teaching us about the unsatisfactory reality of our existence and of the happiness and liberation of the Pure Land. We then pay our respects to Amitabha Buddha for his compassionate vows to help all beings who request that help. Next, we begin chanting “Amituofo,” which is the main part of the session. Continue this chanting for the time you have set aside for your practice.
After chanting, we pay our respects to the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta for their exemplary teachings of compassion and wisdom respectively, and then to all the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land for having progressed on the path of awakening. Next is the Verse of Repentance to express our deep regret for having harmed innumerable beings throughout our countless lifetimes. We conclude with the Dedication of Merit to pass on the goodness that has resulted from our chanting to help all beings end suffering and attain lasting happiness.
The following is the format for the practice.
“Homage to our original teacher Sakyamuni Buddha.” (One bow)
(Repeat three times)
“Homage to Amitabha Buddha.” (One bow)
(For as long as time permits, do sitting or walking meditation while mindfully chanting )
“Amituofo”
( When finished, stand and put palms together)
“Homage to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.” (One bow)
“Homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.” (One bow)
“Homage to the great pure sea of bodhisattvas.” (One bow)
“All evil actions committed by me since time immemorial,
stemming from greed, anger, and ignorance,
arising from body, speech, and mind,
I deeply repent having committed.”
(One bow)
“May the merits and virtues accrued from this work adorn the Buddha’s Pure Land,
repay the Four Kindnesses above, and relieve the sufferings of those in the Three Paths below.
May those who see or hear of this bring forth the Bodhi mind,
and at the end of this life,
be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.”
(One bow, three prostrations, one bow)