Daily Recitation (Kung Ko) is the fixed number of sutras and mantras to be recited everyday. Typically, you can recite the Great Compassion Mantra (Ta Pei Chou)[1] 3 times, Heart Sutra (Hsin Ching) 3 times, Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance (Li Fo Ta Chan Hui Wen) once, and Cundi Dharani (Chun Ti Shen Chou) 21 times. Performing Daily Recitation is as important as daily food intakes, and it is like earning an income for daily living expenses. Recitation of the Little House (Hsiao Fang Tzu), on the other hand, is like making mortgage or loan repayments. Sutras and mantras recited for Daily Recitation cannot be counted towards the Little House. You need to make separate prayers for Daily Recitation and the Little House. The number of sutras and mantras recited for Daily Recitation and the Little House should also be counted separately.
The full title of each sutra and mantra should be included each time before it is recited. For example, before reciting the content of the Great Compassion Mantra, you should recite its full title: Chien Shou Chien Yan Wu Ai Ta Pei Hsin To Lo Ni; for the Heart Sutra, you should recite its full title: Po Jo Po Lo Mi To Hsin Ching.
It is best to say the corresponding prayers or wishes before you begin your Daily Recitation. Please limit to a maximum of 3 wishes, as making too many wishes would be an act of greed, and therefore not all of the wishes would come true.
The Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra (Wang Sheng Chou) can be recited until 10PM during good weather. If it is cloudy or rainy, you can recite it during day time. However, you should avoid reciting the Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra after 10PM, or during extreme weather, including heavy rain, thunderstorm, and lightning. In addition, if you feel that you are physically weak or experience discomfort when reciting these sutras and mantras, then it would be best for you to try to recite them during day time on a sunny day whenever possible. Generally, it is best if you do not perform any recitations between 2AM and 5AM.
If you are performing Daily Recitation on behalf of your family, friends or fellow Dharma cultivators, their full names[2] must be announced before you begin reciting in order for the transferring of merits to take full effect.
For your reference, below are brief descriptions of the effects of some sutras and mantras, as well as the recommended corresponding prayers or wishes for Daily Recitation.
[1] The title of each sutra and mantra is given in English, with the Wade-Giles Romanization given in brackets. It is recommended to recite the title according to the Wade-Giles Romanization or Hanyu Pinyin.
[2] “Full name” refers to “first name, middle name, and last name”.
发表于 2021-9-3 15:07:43