. shugend and its relationship 1003
and with added specific verses, was recited at the monthly services for
Mt. Yudono (8th).
Temple priests were also required to learn the Tendai liturgy when
undertaking the shido kegyō; certainly mantras such as the kōmyō
shingon were part of the repertoire of all shugenja. Services, such as
the nehan-e (II, 15), the urabon-e (VII, 15), and the monthly Taizō
Mandala services (14th), had completely different liturgies that incor-
porated some Tendai liturgical items, such as the Jikage, Jūnyoze, and
Endonshō. Some commemorative rituals, especially those tied closely
to the Tendai tradition, such as the sannō-e and the memo-
rial services for Saichō (VI, 4) and Tendai Daishi (XI, 24), employed
the Hokke hakkō format, based on a mondō rite (sanmon ittō
), since it was considered to promote felicity after death (see
Tanabe 1984).
Another ritual closely tied to Tendai was the Hokke-e ( Lotus
Sūtra ritual, based on the Lotus samādhi), which was held on IV, 8
and VIII, 11. It seems to have consisted principally of the recitation of
gāthā and sūtras “in the same tone” (dōon ). Memorial services,
such as for Tenkai (X, 2) and Tenyū (X, 24), consisted of the Lotus
repentance ritual, homage to the relics of the Buddha (shariraimon),
Jikage, and transference of merit (ekō ). In addition, the ritual
“reading” of the Great Wisdom Sūtra (Daihannya tendoku) was held
on the fifteenth of each month after the regular service to pray for the
military strength of the Shōnai lord and the peace and prosperity of
the mountain and village. It was performed regularly on other occa-
sions as well, such as at the first service of the year for Haguro Gongen
(I, 18) and the Founder (I, 19), and once specifically for the Shōnai
lord (V, 6).
The importance of the Lotus tradition is evident when we consider
the ubiquity of the Lotus repentance ritual (Hokke senbō), a peniten-
tial rite based on repentance of the six sense organs.^10 As we have
seen, it was performed for most memorial rites, in the regular morning
services, for New Year ceremonies at the main shrine, during the
Spring Peak, and twice nightly during the Autumn Peak. Based on
the Lotus samādhi practice (Hokke zanmai), it is the most important
liturgy of Tendai and Tendai-influenced Shugendō, and doubtless
(^10) English translation by Peter Johnson, “The Confessional Samadhi of the Lotus
Sutra,” http://www.tientai.net/lit/hksmsg/HKSMSG.htm.