Experience
Whether you are exploring online or visiting in person, Shinnyo-en offers ways to experience peace, compassion, and connection. Through chanting, guided meditation and shared practices in a community, you can discover the shinnyo tradition and how the teachings can bring clarity and warmth into everyday life.
Chanting
As we all may have experienced, music can communicate something in a unique way. Listening to it or singing songs can move, motivate, and refresh us as well as facilitate insight. That’s the power of music. Reciting mantras and sutra passages operates in much the same way. That action touches upon our awakened nature (also known as our buddha nature).
All schools of Buddhism recognize the power that sound has to unite people and calm the mind. As chanting is also a form of prayer and meditation, the devotion of those who have chanted the same verses over the centuries has accumulated and imbued the chants with great liberating power.
In Shinnyo-en, chanting can be offered for many purposes: to establish a deeper connection to our awakened nature, wishing for the well-being and happiness of others, seeking inner peace or finding a constructive way forward when faced with challenges.
We have a book titled Morning and Evening Chanting that is available to all members of Shinnyo-en. It is the primary collection of prayers, mantras and excerpts from sutras to recite both at home and at services.
Our core chants
There are two important Shinnyo mantras that are recited during every session of chanting at Shinnyo-en: the Goreiju (Shinnyo Mantra of Benevolence and Liberation) and the Jojusan (Praise of the Ever-Present). The origins of the Goreiju came from a mantra of Achala, a powerful representation of the immovable mind and determination of a buddha, which then Shinnyo-en adopted with its own unique melody as a Shinnyo mantra. The Jojusan is a mantra in praise of ever-present buddhahood. In Shinnyo-en, these two can be chanted by themselves whenever we feel the need for support. We invite you to listen to our two core chants and chant along if you wish to.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation offers a short & practical way to pause, refocus and see things from a fresh perspective. In these sessions, you will be guided through a series of steps, such as focusing on your breath, noticing your thoughts or reflecting on a simple theme to help you find calm and clarity.
Reflection on your connection to the world develops awareness, positive perspective and considerate responses. The aim of Shinnyo Guided Meditation is to gain realisations and insights during meditation and apply them in our everyday life.