I'm an ordinary housewife, but I use the Heart Sutra app to read the Heart Sutra to relax my mind and body.
So the question is, when monks read sutras, do they meditate or sit in the right position? Also, when you inhale, do you do it through your nose or through your mouth?
Thank you for your support.
I read your question.
I don't know the other denominations, so I'll explain the Rinzai sect Myoshinji school to which I belong.
There are probably many people who don't know, but when you recite sutras, they are roughly divided into “ritsuju (ritsuju)” and “zaju (zaju),” in other words, whether you recite sutras standing or sitting down.
According to stories I've heard before, manners such as chanting sutras are assumed to be on the roof tiles of the main temple or Buddha hall (I think it would be easy to understand if you could imagine a hall with a cloud dragon on the ceiling of a famous temple in Kyoto), so it seems that recitation is official. Therefore, I don't think there are any specific regulations regarding sitting and reciting, but 90 percent of people are seated upright. I rarely see people zazen, but I've only seen people zazen meditating for reasons such as knee pain.
I hadn't even thought about breathing, but I take a few breaths while reciting sutras. It's unprofessional, so I don't know if it's right, but if you take a breath, it's probably because you're not breathing. Swimming is like that, isn't it?
Conversely, at least I can't recite sutras while breathing.
In Japan, we often enter from a mold, as is called a “culture of forms,” and of course I think that is important, but there are many things that you don't understand until you try cooking food. Besides, “Oh do it, do it this way.” I've seen a lot of people who are confused because they have been taught too much.
It's made for relaxation, so why not do it without making too many rules? There will also be things you will notice within yourself, so I think it would be nice if we made improvements at that time.
In the Jodo sect, the basic rule is to sit upright, but people with poor legs sit on chairs. Recently, the number of main halls with chair seats has increased.
When you inhale, it's like 10% through your nose and 90% through your mouth. Most of it comes from the mouth. Don't open your mouth wide and take a breath without hurrying. It's abdominal breathing, so it's like inhaling with your stomach and exhaling through your stomach.
Also, depending on the person, when chanting slowly, some people inhale slowly through their nose. I think that's fine because it's comfortable and calms my mind.
It is a seated seat in temples and disciples houses,
If you don't get used to it
It doesn't matter if you sit on a seat chair or chair.
I almost always sit on a chair in the hall.
Breathing while reciting sutras
I never bothered about it,
I mostly said it out of my mouth.