Read, reflect, pray
Verse of bowing
礼拝偈
A verse reflecting on the emptiness and non-separation of the one who bows and the one honored, and wishing liberation for all beings.
English meaning and source text
English meaning
About this English rendering
This site’s English rendering of the Japanese meaning guide, aligned with this edition. It is separate from the source words for recitation and is not an official liturgy. Sacred sounds are explained where possible, not given speculative literal translations. Historical beliefs, royal authority, illness and protection claims belong to the text; they are not present-day judgments, medical advice or guarantees of results.
Both I who bow and the Buddha who receives the bow are, in their nature, still emptiness without fixed essence.
My body and the other’s body are not fundamentally divisible into two.
Together with all beings, I aspire to be released from delusion’s bonds,
arouse the heart seeking unsurpassed awakening, and return to reality just as it is.
Source text and reading aid
Roman letters are provided for every line of this source text.
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
能礼所礼性空寂
nourai shorai shoukuujaku
自身他身体無二
jishintashin taimuni
願共衆生得解脱
gangushujou tokugedatsu
発無上意帰真際
hotsumujoui kishinsai
Sources and edition (3)
- 東川寺の所蔵資料紹介/曹洞宗 — 礼拝偈・宮崎奕保禅師の墨蹟に記された四句
- 曹洞宗 — Raihai ge・礼拝偈(公式ローマ字読誦資料134ページ)
- 曹洞宗・SOTOZEN.COM — Soto School Scriptures For Daily Services And Practice
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.