Tendai school of Buddhism is well known for an array of meditative practices as formulated by the founders and several propagators. Let's have a look at some of the meditative practices as followed in Tendai Buddhism.
First and foremost meditative practice of Tendai Buddhism is the ritual or the esoteric practice. This meditative practice aims at the ever alluring goal of spiritual development. In this meditative practice, the lay believers as well as the priests are required to engage their mind, speech and the body all together. This meditation is practiced for the benefit of the others first and of the self, later.
The ritual practice involves chanting of mantras and the use of mudras that are high on the essence of dharma teachings. When the practitioners perform these rituals, they tend to instill its meaning into their life and thereby become a medium for other beings to experience the same.
The ritual and the esoteric practices of Tendai Buddhism involve two indispensable services which are better known as the Morning service and the Evening service. The morning service is an extended form of repentance as based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. This service contains elements of devotion and sutra chanting. This ritual too is performed for the betterment of the sentient beings. Just like the morning service, the evening service is performed on the daily basis and involves similar chanting rituals.
Another important meditative practice of the Tendai Buddhism is the devotional practice. The devotional practice has several forms under it, with Shomyo practice being the most followed amongst all. The Shomyo practice is generally performed by the priests. However, this practice can be performed by the lay believers too, if willing to attend rehearsal and the workshops for the same.
With progress in the above mentioned meditative practice, you can easily move to the next level of mediation which is famously known as the nembutsu practice. It is primarily a pure land practice which involves techniques of visualization. This meditational form is very difficult to perform as it requires lot of patience and energy. It centers on the visualization of the amitabh Buddha coupled with some movements in clock wise direction.
Yet another meditative practice of Tendai Buddhism is kaihoyo. This practice is kind of a walking meditation. The performers are supposed to perform this mediation for the whole day long. This practice draws inspiration from the traditional methods of Samadhi as devised by Chihi. The practitioners have to follow a walking meditation and walk on the outskirts of the country for a distance of almost 17 miles. This practice offers the scope for the veneration of the nature and for deep contemplations.
In general, the practitioners of Tendai Buddhism are expected to follow all the given meditative practices. However, to complement the same, the practitioners are required to lead a healthy life and contribute their best for the harmony of the surroundings and the benefit of the sentient beings.
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