Penance - Senbou

The Buddhist practice of repentance (also called 'keka') or the ritual and rules of a Buddhist service. The basic idea is to worship the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, confess one's sins before them, ask for their forgiveness, and be free from sin. This was excerpted from the sutras and commentaries on the practice of repentance and repentance, and was practiced in Chinese Buddhism from around the 4th or 5th century for worldly gains such as healing and warding off disasters. These were compiled by Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty into 10 volumes of the "Repentance Practice of the Compassion Dojo" (Jihi Dojo), combined with the Sutra of the Name of the Buddha, but Tiantai Zhiyi reorganized and categorized the existing ones as the "Lotus Samadhi Repentance Ritual, Fangdeng Samadhi Practice, Asking for Avalokitesvara Repentance Ritual, Golden Light Repentance Ritual, Fangdeng Repentance Ritual, and Salute Ritual" as practices of meditation and insight, and he created enormous works such as the 18 volumes of the "Engakukyo Dojo Shushogi" (Rite of Practice and Realization of the Engakukyo) and the 42 volumes of the "Avatamsaka Sutra Ritual of Repentance and Ritual." In Japan, it refers to the Hokke Sanpo, an extract of the Hokke Samadhi Sangi, and is used at the Imperial Court for memorial services for the former emperor, and is also a Tendai sect practice. The Kissho Kekaho used in the Omizutori ceremony at Todaiji Temple and the Obutsu Myoe ceremony at the Imperial Ceremony are also repentance ceremonies, and there are Shari Sanpo, Yakushi Sanpo, and Mida Sanpo.

[Yoshimichi Shioiri]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教における懺悔(さんげ)（悔過(けか)ともいう）の行法、または法会(ほうえ)の儀式およびその儀則。諸仏菩薩(ぼさつ)に礼拝(らいはい)して自らの罪過を仏前に告白して容認を乞(こ)い、罪業を免れることが基調で、懺悔・悔過の行法を内容とする経論から抄出したものが、中国仏教で4、5世紀ころから治病除災などの現世得益のため行われた。それらは梁(りょう)の武帝により、仏名経典と合して『慈悲道場(じひどうじょう)懺法』10巻に編集されたが、天台智顗(ちぎ)は止観の行法として、在来のものを『法華三昧懺儀(ほっけさんまいせんぎ)・方等(ほうとう)三昧行法・請観世音(しょうかんぜおん)懺法・金光明(こんこうみょう)懺法・方等懺法・敬礼法』とつくり直して類形化し、『円覚経(えんがくきょう)道場修証儀(しゅしょうぎ)』18巻、『華厳経礼懺儀(けごんきょうらいせんぎ)』42巻など膨大なものまでつくられた。日本では、法華三昧懺儀の抄出である法華懺法をさし、宮中で先帝の御忌(ぎょき)に用いられ、天台宗勤行儀(ごんぎょうぎ)ともなっている。東大寺の御水取(おみずとり)に用いる「吉祥悔過法(きっしょうけかほう)」や勅会(ちょくえ)の御仏名会(おぶつみょうえ)も懺法であり、舎利(しゃり)懺法、薬師(やくし)懺法、弥陀(みだ)懺法などがある。

［塩入良道］

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