Great Prajnaparamita Sutra - Daihannyatendoku

Japanese: 大般若転読 - だいはんにゃてんどく

The name of a Buddhist memorial service. A memorial service in which 600 volumes of the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra are read out loud in a short period of time. To achieve this, for example, 30 practitioners are assigned 20 volumes each, and a speed-reading technique called 'tendoku' is used. The term 'tendoku' comes from the practice of rolling a scroll-style sutra while reading through it, but for memorial services, a folded book is used, with the front and back covers supported by both hands, and the sutra tilted to the right or left while the main text of the paper falls to one side. At this time, only the title of the sutra is read out loud for each volume. The memorial service is centered around this 'tendoku', with the leader's 'explanation of the sutra' and further preceded by 'confession' and 'divine commentary'.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

仏事の法要名。大般若経600巻を短時間に読み上げる法要。そのために，たとえば30人の職衆（しきしゆう）に20巻ずつ分担させるなどしたうえ，転読という速読法を用いる。転読は，巻物仕立ての経を転がしながら目をとおすことから出た言葉だが，法要には折り本を用い，表裏の表紙を両方の手で支え，経巻を右または左に傾けながら本文の紙をぱらぱらと一方へ落とすようにする。そのとき，経題だけは毎巻大声で読み上げる。この転読を中心とし，これに導師の〈経釈〉を加え，さらに〈表白（ひようびやく）〉〈神分（じんぶん）〉等を前置して法要を構成する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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