42) 聚会持名

Group Recitation

If four or five persons decide to meet as a group to engage in Buddha Recitation, they should establish the rules and agree on the order of seniority at the outset, before beginning to practice.

From the beginning of each session, each time the wooden fish is struck, each time the Buddha’s name is recited, one person should take the lead, while everyone else fo lows in a regular, even manner, without con-fusion – as otherwise, the minds of the participants could be disturbed.

四五人偶然同聚，作念佛会者，务先束约而后开口，单念四字，一字一鱼用小引磬专 击阿字、陀字，不得参差错落反致纷心。

Commentary

This method, unlike the previous one, does not require the participants to organize retreats, but merely to cultivate as time and conditions permit. The number of participants does not matter and there is no fixed number of days of practice.