Hoben Pon - Ichi Ichi Mon Mon

Kansho Shonin

This recording is of the Hoben Pon Chapter II of the Lotus Sutra. Ichi Ichi Mon Mon is a practice for learning the correct pronunciation of passages of the Sutra for recitation. This is a one on one practice with an instructor and a student. The recitation is done line by line with the instructor reciting solo and the student following along by pointing to each character or syllable (character in Japanese and syllable in English or other language). Then the instructor continues beating the mokusho, wooden drum, while the student recites the characters in the same melodic manner as the instructor. The goal is to as closely as possible imitate the instructor. If the student or instructor makes a mistake the instructor simply repeats the section until the student gets it correctly. Since you are doing this alone it isn't possible to hear your response so it is up to you to as closely as possible imitate what you hear. Before you begin ensure that you have rinsed your mouth and washed your hands. Make sure your attire is neat and squared away. Remember you are sitting in front of the Buddha and so you should be dressed appropriately. Also use a pointer to follow along not your finger. Allow yourself ample time to complete the entire recitation. Normally for priests the entire Yohon is done at one time and the practice can last several hours. For the purpose of these presentations I have broken it into smaller segments.