Shakyo (Tracing the Sutras) (Englisch)

On the Practice of Shakyo (Tracing the Sutras)

The Buddhist practice of Shakyo is a means of spreading the Buddha Way among people. It is also for praying for the fulfillment of one’s greatest wish. But today, besides these overtly religious purposes, we can do shakyo in order to reflect on ourselves, or to attain mental well-being by mindfully tracing the sacred scriptures. It does not matter if one has faith in Buddhism or not, or if one’s writing is good or not.

When we look back at the history of shakyo, we first find this passage in the Nihonshoki; “…gathering a group of transcribers, the Buddhist Tripitaka was transcribed at Kawaharaji temple¹ for the first time…” Later at the time of Emperor Shomu (701~756), specialists in sutra transcription were appointed and they transcribed the sutras to store or to distribute to Kokubunji temple² in various locations. Then after around the Heian Period (794~1192) people started privately doing shakyo as a Buddhist practice, or as a prayer/wish for healing and consoling the souls of their ancestors. Thus, shakyo has a long history.

Shakyo has been wonderful nourishment for many people to bring about peace of mind in their spiritual lives. It is so because when we do shakyo with harmonized body and mind, we are immediately in tune with Buddha’s teaching. Shakyo has been a great spiritual support for way-seekers of all time. As people living in the present-day situation, we can cherish quiet and serene moments fostered by shakyo, and make this calligraphy as Zen to deeply look at the self an essential part of our everyday life.

The Heart Sutra is very short but it beautifully captures an outline of the Buddhadharma. Thus, we encourage beginners to start shakyo from this sutra.

---

• ¹ This temple was located in Nara prefecture but does not exist any more.
• ² These temples were built by Emperor Shomu to appease unstable state of affairs in a country.

Preparation

• Tool: Calligraphy pen
• Template: Scripture or prototype for shakyo
• Paper for shakyo: Special paper for shakyo or paper which does not cause ink to blur and has a good touch with a pen
• Room: Clean room beforehand. If you use a room with a Buddhist altar, offer incense, flowers and candles
• Dress: Wash hands, rinse mouth and make your clothing neat

Manner of Performing Shakyo

Things to keep in mind

1. A sutra traced wholeheartedly is very precious. Remember to treat it with special care as though treating a Buddha statue.
2. When tracing, keep a relaxed and natural posture as much as possible, without tensing up shoulders. If using a chair, sit upright at the right spot, neither too far forward nor too far back, and without leaning against the backrest. Good posture will help bring good results.

Download

Click the links to download the template and instructions.
Two fonts are available for the template. Please use either one of them.

Font Type A   Font Type B   Instructions

Shakyo (tracing the sutras)-kit