The Core

Shichibutsu-Hogo is a series of honorific names of 過去七仏 (the Seven Buddhas of the Past), chanted during 歎仏 (the Tanbutsu ritual) in Zen Buddhism. In this practice, we chant the names of seven Buddhas, including Shakyamuni. While commonly regarded as "a devotional ritual to the seven past Buddhas," this dictionary defines it as "a proactive auxiliary practice that goes beyond worshipping Shakyamuni as an absolute authority. Instead, it relativizes the Buddha within the flow of history, encouraging the practitioner to realize that they are 'part of the stream of enlightenment' and utilizing 念仏 (Nenbutsu) as a vital tool to guide the practitioner toward spiritual depths that may be difficult to reach through Zazen alone."