What is 洗鉢の偈 (Senpatsu-no-Ge)?: Living through Offering and Receiving the Nectar of Amrita

洗鉢の偈 (Senpatsu-no-Ge): Changing the water into Amrita by using contemplation and mantra empowerment.

What is 洗鉢の偈 (Senpatsu-no-Ge)?: a verse that monks chant when they wash their Oryoki bowls.

Key Point: 洗鉢の偈 (Senpatsu-no-Ge) is a verse chanted when cleaning the Oryoki (monk’s bowls). By chanting a mantra and performing  empowerment on the water, we offer it to the hungry spirits.
It is vital that we do not merely chant the words; we must also practice contemplation. We must hold a firm intention in our hearts, believing that this water transforms into Amrita (divine nectar) and provides true relief to the suffering hungry spirits.

In this article, I will introduce the 洗鉢の偈 (Senpatsu-no-Ge/The Verse of Washing the Bowl). It is a verse that monks chant when they wash their Oryoki bowls. At the Zen temple where I trained, people did not call it by a specific name. I found it online as 折水の偈 (Sessui-no-Ge), but I decided to call it Senpatsu-no-Ge based on a book written in the Showa period(Reference: Sawaki Kodo (1941). Zazen no Shikata to Kokoroe: Fu, Gyopatsu no Shikata (How to Practice Zazen: Including How to Practice Meal Rituals). Yoyogi Shoin.).

After chanting the 擊鉢の偈 (Keihatsu-no-Ge/Verse of Striking the Alms Bowl), the meal begins. During the meal, there is a second serving called 再請 (Saishin). The monk who gives these signals is called 喝食 (Kasshiki).　People who want more rice or soup can ask for it. The signal is to say Saishin in a flat tone. In Western music, the notes are F and A. This is more of a call than a verse, so I will not record it now, but I would like to do so if I have a chance.

When the head monk finishes his meal, the other monks must also finish. Then, someone shouts 香湯 (Koto) and brings fragrant tea. Koto is tea used to soften leftover rice in the Oryoki bowls. We use pickles to wash the bowls before the final wash. We share the same tea. New monks do not know this, so they eat all their pickles every year. After washing the bowls, we drink the tea. Some foreign people do not like this, but we must follow the rules of the temple.

Next, we use a tool called 刷 (Setsu) to wipe away the remaining food from the bowls. The “Setsu” is a stick wrapped in white cloth with white thread. We wipe the bowls with it and lick the tool, but we must change it regularly.

Next, someone shouts “Josui,” and they bring hot water called 浄水 (Josui). This is hot water for the final wash of the Oryoki bowls. When we receive the water, we use the “Setsu” to wash the bowls clean. We do not drink this water. We put it into a bucket called 折水器 (Sessuiki) when it arrives. We chant the “Senpatsu-no-Ge” at that time. We give the water in the bucket to the plants.

Glossary

• 我此洗鉢水 (I offer this water used to wash my bowls): The water remaining after I have washed my bowls.
• 如天甘露味 (Like the nectar of the heavens): Equivalent in quality to Amrita, the legendary elixir of immortality.
• 施与鬼神衆: (I share it with 鬼神 [Kijin,the spirits]): Dedicated primarily to 餓鬼 (Gaki/hungry spirits).
• 悉令得飽満 (May they all be fully satisfied): My sincere wish that they may find complete nourishment.
• 唵摩休羅細娑婆訶 (Oṃ mahorase svāhā): A sacred mantra. Oṃ represents the source of the universe, mahorase signifies the highest auspiciousness, and svāhā embodies the realization and completion of the vow.

To me, both 我此洗鉢水 and 唵摩休羅細娑婆訶 sound like foreign languages. Honestly, it was a surprise to realize that the end of this verse is actually a mantra. In Dojo, everything moves so quickly that there is rarely time to contemplate the deep meanings or origins behind these words.

According to the teachings of Dharma Master Yin-Long, chanting the mantra 唵摩休囉悉莎訶 (Oṃ mahorase svāhā) imbues this water with a empowerment(加持,Kaji). Because of this power, even a small amount of water becomes enough to satisfy the countless hungry spirits, as many as the grains of sand in a river.

The throats of these hungry spirits are described as being as narrow as a needle’s eye and as scorching as a raging fire, making it impossible for them to drink ordinary water. However, this empowered water transforms into Amrita (divine nectar). It does more than just quench their thirst; it cools their burning heat and even offers them liberation from their suffering (Reference: 洗菜盤水與洗鉢水 [Master Yin-Long / Practicing with Sincerity, Taking the Precepts as My Teacher])

It is not enough to simply chant the words. What truly matters is the contemplation—to deeply contemplate and hold the intention in your heart that this water is transforming into Amrita, and that it will genuinely alleviate the suffering of the hungry spirits.

The Core

• By chanting the mantra and practicing contemplation, one can transform the water used for washing the bowls into Amrita (divine nectar) and offer it to the hungry spirits.
• Personally, I believe that even ordinary tap water is sufficiently like Amrita.
• Senpatsu-no-Ge is a verse chanted when cleaning the Oryoki (the set of bowls used for meals).

My Experience:  even ordinary tap water is a precious Amrita

Key Point: I am filled with awe that I can easily obtain clean water just by turning on a faucet. I believe that even our tap water is truly like Amrita.

In Japan, we can easily access some of the highest-quality water in the world. However, in many other countries, this is not the case.

I once worried about what would happen if clean water became unavailable, so I did some research. I learned that in places like Africa, river water can be made drinkable by exposing it to sunlight to sterilize it. However, I also found that this is not possible for the rivers in Japan’s urban areas, as the water there is polluted.

That is why I think that if a disaster were to occur in Japan, it would be a huge, arduous task to have to go out every day to fetch relatively clean water from deep in the mountains and then expose it to sunlight. This makes me feel a sense of awe that I can easily obtain clean water just by turning on a faucet. It is said that in Buddhism, “Amrita” refers to a divine nectar from heaven, and I truly believe that even our tap water is sufficiently like Amrita.