Q: Dear Master Lu, due to personal time limitations, I am only able to complete my daily recitations six days a week. Can I skip one day and compensate for the recitations that I have missed on a later day?
A:
- Once you are committed to a fixed number of daily recitation, you must stick to it. Therefore, it may be preferable to set a lower number for your daily recitation of sutras and mantras. For example, if you have decided to recite the Great Compassion Mantra 7 times per day, then you must achieve this quantity every day. When you recite more than 7 times per day, the additional recitations are counted as extras.
- It is very important to set the number of recitations.
- Under special circumstances, if you think you might not be able to complete your daily recitation for the day, you can tell Guan Yin Bodhisattva about your situation and perform your daily recitation in advance.
- If something comes up and you simply cannot complete your daily recitation in time for the day, you should also tell Guan Yin Bodhisattva by saying the following, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva forgive me, <your full name>, I am unable to finish my daily recitation today and I will finish it tomorrow.”
- No matter how busy you are, you should ensure that you at least recite some sutras and mantras every day. Even if you recite the Great Compassion Mantra only a few times, it would be better than not reciting at all.
- For the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, if you have missed reciting this sutra and need to make up for it at a later date, it is better to spread the number of recitations over several days, instead of reciting the total number in one sitting. You should not recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance more than 7 times in one day.