Guide to Reciting Little Houses

Little House | IV. Recitation of Little Houses (4)

03/10/2021 |    
   
 

4. Types of prayers

 

You may commence your recitation by saying a simple prayer or simply start recitation after filling in the recipient and the reciter fields of the Little House. Unlike daily recitation, please do not make any personal prayers prior to reciting the Little House, otherwise the Little House will become ineffective.

Depending on how you want to use the Little House, you may commence the recitation with one of the prayers listed below:

  • For a Little House dedicated to karmic creditors of a living person, the deceased, miscarried or aborted children, karmic creditors of the house, say, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, help me to give these <number> Little Houses to XXX (being the recipient of the Little House that is written under “Offer To:” on the right- hand side, i.e. Karmic Creditor of <your full name>, Child of <mother’s full name>, <full name of the deceased>, Karmic Creditor of the house of <full name of the occupant>).”
  • For a Little House used to resolve karmic conflicts, say, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, help me to resolve my negative karmic affinity with <the other party’s full name>. (Note that “the other party” can be your relative, friend, or colleague.) Generally, only your name will appear on the Little House and not the name of the other party.

    Alternatively, you may state a general prayer, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, help me to resolve my negative karmic affinity.”

  • If reserving Little Houses for future use, say, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva be my witness, I, <your full name>, now recite the scriptures contained in this Little House (the Great Compassion Mantra, the Heart Sutra, the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra, and the Qi Fo Mie Zui Zhen Yan).” Little Houses of this nature can be used in time of urgency.