I know that it’s a good day when I’ve chanted gongyo twice- morning and evening! The word “Gongyo” (勤行) literally means “assiduous practice” or “dedicated practice.” Excerpts from the Lotus Sutra are chanted—specifically, sections from chapters 2 (“Expedient Means”) and 16 (“The Life Span of the Thus Come One”). It is a daily Buddhist practice performed once in the morning and once in the evening, usually in front of a Gohonzon (a sacred scroll that symbolizes the enlightened state of life). My morning gongyo typically does not happen before noon, but when it does, I am happy! My evening gongyo usually only happens after 11pm. At first, it was hard for me to pronounce all the Japanese characters of the gongyo, but now I have become good & actually fluent at doing so! I mastered it within the first 3-6 months of practice.