An eko in Japanese is a brief chant dedicating merit, often of a long chant that has preceded it. Shunryu Suzuki wrote an eko out and copies were made for a reason unknown in these quarters. Reb Anderson gave Tracy Cramer a copy of it and Tracy sent me a photo of it and Shohaku Okumura translated it. That's presented here. It has been on the cuke page for Suzuki's calligraphy or anything by his hand - without translation.
Comment and translation by Shohaku Okumura, ed by DC - thanks Tracy Cramer for getting the following from him. Here's Tracy's story about receiving it from Reb.
The writing of Suzuki Roshi is a brief Eko for a service,
Sutra Chanting for Mortuary Hall Patrons (in Soto School Scriptures For
Daily Services And Practice published by Sotoshu Shumucho). It is in page
68 of the book. The English translation of this part of the eko is:
May the merit generated thereby assist their awakened spirit and
adorn the land of their reward. We humbly pray that within the current of birth
and death they shall be as a lustrous pearl shimmering undisturbed in a vast
sea; that on the shore of nirvana they shall be as a cinnamon moon shining alone
in the azure sky; so that they will guide the entire world, together climbing
the path to awakening.
