経文(きょうもん)

Compound of 経(きょう) ('sutra; Buddhist scripture') and 文(もん) ('text; writing'). Refers specifically to the textual content of Buddhist scripture — the words that are read, chanted, or studied — rather than the physical object of the scroll or book.

Usage

• Most commonly heard in connection with 葬儀(そうぎ) (funerals), 法事(ほうじ) (Buddhist memorial services), and temple rituals, where a priest chants 経文(きょうもん) in front of an altar.
• The physical scroll or volume is more often called お経(きょう) or 経典(きょうてん); 経文(きょうもん) emphasizes the words themselves.
• Appears in literary contexts referring to quotations or specific lines from a sutra.
• The reading きょうもん is standard; an alternative reading けいもん exists but is rare.

Common collocations

• 経文(きょうもん)を唱(とな)える: to chant a sutra passage
• 経文(きょうもん)を読(よ)む: to read a sutra passage
• 経文(きょうもん)を上(あ)げる: to recite sutras (especially at a funeral or memorial)
• 経文(きょうもん)が響(ひび)く: (the) sutra text resonates
• 経文(きょうもん)の一節(いっせつ): a passage from the sutras

Cultural note

• At Japanese Buddhist funerals and memorial services, a priest reads or chants 経文(きょうもん) on behalf of the deceased. The specific sutras differ by sect (e.g., Jōdo Shinshū, Sōtō Zen, Nichiren).
• Everyday exposure to 経文(きょうもん) for many Japanese comes through family Buddhist altars (仏壇(ぶつだん)) and annual memorial visits.

Similar words

• お経(きょう): sutra — everyday term, refers both to the text and to the act of reading sutras at ceremonies.
• 経典(きょうてん): Buddhist scripture; canon — the broader term for authoritative Buddhist texts.
• 念仏(ねんぶつ): Buddhist prayer; nenbutsu — specifically the repeated invocation of Amida Buddha, not the same as chanting sutra text.
• 真言(しんごん): mantra — short ritual phrases, distinct from the longer 経文(きょうもん).