Buddhist liturgy is a formalized service of veneration and worship performed within a Buddhist Sangha community in nearly every traditional denomination and sect in the Buddhist world. It is often done one or more times a day and can vary amongst the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana sects. The liturgy mainly consists of chanting or reciting a sutra or passages from a sutra, a mantra (especially in Vajrayana), and several gathas. Depending on what practice the practitioner wishes to undertake, it can be done at a temple or at home. The liturgy is almost always performed in front of an object or objects of veneration and accompanied by offerings of light, incense, water and/or food. Chinese Buddhist liturgy The traditional Chinese Buddhist liturgy for morning chanting (), evening chanting (), and regularly scheduled Dharma services () in the Chan and Pure Land schools combine mantras, recitation of the Buddha's name and physical and spiritual practices, such as bowing and walking meditation and vow making. Sitting meditation often occurs before or after the liturgy. A typical order for chanting at these services is: Refuge in the Buddha (three times) Incense offering praise (on certain occasions) Sutra Opening Verse Sutra Reading Dharani recitation Food offering to hungry ghosts (evening only) Nianfo Refuge in the Triple Gem Offering to Weituo (morning) or Qielan (evening) Transfer of Merits Meal offering dharani (morning and before noon only) () Verses for concluding the meal () Bowing in homage to ancestral patriarchs (on certain occasions) Japanese Buddhist liturgy (gongyō) In Japan, gongyo is also sometimes called o-tsutome (お勤め) or shōjin (精進). All three terms are common Japanese words and none is specific to any particular sect or school. Origin of the word "gongyo" The word gongyo originated in ancient China; although nowadays it is more often used in Buddhism, it first appeared in the Taoism classic Zhuang Zi. Its original meaning is "assiduous or hard and frequent walking/practice". Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi abstracted and modified this word from an earlier classic of Taoism - Laozi's Tao Te Ching, in which it states:“上士闻道，勤而行之”, which means taking effort and practicing. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the buddhist philosophy developed dramatically in central China, and was influenced by Taoism. Chinese Buddhist philosophers borrowed this word from Taoism classics, and it spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam with Buddhism. Pure Land Buddhism The concept of gongyō is also common in Japanese Pure Land