Tendai ritual life revolves around a broad liturgical repertoire that holds together meditation, scripture, devotion, and esoteric practice in a single integrated field. Central to this are daily and ceremonial recitations of key scriptures, especially the Lotus Sūtra, along with other sūtras and dhāraṇī. Chanting practices may include the recitation of the nenbutsu, “Namu Amida Butsu,” directed to Amitābha, and the daimoku, “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” as homage to the Lotus Sūtra. These vocal practices are not merely recited as texts; they function as ritual acts of devotion, protection, and the cultivation of insight, often accompanied by bells, drums, and offerings of incense, flowers, food, water, and light.

Meditation occupies a parallel and equally important place, particularly the shikan discipline of “stopping and seeing,” which unites calming and insight. This contemplative dimension appears both in seated meditation sessions and in more ascetic forms such as extended walking meditation and pilgrimage on Mount Hiei, as well as intensive Lotus Sūtra–focused retreats. Through these practices, Tendai seeks to embody a vision in which meditative stillness and ritual expression mutually reinforce one another, rather than standing in opposition.

Esoteric (mikkyō) elements give Tendai ceremonies a distinctive texture. Goma fire rituals, in which offerings are consigned to a sacred flame, exemplify this strand, as do mandala-based visualization rites that employ the Womb and Diamond Realm mandalas together with mantras and mudrā. Initiatory ceremonies (abhiseka or kanjō) transmit these esoteric practices and formally bind practitioner and teaching. In some contexts, water-related rites such as kechien kanjō symbolically express the forging of karmic connections with buddhas and bodhisattvas, further deepening the ritual bond.

Ethical and communal dimensions also find ritual expression. Confession and repentance (sange) ceremonies, often involving prostrations and specific texts, serve to purify negative karma and renew resolve. Ordination and vow ceremonies based on bodhisattva precepts articulate the aspiration to live in accordance with the Mahāyāna ideal. Seasonal and memorial observances, including ancestor rites such as Obon and Lotus Sūtra dedication services, extend the field of practice to the living community, the deceased, and the wider world. In this way, Tendai ritual becomes a comprehensive vehicle, integrating devotion, meditation, esotericism, and ethical commitment into a single, many-sided path.