expression, ichidan verb
chant the nembutsu
A Buddhist phrase referring to the recitation of the nembutsu (念仏), the invocation of Amida Buddha's name, typically '南無阿弥陀仏'.
See also: 念仏
祖母は毎朝、仏壇の前で念仏を唱える。
My grandmother chants the nembutsu in front of the family altar every morning.
念仏 is the noun meaning 'nembutsu' or the invocation itself; 念仏を唱える is the verb phrase meaning 'to chant the nembutsu'.
The phrase is composed of 念仏 (nembutsu, from Sanskrit 'buddhānusmṛti', meaning mindfulness of the Buddha) and 唱える (to chant). It is a standard expression in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.