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A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or
incantation, in some ways analogous to Hindu or Christian religious recitations. They exist
in just about every part of the Buddhist world, from the
Wats in Thailand to the Tibetan Buddhist temples of India (re: Tibetan Government in
Exile). Almost every Buddhist school has some tradition of
chanting associated with it, regardless of being Theravada or Mahayana.
Traditional
chanting
In Buddhism, chanting is the traditional means of preparing the
mind for meditation; especially as part of formal
practice (in either a lay or monastic context). Some forms of
Buddhism also use chanting for ritualistic purposes.
While the basis for most Theravada chants is the Pali
Canon, Mahayana and Vajrayana chants draw from a wider range of
sources.
Theravada
chants
In the Theravada
tradition, chanting is usually done in Pali, sometimes with vernacular translations
interspersed.[1]
Among the most popular Theravada chants[1]
are:
-
Critique of melodious
chanting
In the Ghitassara Sutta, the Buddha teaches:
- Bhikkhus, there are five dangers of reciting the Dhamma with a
musical intonation. What five?
- Oneself gets attached to the sound, others get attached to the
sound, householders are annoyed, saying, “Just as we sing, these
sons of the Sakyan sing”, the concentration of those who do not
like the sound is destroyed, and later generations copy it.
- These, monks, are the five dangers of reciting the Dhamma with
a musical intonation.[10]
Mahayana
chants
In the Mahayana
tradition, different schools are known for different chants, often
accompanied by melodious chanting, elaborate rituals and
utilization of musical instruments, such as the wooden fish, rin gong
and drums
(either of which are not used by its Theravadin counterpart):
-
- Central to daily Nichiren practice is the chanting of the
phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (Homage to the Lotus
Sutra). Nichiren practitioners will sometimes chant certain
chapters from the Lotus
Sutra, in particular the 2nd and 16th chapters.
- Pure
Land Buddhists chant nianfo, Namu Amida Butsu or Namo
Amituofo (Homage to Amitabha Buddha). In more formal services,
practitioners will also chant excerpts from the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life or
occasionally the entire Smaller Sutra of Immeasurable Life.
- Popular with Zen, Shingon or
other Mahayana
practitioners is chanting the Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya Sūtra (Heart Sutra). In more
formal settings, larger discourses of the Buddha (such as the Diamond Sutra) may
be chanted as well. Particularly in the Chinese and the Japanese
traditions, repentance ceremonies involving paying deep reverence
to the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as well as executing rituals to
rescue and feed hungry ghosts are also occasionally
practiced.
Vajrayana
chants
In the Vajrayana
tradition, chanting is also used as an invocative ritual in order
to set one's mind on a deity, Tantric ceremony, mandala, or particular concept
one wishes to further in themselves.
For Vajrayana practitioners, the chant Om Mani Padme Hum is very popular around
the world as both a praise of peace and the primary mantra of Avalokitesvara. Other popular chants
include those of Tara, Bhaisajyaguru, and Amitabha.
Tibetan monks are noted for their skill at throat-singing, a
specialized form of chanting in which, by amplifying the voice's
upper partials, the chanter can produce multiple distinct pitches
simultaneously.
Non-canonical uses of
Buddhist chanting
There are also a number of New Age and experimental schools related to
Buddhist thought which practise chanting, some with understanding
of the words, others merely based on repetition. A large number of
these schools tend to be syncretic and incorporate Hindu japa and other such traditions
alongside the Buddhist influences.
While not strictly a variation of Buddhist chanting in itself,
Japanese Shigin (詩吟)
is a form of chanted poetry that reflects several principles of Zen
Buddhism. It is sung in the seiza position, and participants are
encouraged to sing from the gut - the Zen locus of power. Shigin
and related practices are often sung at Buddhist ceremonies and
quasi-religious gatherings in Japan.
See also
Notes
- ^ a
b
Khantipalo (1982, 1995).
- ^
For an example of Pali text and an English translation of this
chant, see Indaratana (2002), pp. 1-2. To listen to this being
chanted in Pali by Venerable Indaratana Maha Thera, go to http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/02-chant-02.mp3.
- ^
Ibid., pp. 1-2. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/03-chant-03.mp3
- ^
Ibid., pp. 1-2. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/04-chant-04.mp3
- ^
Ibid., pp. 3-4. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/05-chant-05.mp3
- ^
Ibid., pp. 5-6. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/06-chant-06.mp3
- ^
Ibid., pp. 7-8. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/07-chant-07.mp3
- ^
For the text, see Thanisaro (1997).
- ^
For a bilingual edition, see, for instance, Indaratana (2002), pp.
32-34. To listen to this being chanted by the Abhayagiri Sangha in
English, go to http://www.abhayagiri.org/index.php/main/medium/379/.
- ^
Gītassara Sutta (A.iii.250) from "Association for Insight
Meditation" at http://www.aimwell.org/Books/Suttas/Ghitassara/ghitassara.html.
References
External
links
- "Buddhist Chanting" at
BuddhaNet Audio.
- "A Chanting Guide", by
The Dhammayut Order in the United States of America.
- "Chanting with English
translations and Temple Rules", chant book of the Kwan Um
School of Zen.
- "Perceive Universal
Sound", article on Zen chanting by Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn, originally
published in "The American Theosophist" (May 1985) and reprinted in
"Primary Point," Vol. 5, No. 3 (November 1988).
- Buddhist Chanting Service
Important Theravada chanting texts digitized for online
contemplation and chanting
- Pali Chants A collection
of audio files of Pali chants. Morning/Evening chants, reflections,
discource, blessings, etc.
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