The Chanting Practice of Theravada Buddhists

The Chanting Practice of Theravada Buddhists
Dr Ashin Acara
The practice of chanting of religious scripts

exists in every religion. It is usually led by
priests or religious leaders, but increasingly lay
people have learnt to chant some scripts as
many believe that chanting is beneficial to one’s
well-being. However, one must be familiar with
the particular script as there are many different
kinds of chants, each for a different purpose.
Some are meant to pass on merits to the
deceased, while other chants are for mental
energy, victory, health, and other positive outcomes.
Origin of the Theravada Buddhist Practice

The practice of Theravada Buddhism chanting is said to be rooted in the recitation of
the dhamma by early Buddhist monks for whom recitation was the only way to learn
the dhamma. They had to learn the dhamma by heart, because writing had not yet
been well established. Hence the many repetitions in many Buddhist suttas, making it
easy for memorisation.
Content in Chanting
Today some Theravada Buddhists, monks, nuns and lay devotees, chant Pali texts
from the tipitaka. They chant words of the Lord Buddha such as suttas and attributes
of the Three Gems. Some chants are compositions made by Buddhist scholars which
usually deal with attributes of the Three Gems and life of the Buddha, while some are
summaries of suttas. Before the chanting, Buddhists usually take refuge in the Three
Gems—the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha - they also take refuge in the Five Precepts
(pancasila) after making offerings of light (candles and joss sticks), flowers, alms
food, water, fruit, to the Buddha image.
Purposes or Benefits of Chanting

Most of today’s Theravada Buddhists chant to acquire devotional faith in the Three
Gems as the attributes of the Three Gems are included in all of today’s formal chants.
Thus while chanting we remember the attributes, and that is how our faith in the
Three Gems is developed and established. Moreover, recollections of the attributes
are part of meditation (Buddhanussatibhavana, Dhammanussati-bhavana and
Samghanussati-bhavana). Many people find it difficult to sit in meditation, but it is
easier for them to recollect the attributes of the Three Gems while they are chanting.
Some Buddhists chant to concentrate on the essence of suttas. They establish

concentration by chanting. Chanting is a very powerful way to keep the mind focused,
so that the words chanted, as well as the meaning of their recitation, purifies their
mind. Chanting is also a reminder to practice the dhamma in accordance with the
suttas chanted. When they chant a certain sutta, they remember the advice imbibed in
it.
Some Buddhists chant for the people’s welfare, like health and protection. With a
purpose of living a healthy life they usually chant one or all of the three Gilana-suttas
(Pathamagilana-sutta, Dutiyagilana-sutta and Tatiyagilanasutta) of Samyutta-nikaya
also known as Bojjhanga-suttas. In these suttas seven factors of wisdom (satta-
bojjhangas) included are mindfulness (sati), investigation of dhamma
(dhammavicaya), effort (viriya), joy (piti), calmness (passaddhi), concentration
(samadhi), and equanimity (upekkha).
In the Pathamagilana-sutta and Dutiyagilana-sutta, the venerables Maha Kassapa and

Maha Moggalana were ill respectively. Having found great delight in the sutta
expounded by the Buddha, they recovered from their illnesses. While in the
Tatiyagilana-sutta the Buddha himself was ill. After Cunda Thera had recited the sutta
for the Buddha’s benefit, He recovered from his illness too. According to
Buddhaghosa Thera, commentator of the suttas, it should be understood that the seven
factors had already been fully established in the Buddha and his two disciples when
they contemplated on the seven factors. As a result, their blood was cleansed and their
materiality (rupa), purified. Thus, they regained health. Evidently one’s health cannot
be improved significantly by the mere chanting of the suttas or by just listening to
them. Actually one’s faith in the suttas, concentration and other kinds of merit gained
by chanting the suttas or by listening to the suttas can provide a support to one’s
health.
Next, our chant can protect us from problems and dangers. Indeed we are protected by
our own merits, like faith and concentration acquired by chanting the suttas or by
listening to them. Moreover, chanters may be protected by Buddhist gods listening to
our chants. According to Sajjhayasutta of Sagathavagga-samyutta, in the Buddha’s
time, a monk was dwelling in a forest in the Kosala Division and was in a habit of
chanting the suttas daily. However, after attaining arahantship, he neglected his daily
chanting and enjoyed the bliss of meditation instead. A guardian god of the forest
came to him and complained, “Venerable Sir, why don’t you chant now? When you
chant suttas we can listen to the dhamma. Chanting is being faithful and
praiseworthy.”
From this it is understood that devoted gods come to listen to the recitation of the
dhamma. Thus, today we usually invite gods to our chanting venues so they may
listen to our chants. Chanting a certain sutta or listening to a certain chant is simply a
meritorious deed. This merit, like any other kind of merit, should be shared with or
transferred to other beings including the gods. Hence those gods gained merits by
listening to the chanting of the suttas and rejoicing thereby. The chanters also gained
merits . In return, the gods will protect the chanters.
Understanding the meaning of the words chanted is essential for a chant to be
effective. However, it is not fruitless for devoted sutta chanters and sutta listeners
even if they cannot understand the meaning of chanted words fully or partially. At
least their devotional faith will be established by chanting, and some merits will
result, depending on the level of their faith and concentration.
While chanting, chanters usually pay homage to the Three Gems. They also pay
respect to elderly chanters who are worthy of respect. Benefits of paying homage and
respect to the worthy ones, influence of chanting and power of the Three Gems are
found in Dhammapada and its commentary: “If a man has the habit of reverence, if he
always respects the aged, Four things increase for him: age, beauty, happiness,
power.”
Buddhaghosa Thera in his Dhammapada-atthakatha explained this verse: At the time

of the Buddha there was a boy named Lad-whose-years-increased (Ayuvaddhana).
His father, a Brahman and an old member of a heretical order, had performed
religious austerities for forty-eight years. One day, the parents brought the son to a
monk, a former companion of the father. On meeting, they saluted him.He said to the
parents, “Live long!” but remained silent when the son saluted him. On being
questioned, the monk explained, “Some disaster awaits this boy, Brahman.” Though
he foresaw the disaster, he could not prevent it. However, he advised his friend to go
to the Buddha to ask for protection.
When they met the Buddha, the parents saluted Him and the Buddha said “Live
long!” When the boy saluted the Buddha, He was silent because He also saw the
disaster that awaited this boy, so the Buddha instructed the father on how to avert it.
As instructed, the father erected a pavilion before the door of his house, and prepared
seats for the Buddha and his disciples who recited the protective texts (parittas) to
secure protection. For seven days and seven nights continuously, the monks recited
parittas, and on the seventh day the Buddha came. The powerful deities gathered
themselves together near the Buddha, and the weak deities were forced to draw back,
stepping back to make room for them. Then an ogre named Avaruddhaka stepped
back too. Prior to this, Avaruddaka, having served Vassavana for twelve years had
been given a boon by Vassavanna saying, “Seven days hence you shall receive this
boy.” He approached the boy and stood waiting. However, the Buddha recited parittas
all night long. The seven days lapsed and Avaruddhaka failed to get the boy.
At dawn the eighth day, they brought the boy and made him pay obeisance to the
Buddha who said: “Live long!” Then the father asked, “Sir Gotama, how long will the
boy live?” The Buddha replied, “For one hundred and twenty years, Brahman.” So
they gave him the name of Lad-whose-years-increased (Ayuvaddhana). When the
youth grew up, he went about surrounded by five hundred lay disciples.
In this story, the life span of the boy was extended from seven day to one hundred and
twenty years by the grace of the Three Gems and by the power of protective chants by
the Buddha and His disciples and as a merit to his paying reverence to the Buddha.
Several regular chanters of specific texts, short texts like Namo tassa . . ., Buddham
saranam gacchami . . ., Itipi so bhagava araham . . ., and longer texts like Parittas and
Patthana tell us about their practices and benefits. Some believe they escape, by the
power of their chants, dangers like accidents. I met a habitual chanter, Myanmese
monk named U Kumarabhivamsa in Yangon in 2003.. Now he is a pro-rector of the
International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, Yangon, Myanmar, and he
is nearly eighty years old. According to him he has been chanting Patthana
(Paccayaniddesa Pali) for more than fifty years. His regular chanting starts at 8 pm
Myanmar standard time daily. When he was seriously ill and could not chant, he
asked other monks to chant the Patthana for him while he listened. The benefits of his
recitation are innumerable, he said. Once he saw a celestial being (deva, god) listening
to his chant, showed itself to the venerable. When I asked about the appearance of the
deva, the venerable just said that the deva was very handsome, bright, significantly
bigger than human beings with his head touching the upper lintel of the door to his
room.
Factors for Effective Chants

Factors required to make effective chants included the following:
- Monks chanting should understand the meaning of the words in the chant.
- Texts should be correct and chanted properly.
- Monks chanting should bear loving kindness (metta) towards the listeners.
- Listeners should not have committed the five grave evil deeds (pancanantariya-
kammas), namely killing their mother, killing their father, killing an arahant,
causing hurt to the Buddha, or causing schism in the Sangha.
- Listeners should not hold serious wrong views such as eternalism (sassataditthi)
and annihilation (ucchedaditthi).
- Listeners should believe in what is chanted.
When we chant suttas or parittas ourselves for any purpose we should try to fulfill
these factors. When we chant or listen to a chant, we should try to establish devotional
faith in ourselves. If possible, we should contemplate on the meaning of the chant or
at least we should concentrate on the voice in chanting. Then our chant will be
powerful and beneficial.
(Taken from page 1 and 2, Mangala Vihara Newsletter, 2/2009)
http://mrmrt.blogspot.com/

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The Chanting Practice of Theravada Buddhists

The practice of chanting of religious scripts

Origin of the Theravada Buddhist Practice

Purposes or Benefits of Chanting

Some Buddhists chant to concentrate on the essence of suttas. They establish

In the Pathamagilana-sutta and Dutiyagilana-sutta, the venerables Maha Kassapa and

Buddhaghosa Thera in his Dhammapada-atthakatha explained this verse: At the time

Factors for Effective Chants

(Taken from page 1 and 2, Mangala Vihara Newsletter, 2/2009)

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