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)

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