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. Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, either on a single pitch or with a simple melody involving a limited set of notes and often including a great deal of repetition or statis. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... WaT (Wentz and Teppei) is a Japanese pop duo, composed of singer/songwriters Eiji Wentz and Teppei Koike. ... Tibetan Buddhism (Simplified Chinese: 藏传佛教) is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... Official language Tibetan Headquarters Dharamsala, India Head of State Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama Head of Government Professor Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche National Anthem Tibetan National Anthem, (Link) The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), officially the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a government in exile headed by... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda, Sanskrit: sthaviravāda → English: The Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...

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. Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or mental development. // Methods of meditation The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha...

While the basis for Theravada chants is the Sutta Pitaka, Mahayana and Vajrayana chants draw from a wider range of sources. The Sutta Pitaka (suttapiṭaka; or Suttanta Pitaka; Sanskrit सूत्र पिटक Sutra Pitaka) is the second of the three divisions of the Tipitaka or Pali Canon, the great Pali collection of Buddhist writings, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. ...

Theravada chants

In the Theravada tradition, chanting is usually done in Pali, sometimes with vernacular translations interspersed.^[1] Among the most popular Theravada chants^[2] are: Theravada (Pāli: theravāda, Sanskrit: sthaviravāda → English: The Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest... Pali may refer to: Pāli, a Middle Indo-Aryan language Pali, Rajasthan, a town and district in Rajasthan, western India Pali, a Hawaiian word, meaning cliffs Nuuanu Pali, a region on the Hawaiian island of Oahu Ballaleshwar Pali, the Ganapati temple of pali and place in Maharastra This is...

• Buddhabhivadana (Preliminary Reverence for the Buddha)^[3]
• Tisarana (The Three Refuges)^[4]
• Pancasila (The Five Precepts)^[5]
• Buddha Vandana (Salutation to the Buddha)^[6]
• Dhamma Vandana (Salutation to his Teaching)^[7]
• Sangha Vandana (Salutation to his Community of Noble Disciples)^[8]
• Upajjhatthana (The Five Remembrances)^[9]
• Metta Sutta (Discourse on Loving Kindness)^[10]

Media:Example. ... The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, Three Refuges or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. ... Pancasila or pañca-sila is the fundamental code of Buddhist ethics, willingly undertaken by lay followers of Gautama Buddha. ... Media:Example. ... The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... Sravaka (Sanskrit śrāvaka; Tibetan nyan thos; Pali sāvaka) is a hearer, a term applied to the personal disciples of the Buddha, distinguished as mahā-śrāvaka; it is also applied to hearers, or disciples in general; but its general connotation relates it... The Upajjhatthana Sutta (Subjects for Contemplation) is a Pali sutra which lists the five remembrances, five facts upon which all people are advised to reflect often, whether lay or monastic, male or female. ... Mettā (मेटा in Devanagari) is a Pali word meaning unconditional loving-kindness. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms...

Mahayana chants

In the Mahayana tradition, different schools are known for different chants: Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...

• Central to daily Nichiren practice is the chanting of the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (Homage to the Lotus Sutra).
• Pure Land Buddhists chant daily the nembutsu, Namu Amida Butsu (Homage to Amida Buddha).
• Popular with Zen, Shingon or other Mahayana practitioners is chanting the Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya Sūtra (Heart Sutra).

Nichiren (日蓮) (February 16, 1222 – October 13, 1282), born Zennichimaro (善日麿), later Zeshō-bō Renchō (是生房蓮長), and finally Nichiren (日蓮), was a Buddhist monk of 13th century Japan. ... Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō (南無妙法蓮華経, also transliterated Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō) is a mantra, which is recited as part of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. ... The Buddha Amitabha, 13th century, Kamakura, Japan. ... Nianfo (念佛. Chinese pinyin nian fo; Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul), literally mindfulness of the Buddha. ... Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. ... Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra or Heart Sutra or Essence of Wisdom Sutra (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयसूत्र Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya SÅ«tra; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經, BōrÄ›bōluómìduō XÄ«njÄ«ng; Japanese: 般若心経, Hannya Shingyō; Korean: Pannya Shimgyŏng) is a well-known Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra that is very...

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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: तन्त्र weave denoting continuity[1]), tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Buddhist mandala Mandala (Sanskrit circle, completion) is a term used to refer to various objects. ...

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. Om Mani Padme Hum, written in Tibetan, on a rock outside the Potala Palace in Tibet. ... Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ... a. ... Bhaisajyaguru (藥師佛／薬師 Ch. ... Amitabha Buddha and his two acolytes, Mahasthamaprapta and Avalokitesvara Amitābha is a celestial Buddha described in the scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism. ...

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. New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ... Japa, or Japam, is a spiritual discipline in which a devotee repeats a mantra or the name of the God. ...

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. Example gin with vocal annotation to the right of each character Shigin (詩吟) is a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted, either individually or within a group. ... A woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, (Japan, 1887) depicting Bodhidharma the founder of Chinese Zen. ... A woman in seiza, on tatami, performing the Japanese tea ceremony Seiza (正座, literally correct sitting) is a Japanese word which describes the traditional formal way of sitting in that country. ... Tanden (Japanese; 丹田; Chinese: Dāntián), which literally means red field, refers to the centre of gravity, located in the abdomen just below and behind the navel. ...

See also

• Householder (Buddhism)

In canonical Buddhism, householder refers to a particular strata of society whose individuals are typified by having a home life and family. ...

Notes

1. ^ Khantipalo (1982, 1995).
2. ^ Khantipalo (1982, 1995).
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ Ibid., pp. 1-2. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/03-chant-03.mp3
5. ^ Ibid., pp. 1-2. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/04-chant-04.mp3
6. ^ Ibid., pp. 3-4. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/05-chant-05.mp3
7. ^ Ibid., pp. 5-6. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/06-chant-06.mp3
8. ^ Ibid., pp. 7-8. Audio file at http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/mp3/07-chant-07.mp3
9. ^ For the text, see Thanisaro (1997).
10. ^ 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/.

References

• Indaratana Maha Thera, Elgiriye (2002). Vandana: The Album of Pali Devotional Chanting and Hymns. Penang, Malaysia:Mahindarama Dhamma Publication. Available on-line at: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/vandana02.pdf.
• Khantipalo, Bhikkhu (1982). Lay Buddhist Practice: The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence (The Wheel No. 206/207). Kandy, Sri Lanka:Buddhist Publication Society. Also transcribed (1995) and available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel206.html.
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). AN 5.57, Upajjhatthana Sutta: Subjects for Contemplation. Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.057.than.html.

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