Affluent Savvy
Photo by icon0.com Pexels Logo Photo: icon0.com

What is the most famous Buddhist chant?

Among the most popular Theravada chants are: Buddhabhivadana (Preliminary Reverence for the Buddha) Tisarana (The Three Refuges) Pancasila (The Five Precepts) Buddha Vandana (Salutation to the Buddha) Dhamma Vandana (Salutation to his Teaching) Sangha Vandana (Salutation to his Community of Noble Disciples) More items...

en.wikipedia.org - Buddhist chant - Wikipedia
How do you write a powerful intention?
How do you write a powerful intention?

7 Tips For Writing An Intention Statement Affirm Only What You Want. ... Write As If It Is Happening Now. ... Focus On The Feeling. ... Check For...

Read More »
Does everyone have 2 zodiac signs?
Does everyone have 2 zodiac signs?

No matter your birth date, there's only one answer -- no one actually has two signs. But if you were born within a few days of the Sun's move from...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Religious recitation for meditation or ritual

A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to religious recitations of other faiths.

Traditional chanting [ edit ]

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 [ edit ]

Buddhist monks chanting

In the Theravada tradition, chanting is usually done in Pali, sometimes with vernacular translations interspersed.[1] Among the most popular Theravada chants[1] are:

The traditional chanting in Khmer Buddhism is called Smot.[9]

Mahayana sutra chants [ edit ]

Chanting in the sutra hall

Since Japanese Buddhism is divided in thirteen doctrinal schools, and since Chan Buddhism, Zen and Buddhism in Vietnam – although sharing a common historical origin and a common doctrinal content – are divided according to geographical borders, there are several different forms of arrangements of scriptures to chant within Mahayana Buddhism.: Daily practice in Nichiren buddhism is chanting the five character of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (homage to the true dharma of the Lotus Sutra). A Mahayana sutra that reveals the true identity of Shakyamuni as a Buddha who attained enlightenment numberless kalpas ago. Kumarajiva's translation, which is widely honoured, is entitled the Lotus Sutra of the wonderful law (Myoho Renge Kyo). The mystic relationship between the law and the lives of the people courses eternally through past, present, and future, unbroken in any lifetime. In terms of space, the Nichiren proclaims that the heritage of the ultimate law flows within lives of his disciples and lay supporters who work in perfect unity for the realization of a peaceful world and happiness for all humanity. Nichiren practitioners will chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - the true aspect of all the phenomena and recite certain chapters from the Lotus Sutra, in particular the 2nd and 16th chapters.

Vajrayana chants [ edit ]

What is cinnamon good for around the house?
What is cinnamon good for around the house?

Cinnamon can be used to beat any kind of odor in the house, particularly in the kitchen. Just add a few cinnamon sticks, a couple of fresh orange...

Read More »
Why does ketchup clean pennies the best?
Why does ketchup clean pennies the best?

Ketchup contains vinegar, a weak acid, which breaks down the copper oxide on the surface of the penny. The salt in the ketchup goes on to add...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

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. Japanese esoteric practitioners also practice a form of chanting called shomyo.

Critique of melodious chanting [ edit ]

Ghitassara Sutta [ edit ]

In the Ghitassara Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 5.209), 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]

Defense of chanting [ edit ]

John Daido Loori justified the use of chanting sutras by referring to Zen master Dōgen.[11] Dōgen is known to have refuted the statement "Painted rice cakes will not satisfy hunger". This statement means that sutras, which are just symbols like painted rice cakes, cannot truly satisfy one's spiritual hunger. Dōgen, however, saw that there is no separation between metaphor and reality. "There is no difference between paintings, rice cakes, or any thing at all".[12] The symbol and the symbolized were inherently the same, and thus only the sutras could truly satisfy one's spiritual needs. To understand this non-dual relationship experientially, one is told to practice liturgy intimately.[13] In distinguishing between ceremony and liturgy, Dōgen states, "In ceremony there are forms and there are sounds, there is understanding and there is believing. In liturgy there is only intimacy." The practitioner is instructed to listen to and speak liturgy not just with one sense, but with one's "whole body-and-mind". By listening with one's entire being, one eliminates the space between the self and the liturgy. Thus, Dōgen's instructions are to "listen with the eye and see with the ear". By focusing all of one's being on one specific practice, duality is transcended. Dōgen says, "Let go of the eye, and the whole body-and-mind are nothing but the eye; let go of the ear, and the whole universe is nothing but the ear." Chanting intimately thus allows one to experience a non-dual reality. The liturgy used is a tool to allow the practitioner to transcend the old conceptions of self and other. In this way, intimate liturgy practice allows one to realize emptiness (sunyata), which is at the heart of Zen Buddhist teachings.

Non-canonical uses of Buddhist chanting [ edit ]

Which mantra gives success?
Which mantra gives success?

Maa Lakshmi is the epitome of beauty and prosperity. Chanting a mantra dedicated to her is especially beneficial as it brings immense wealth and...

Read More »
What are manifestations examples?
What are manifestations examples?

Affirmation and Manifestation Examples I am worthy of love and happiness. I am surrounded by people who love and support me. ... I am healthy,...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

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 [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]

Chen, Pi-Yen (2010). Chinese Buddhist monastic chants . Middleton, Wis.: A-R Editions. ISBN 9780895796721 . Chen, Pi-yen (2002). "The contemporary practice of the Chinese Buddhist daily service: Two case studies of the traditional in the post-traditional world". Ethnomusicology. 46 (2): 226–249. doi:10.2307/852780. JSTOR 852780.

Notes [ edit ]

en.wikipedia.org - Buddhist chant - Wikipedia
Why is a 1933 penny so rare?
Why is a 1933 penny so rare?

In 1933 the Royal Mint decided to temporarily cease the production of pennies. This was due to the millions of Victorian and Edwardian pennies...

Read More »
Does cinnamon help with joint pain?
Does cinnamon help with joint pain?

Benefits for Arthritis Patients Cinnamon is also known to help patients with arthritis due to its heavy antioxidant and anti-inflammatory...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »
Which country has no poverty?
Which country has no poverty?

Iceland stands at the top of countries with the lowest poverty rates with a poverty rate of 4.9% in 2021. In 2017, Iceland's poverty rate even hit...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »
How to use cinnamon for diabetics?
How to use cinnamon for diabetics?

If you do want to add cinnamon to your diet, however, the best way to do it is to sprinkle it on your oatmeal or cook with about one-half teaspoon...

Read More »