# Buddhist chants



## msegers (Oct 17, 2008)

I've seen several references to Gregorian chant around this site, but I would like to share with you other traditions of chanting, from Buddhism. Here are some links to audio files of Buddhist chant:

*Theravada* - "the way of the elders," the oldest form of Buddhism (before 1950, sometimes referred to as Hinayana, or "the lesser vehicle") -
www.buddhanet.net
www.BuddhaMind.cjb.net
http://www.sobhana.net

*Mahayana* - "the greater vehicle" - 
http://www.lamrim.com/prayers (English)
http://www.gbm-online.com/index.asp
http://www.siddham.org/yuan_english/mantra/emantra_download.html
http://www.wildmind.org/meditation/mantra/

*Pure Land* - a particular school of Mahayana Buddhism, but I am separating these references because chanting has a much more important part in the devotional life of Pure Land followers - 
http://www.drba.org/online/audio/[email protected]=11.html
http://www.amtbweb.org/
http://www.amitabha-gallery.org/chants.htm

If you have trouble with the terminology, I suggest you download a free reference book at -
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/budglossary.pdf
If you prefer to download from the webpage, go here -
http://buddhanet.net/ebooks_g.htm
(This is the next to last book on the page.)


----------



## SPR (Nov 12, 2008)

interesting.

I sampled this: http://www.sobhana.net/audio/chants/chandakitthi/index.htm

not really my cup of tea, at first try. Some of it got a little annoying after several minutes actually.

Is that bad karma to say that?


----------



## msegers (Oct 17, 2008)

I'm certainly not qualified to talk about karma, good or bad (or other such Buddhist topics), but it is interesting that you began with the chanting by Talalle Chandakitthi Thero. Those are the only chants on that list that to me have a distinctive, personal sound.

There is some question about how much you need to understand the text to appreciate vocal music. Here are translations into English for the texts that I could find. Another question - pertinent to discussion of Buddhist chanting or Christian shape-note singing - if you are outside that tradition, can you really "get" it? And, is it appropriate to consider (and perhaps judge) the music and performances as music and performances? Does that get into intentionality: is it _intended_ to be taken on its own?

Most of these texts are from www.accesstoinsight.org, which has a huge library of Theravada suttas (the Pali form, used in Theravada Buddhism, of the Sanscrit word _sutra_, used in Mahayana Buddhism). You can download the entire library in one zip file. Also, many of these chants are available on Youtube.com. A number of them have Wikipedia.org articles as well.

*Set Pirit* - a sequence of texts that among some laypeople takes on almost a superstitious function
text: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/piyadassi/protection.html
bilingual (English/Pali) texts: http://www.aimwell.org/Books/Suttas/Paritta/Paritta1/paritta1.html (and following)

*Dhammacakka Sutta *(also known as Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) - this is the famous first sermon of the Buddha, which includes the four noble truths and the eightfold path; there are many translations available online
text: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.piya.html

*Girimananda Sutta* 
text: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.060.piya.html

*Maha-samaya Sutta*
text: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.20.0.than.html

*Parabhava Sutta*
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.06.nara.html

*Vasala Sutta*
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.07.piya.html

*Tesatta Nyana Vandana*
I cannot find this; the word "vandana" refers to prostration.

*Maha Jayamangala Gatha*
According to the accesstoinsight.org website, "a set of eight benedictory stanzas extolling the virtues of the Buddha, may also be cited as a popular custom partly related to the chanting of pirit." The recitation of these texts is especially associated with marriages; www.jayamangala.com is a Sri Lankan dating site.
text (English and Pali): http://www.ripl.or.kr/Archives/Literature/e009.htm


----------

