DHARMA TEACHING

The Importance of Chanting and Recitation
Ven. Tenzin Gephel, Resident Monk
Namgyal Monastery, Ithaca, NY

Chanting is a way of engaging in spiritual practice, which is usually done in groups, both large and small. In Tibetan Buddhism chanting is common at gatherings for religious purposes, such as the Dalai Lama's public teachings and other religious ceremonies. Chanting occurs not only in Buddhist monastic traditions; it is also performed in lay communities within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, such as yogi groups and schools. I noticed that students and faculty at the Tibetan Medical and Astrology Institute chant Buddhist prayers as well as mantras of the Medicine Buddha before they begin their studies or meet with patients. I have a vivid memory from the time when I was a student in the Tibetan Children's Village School in Dharamsala, India of students reciting prayers and chanting together twice a day, once just before classes started around 8 a.m. and again after the classes finished. Students at the school took turns being the chant master. This student led the prayers and chanting before and after school.

Chanting inspires people to engage in Dharma practices, even though they might not understand the purpose and meanings of every chant. Chanting and recitations bestow blessings and nourish the seeds of enlightenment that are within oneself and all others. These virtuous seeds ultimately help one to develop love, kindness, compassion and wisdom, which finally lead to enlightenment or Buddhahood.

Chanting and recitation are types of meditation. The main purpose of the recitation of prayers and chanting in Buddhism is to reflect upon the meaning of the words. Chanting slows down the recitation. This slowness offers us more time to reflect upon the meaning of the words. Reflecting on the meaning of words helps one become more familiar with virtuous thoughts and acts.In some ways recitation and chanting serve as practices that transform the mind by helping it develop clarity and stability.

Daily prayers and recitations contain the very essence of all 84,000 of the Buddha's sutras in the form of practices suitable for everyday life. In some ways chanting and recitation help one to engage in other Buddhist meditation practices more easily.

Tibetan monasteries uphold the tradition that one learns the words of texts by chanting and memorizing. As a result, one can read the text correctly, pronounce the words clearly and produce a pure sound. Tibetans commonly depend on ritual ceremonies, recitations and chantings because these are skillful ways to engage in the practices of Dharma. The great Tibetan master Tsongkapa said in a work known as the Great Exposition of Secret Mantra that one way or another one has to depend on relatively elaborate rituals which have many words. Tsongkapa's words, written 600 years ago, indicate that chanting and recitation are important for both beginning and intermediate practitioners. He also said that if one reaches quite high stages one no longer needs to rely on many rituals or many words.

The 18th century Tibetan Buddhist master Jay-dzun Gon-chok Den-bay Dron-may left us these words of advice:

1. As if we were an old person depending entirely on a cane, we must rely upon the words of the text by memorizing and reciting them. Killing time day after day by merely reading out loud, attending to each little nuance of expression in keeping with tradition, will not help. One should memorize and practice reciting the words of the teaching constantly.
2. Even though we can memorize many words of the sacred scriptures and are able to recite them, failure to think about the meaning of the words will make us like a sutra reader [whose task is to recite prodigious amounts of text] or like a parrot making the same sound a hundred times over. This will not help us gain full understanding of a subject. Therefore, one should examine thoroughly and reflect upon the meanings of the wordsof the text or teaching.