HOW SHOULD WE CHANT SUTTRAS ?

HOW SHOULD WE CHANT SUTTRAS ?

By : Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera.

Paritta Chanting is the recital of some of the Suttras uttered by the Buddha in the Pali Language for the blessings and protection of the devotees. It is a well known Buddhist practice conducted all over the world especially in Theravada Buddhist countries where the Pali Language is used for recitals.

You recite these particular discourses of the Buddha with faith and confidence. Simply by reciting, you will get some sort of blessings. We recite these Suttras to bless you. You get the blessing if you develop

devotion and confidence in your mind.

But that blessing is just like taking two Panadols when you have a headache.

After a few hours, you get back the headache. That's the nature of this kind of blessing. 

Just to calm your mind, to reduce fear from your mind and develop some sort of confidence in your mind. At the primary and initial stage this blessing is very important. However, you must evolve to the next level.

You must understand the main purpose of all these discourses or Suttras.

The Buddha did not introduce them just for recital. Just to recite without doing anything, certainly not. It is like this. 

When you are sick you go to a Doctor or a Sinseh (Chinese doctor). He gives you a prescription the names of so many medicines.You return home and go on reciting the names of all these medicines, thinking you can cure your sicknesses without buying the medicine, without consuming the medicine.You just recite every day the names of the medicine.

Just reciting the Suttras is just like that - you are merely reciting the medicine for our mental defilements (sickness) without curing it.There are some things for us to do, to cultivate, to develop, to eradicate, to improve.

These Suttras are known to many, but they have not realized that the suttras are not just for chanting. Here we can understand how the Buddha has started the Buddhist way of life at home, then went on developing

and developing till the attainment of Nirvana, not running away from our problems.

Let us take one example; the Mangala Suttra. Mangala means blessing or auspicious. 

A Deva (deity) came to the Buddha and asked this question.

"People have different opinions of blessings. Can you please tell us what are the real blessings?". Then the Buddha starts to preach this Mangala Suttra and explain what are the true or highest blessings.

These 38 blessings in the Suttra are not for you to just recite but to also practise.

Then you get the blessings, the real blessings, the real protection from the Suttra.

Recite these Suttras with devotion and confidence to invoke the power of Truth of the Buddha's words. 

Understand its meaning and put it to practice.

You then are able to build a strong protection and shield against various forms of evil, misfortunes, sicknesses and influence of the planetary systems while instilling confidence in your mind to achieve the FINAL LIBERATION.

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#dhamma #chanting