Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays

and had not formed crystals.
All spoken languages, including English, Mandarin, Sinhalese,
Thai, or French, evolve over time as conditions, society, and culture
changes. For example, the English that is spoken today would hardly
be recognizable to English-speaking people during Shakespeare’s or
Chaucer’s time. Mandarin now is undoubtedly not the same language
it was during the Tang Dynasty – those of you here today would have a
hard time understanding people from the 8 th century, I’m sure.
The language of the Buddha’s Teachings is recorded in Pali
which is not a spoken language. Therefore it has not changed since
the time of the Buddha nearly 2,600 years ago. It is preserved in the
Buddhist chants we use today. Our chants were originally passed
down orally for hundreds of years – from one generation of monks to
another – before finally written down on palm leaves in Sri Lanka in
the third century B.C.E. They have since been written down on sheets
of gold, marble plaques, stone pillars, and other mediums – all in the
Pali language. The Pali language has been perfectly preserved to this
modern time – and the chants we recite today are exactly the same as
they were when the Buddha was living.
Buddhist chants in the Pali language carry a tremendous
vibration that travels around the world. It is interesting to note that
every minute and hour of every day Buddhist chants are being recited
by monks somewhere in the world. I personally feel that the positive
vibrations of our chanting do much to bring peace and harmony all over
the planet – and that without chanting, things would be much worse
than they already are. I think our chanting almost acts as an anchor for
stability and calm in the midst of the strife, confusion, and multitude of
disturbances we read about in the news every day.
It was said in the introduction to the Angulimala Paritta that the
power of chanting is such that if a monk sits on a chair while chanting,
and the chair is later washed, the water used to wash the chair can even
have beneficial effects.
One type of Pali chanting is called Paritta, which means
“protective.” Paritta chants can be used for all sorts of problems – even
astrological problems – or hungry ghosts or earth-bound spirits can be
set free – without any harm coming to the menacing entity.
Paritta chants can be used to heal all sorts of illnesses – mental,
physical, or emotional. There are many stories about the healing power
of chants during the Buddha’s time – in fact, many suttas illustrate such
occurrences. One of the most well-known is the Ratana Sutta used to
rid the kingdom of Vesali from three plagues – sickness, evil spirits,
and famine. The Buddha taught this sutta to Ven. Ananda, and told
him to walk around the ailing city for seven days while chanting and
sprinkling holy water everywhere. After seven days Vesali was rid of
the three plagues, and peace, prosperity, and equanimity returned to the
kingdom.
It is our custom to tie a thread around sacred relics or a statue
of the Buddha before we start chanting. The thread is then tied around
chanting books, and then passed through the hands of the monks who
will be chanting. In this way the three elements of the Triple Gem –
the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha – are joined together to create an
energy circulating – as if through wires – that goes through the thread
to those who need healing and help.
Please keep in mind that for Buddhist chanting to be most
effective, two necessary conditions must be present. First of all,
the monks who do the chanting must have great compassion for
the listeners. Secondly, those who listen must have faith, trust, and
confidence in the power of the chanting. When these two elements are
present, the chanting will have its intended effect.
In conclusion, never underestimate the power of Buddhist
chanting. It has been used for centuries to bring about positive results,
and it is used in the same way today. Its power to bring about changes
in the lives of all who are fortunate to hear it is real – just as electrical
power is real. Whenever you have the opportunity to be in the presence
of sacred Buddhist chanting – don’t miss it. Your lives will be blessed
in untold ways, and the lives of those you touch will also be blessed.
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