My favorite chants as a music

AV
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Hi ,
here are some of my favorite chants which I like not only for lyrics but also for nice harmonies or/and music. I would like to listen to your favorite musical chanting which for me replaced ‘‘ordinary’’ music:)

Please note: Ajahn Achalo chants are with instrumental music which I am not sure is suitable for monastic. His CD with these chants was distributed in Amaravati though:)

Pali Chanting by the monks of Metta Forest Monastery:

Sublime Attitudes

Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta

The Divine Mantra

From YT: Karaneeya Meththa Suthraya - කරණීය මෙත්ත සූත්‍රය -

Ajahn Achalo Bhikkhu
Anandagiri Forest Monastery
(link: http://www.peacebeyondsuffering.org/chanting.html)

Four Divine attitudes:

Praise to the Three jewels:

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Thank you for posting these chants!

I do find the instrumental ones difficult to listen to. The instruments somehow compel me to follow elsewhere rather than here. I’m curious how others experience these instrumental chants.

The English chants were understandable, yet somehow not immersive. I am not sure why.

The non-English chants were quite immersive, although I can’t quite understand them. Are they Pali? Do you have the text of what was chanted?

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They are all in Pali. The text you can find here
https://www.dhammatalks.org/chant_index.html
And here


Much metta

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Thank you!

Here is Sublime Attitudes.

Such chanting is a great way to learn Pali.

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My favorite for Ratanasutta:

This one shows parallel text – Pali / English – scrolling along with the recitation.

There’s also a youtube of the same rendition, with video of the chanter and the rather large accompanying group of monks and devotees (mostly women). Often can’t find it on-line (youtube belongs to Google – ultimately not to be trusted), but have a downloaded copy (using ClipGrab).

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"Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks in reciting with a drawn-out singing sound.
What five?
You relish the sound of your own voice.
Others relish the sound of your voice.
Householders complain: ‘These ascetics, followers of the Sakyan, sing just like us!’
When you’re enjoying the melody, your immersion breaks up.
Those who come after follow your example.
These are the five drawbacks in reciting with a drawn-out singing sound.”
AN5.209

https://suttacentral.net/an5.209/en/sujato

:anjal:

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Perhaps we should recite like a…Dalek? :thinking:

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Much as I hate to admit it … When it is melodic, I can get lost and distracted by the sounds - so it does make it harder and one needs to be constantly mindful to avoid that distraction. :pensive:

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I agree with you if you are on 8 precepts. For 5ers I think it can be skillful reflection what music is and what it brings. Aggressive rap music is not the same what sounds of nature with the flute music.
Sometimes it could be nice compromise with non-practitioners while driving a car:)

I can see the distinction between recitation and chanting. In the light that rapping became music…

I understand that. I am a musician and I have a need to create and play from time to time. But I have abandoned my all old music as not skillful and looking for purer alternatives:)

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I find it peculiar that the more I meditate on the suttas the less I want to play my guitar.
It’s almost as if guitar isn’t immersive enough. :thinking:

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Monks chanting sutras in a Buddhist funeral at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery

Be awere! There is a slight keyboard in the background!

Wonderful!:slight_smile:

It is actually quite interesting youtube channel- Buddhist music:

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I wonder if anyone can help me:

I recently rediscovered an old cassette tape containing recitations (no music) of various suttas (details below).
I have no idea who the person reciting was, nor who produced the recording.

At the beginning of the recording, a lady (speaking with a very Received Pronunciation English accent) says: “[audio missing]…chant the Metta Sutta from the Sutta Nipata. The translation will be found on page 24 of the Rhinoceros Horn”.

The recording includes chants of:
Metta Sutta
Mahasatipatthana Sutta
Atanatiya Sutta
Maha Paritta: mahamangala sutta, ratana sutta, karaniyametta sutta.

I’ve had the Audio/Visual team at my work digitise the cassette tape, so I now have a nice .wav file.
It would be nice to share it but I wouldn’t want to violate any outstanding copyrights.

Does anyone know this recording/ know who produced it etc?

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Being somewhat naive and not a lawyer, I still would suggest that posting the recording here in the thread along with your question is actually an attempt to honor copyright and not a violation per se. However your own digitization of the tape does amend the work somewhat so there may be some reticence at posting your own digitization for whatever IP concern of your own you might have. In any event, posting an audio would help discovery.

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Thanks, Karl.
I suppose an excerpt of the recording would be fine.
Let me see what I can do in Adobe Audition…

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OK - here’s the first track on the recording (metta sutta):

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Wow! That is quite the recording. Thank you. :pray:
That sounds…old, but the recording is too good to be one of Caroline Rhys Davids, so I doubt that is her.

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OK - mystery solved!
The cassette was produced by the PTS to accompany Warder’s Introduction to Pali.
Some of (?) the recordings can be listened to here:
http://www.palitext.com/palitext/IntroPali.htm

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I really like Ven. Ashin Sarana’s chanting of the Metta Sutta here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1DiedV5qZk You can hear the Metta in his gentle voice, and it is rhythmic and in a way almost musical.

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Or like Aditi, Amy, Russell, and Raveena :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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