Paritta
chanting is the recital of some of the Suttas uttered by the Awakened
One with Awareness the Buddha in the Pali language for the blessing and
protection of human beings from various calamities and dangers.

Listen or Chant together with devotion. Experienced healing and peace.
May all Sentient and Non-sentient living beings in the whole Universe be ever free from danger and harm.
May all be happy, well and secure!
May all live long!
May all have calm, quiet, alert, attentive and equanimity mind with clear understanding that everything is changing!

Paritta Chanting or Sutta Chanting is a well-known practice
conducted all over the world where the Pali language is used for
recitals. Many of these are important suttas from the basic teachings of
the Buddha which were selected by His disciples. Originally, these
suttas were recorded on ola leaves about two thousand years ago. Later,
they were compiled into a book known as the ‘Paritta Chanting Book’. The
names of the original books from which these sutras were selected are
the Anguttara Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Digha Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya and Kuddaka Nikaya in the Sutta Pitaka.

The
suttas that Awakened Ones with Awareness recite for protection are
known as Paritta Chanting. Here ‘protection’ means shielding ourselves
from various forms of evil spirits, misfortune, sickness and influence
of the planetary systems as well as instilling confidence in the mind.
The vibrant sound of the chanting creates a very pleasing atmosphere in
the vicinity. The rhythm of the chanting is also
important. One might
have noticed that when monks recite these suttas, different intonations
are adopted to harmonize with different suttas intended for different
quarters. It was found very early during man’s spiritual development
that certain rhythms of the human voice could produce significant
psychological states of peacefulness and serenity in the minds of ardent
listeners. Furthermore, intonation at certain levels would appeal to
devas, whilst certain rhythms would created a good influence over lower
beings like animals, snakes, or even spirits or ghosts. Therefore, a
soothing and correct rhythm is an important aspect of Paritta Chanting.

The
use of these rhythms is not confined to Buddhism alone. In every
religion, when the followers recite their prayers by using the holy
books, they follow certain rhythms. We can observe this when we listen
to Quran reading by Muslims and the Veda Mantra Chanting by Hindu
priests in the Sanskrit language. Some lovely chanting is also carried
out by certain Christian groups, especially the Roman Catholic and Greek
orthodox sects.

When the suttas are chanted, three great and
powerful forces are activated. These are the forces of the Buddha,
Dhamma and the Sangha. Buddhism is the combination of these ‘Three
Jewels’ and when invoked together they can bring great blessing to
mankind:

The Buddha. He had cultivated all the great virtues,
wisdom and enlightenment, developed His spiritual power and gave us His
noble Teachings. Even though the physical presence of the Teacher is no
more with us, His Teachings have remained for the benefit of mankind.
Similarly, the man who discovered electricity is nomore with us, yet by
using his knowledge, the effect of his wisdom still remains. The
illumination that we enjoy today is the result of his wisdom. The
scientists who discovered atomic energy are no longer living, but the
knowledge to use it remains with us. Likewise the Noble Teachings given
us through the Buddha’s wisdom and enlightenment, are a most effective
power for people to draw inspiration from. When youremember Him and
respect Him, you develop confidence in Him. When you
recite or listen to the words uttered by Him, you invoke the power of His blessings.

The
Dhamma. It is the power of truth, justice and peace discovered by the
Buddha which provides spiritual solace for devotees to maintain peace
and happiness. When you develop your compassion, devotion and
understanding, this power of the Dhamma protects you and helps you to
develop more confidence and strength in your mind. Then your mind itself
becomes a very powerful force for your own protection. When it is known
that you uphold the Dhamma, people and other beings will respect you.
The power of the Dhamma protects you from various kinds of bad
influence and evil forces. Those who cannot understand the power of the
Dhamma and how to live in accordance with the Dhamma, invariably
surrender themselves to all forms of superstitious beliefs and subject
themselves to the influence of many kinds of gods, spirits and
mystical powers which require them to perform odd rites and rituals. By
so doing, they only develop more fear and suspicion born out of
ignorance. Large sums of money are spent on such practices and this
could be easily avoided if people were to developtheir confidence in the
Dhamma. Dhamma is also described as ‘nature’ or ‘natural phenomena’ and
‘cosmic law’. Those who have learnt the natureof these forces can
protect themselves through the Dhamma. When the mindis calmed through
perfect knowledge disturbances cannot create fear in the mind.

The
Sangha. It refers to the holy order of monks who have renounced their
worldly life for their spiritual development. They are considered as
disciples of the Buddha, who have cultivatedgreat virtues to attain
sainthood or Arahantahood. We pay respect to the  Sangha community as
the custodians of the Buddha Sasana or those who had protected and
introduced the Dhamma to the world over the last 2,500 years. The
services rendered by the Sangha community has guided mankind to lead a
righteous and noble life. They are the living link with the Awakened One
with awareness who bring His message to us through the recital of the
words uttered by Him.

The chanting of sutras for blessing was
started during the Buddha’s time. Later, in certain Buddhist countries
such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma, this practice was developed
further by organizing prolonged chanting for one whole night or for
several days. With great devotion, devotees participated in the chanting
sessions by listening attentively and intelligently. There were some
occasions when the Buddha and His disciples chanted sutras to bring
spiritual solace to people suffering from epidemics, famines, sickness
and other natural disasters. On once occasion, when a child was reported
to be affected by some evil influence, the Buddha instructed His monks
to recite suttas to give protection to the child from the evil forces.

Devotees who were tired fatigued have experienced
relief and calmness after listening to the chanting of sutt as. Such an
experience is different from that provided by music because
music can create excitement in our mind and pander to our I emotions
but does not create spiritual devotion and confidence.

For
the last 2,500 years, Buddhist devotees have experienced the good effects
of sutta chanting. We should try to understand how and why the words
uttered by the Buddha for blessing purposes could be so effective even
after His passing away. It is mentioned in the Buddha’s teaching that
ever since he had the recite for protection are known as Paritta
Chanting. Here ‘protection’ means shielding ourselves from various forms
of evil spirits,misfortune,sickness and influence of the planetary
systems as well as instilling confidence in the mind. The vibrant sound
of the chanting creates a verypleasing atmosphere in the vicinity.
The rhythm of the chanting is also important. One might have noticed
that when monks recite these suttas, different intonations are adopted
to harmonize with different suttas intended
for different quarters. It was found very early during man’s spiritual
development that certain rhythms of the human voice could produce
significant psychological states of peacefulness and serenity in the
minds of ardent listeners. Furthermore, intonation at certain levels
would appeal to devas, whilst certain rhythms would created a good
influence over lower beings like animals, snakes, or even spirits or
ghosts. Therefore, a soothing and correct rhythm is an important aspect
of Paritta Chanting.

The use of these rhythms is not confined to
Buddhism alone. In every religion, when the followers recite their
prayers by using the holy books, they follow certain rhythms. We can
observe this when we listen to Quran reading by Muslims and the Veda
Mantra Chanting by Hindu priests in the Sanskrit language. Some lovely
chanting is also carried out by certain Christian groups, especially
theRoman Catholic and Greek orthodox sects.

The Buddha. He had cultivated all
the great virtues, wisdom and enlightenment, developed His spiritual
power and gave us His noble Teachings. Even though the physical presence
of the Teacher is no more with us, His Teachings have remained for the
benefit of mankind. Similarly, the man who discovered electricity is no
more with us, yet by using his knowledge, the effect of his wisdom still
remains. The illumination that we enjoy today is the result of his
wisdom. The scientists who discovered atomic energy are no longer
living, but the knowledge to use it remains with us. Likewise the Noble
Teachings given us through the Buddha’s wisdom and enlightenment, are a
most
effective power for people to draw inspiration from. When you remember
Him and respect Him, you develop confidence in Him. When you recite or
listen to the words uttered by Him, you invoke the power ofHis
blessings.

The Dhamma. It is the power of truth, justice and
peace discovered by the Buddha which provides spiritual solace for
devotees to maintain peace and happiness. When you develop your 
compassion, devotion and understanding, this power of the Dhamma
protects you and helps you to develop more confidence and strength in
your mind. Then your mind itself becomes a very powerful force for your
own protection. When it is known that you uphold the Dhamma, people and
other beings will respect you. The power of the Dhamma protects you from various
kinds of bad influence and evil forces. Those who cannot understand the
power of the Dhamma and how to live in accordance with the Dhamma,
invariably surrender themselves to all forms of superstitious beliefs
and subject themselves to the influence of many kinds of gods,
spirits and mystical powers which require them to perform odd rites and
rituals. By so doing, they only develop more fear and suspicion born out
of ignorance. Large sums of money are spent on such practices and this
could be easily avoided if people were to develop their confidence in
the Dhamma. Dhamma is also described as ‘nature’ or ‘natural phenomena’
and ‘cosmic law’. Those who have learnt the nature of these forces can
protect themselves through the Dhamma. When the mind is calmed through
perfect knowledge disturbances cannot create fear in the mind.

The
Sangha. It refers to the holy order of monks who have renounced their
worldly life for their spiritual development. They are considered as
disciples of the Buddha, who have cultivated great virtues to attain
sainthood or Arahantahood. We pay respect to the Sangha community as
the custodians of the Buddha Sasana or those who had protected and
introduced the Dhamma to the world over the last 2,500 years. The
services rendered by the Sangha community has guided mankind to lead a
righteous and noble life. They are the living link with the Awakened One
with awareness who bring His message to us through the recital of the
words uttered by Him.

Devotees who were tired fatigued have experienced relief
and calmness after listening to the chanting of suttas. Such an
experience is different from that provided by music because music can
create excitement in our mind and pander to our emotions but does not
create spiritual devotion and confidence.

The miraculous effect experienced by many people in
ridding themselves of their sickness and many other mental disturbances
through the medium of the Buddhist suttas, enabled them to develop their
faith and confidence in this form of religious service.

aspiration
to become a Buddha the Awakened One with Awareness during His previous
births, He had strongly upheld one particular principle, namely, to
abstain from ‘telling lies’. Without abusing or misusing His words,
He spoke gently without hurting the feelings of others. The power of
Truth has become a source of strength in the words uttered by the
Awakened One with Awareness the  Buddha with great compassion. However,
the power of the Awakened One with Awareness the Buddha’s word alone is
not enough to secure blessing without the devotion and understanding of
the devotees.