Monks Chanting

[dhammarelax]

Dear Friends

Would it be correct to assert that there are traditions where although the monks chant in Pali they dont know the meaning of what they are chanting?

smile all them time
dhammarelax

[JamesTheGiant]

Personally i have no idea what most of the chanting i do at the monastery means, line by line. I have it translated in a booklet so i can look it up though, and i have read those suttas we chant many times in english. I guess i should learn pali since chanting meaningless words is pretty... meaningless.
If it was up to me, we would do everythjng in English at the monastery, so we could all understand without having to learn an ancient dead language.

[SarathW]

Bhante Lucky
Before you call Pali an ancient dead language I request you to learn it first.
Pali is not a dead language.
I know some monks talk in Pali.
Without knowing Pali you will never be able to penetrate to the teaching of Buddha.
We always will have to rely on some persons translation.
Well Pali may not be the Buddhas language.
But if you want to learn the most available original teaching you have to learn Pali.

Surely I agree with you that you do not have to learn Pali to attain Nibbana.
There are enough material available in English for any one that serious.

[dhammarelax]

Personally i have no idea what most of the chanting i do at the monastery means, line by line. I have it translated in a booklet so i can look it up though, and i have read those suttas we chant many times in english. I guess i should learn pali since chanting meaningless words is pretty... meaningless.
If it was up to me, we would do everythjng in English at the monastery, so we could all understand without having to learn an ancient dead language.

This is what I mean, I dont want to be disrespectful but those worthy beings that have gone forth in the Buddhas dispensation deserve to apply a bit more common sense to this practice, chanting day in a and out something I dont have a clue what it means does not sound like something is conducive to awakening. Its like an empty ritual.

smile all the time
dhammarelax

[ryanM]

Without knowing Pali you will never be able to penetrate to the teaching of Buddha.

Is there any support for this? I find this highly unreasonable.

[SarathW]

Personally i have no idea what most of the chanting i do at the monastery means, line by line. I have it translated in a booklet so i can look it up though, and i have read those suttas we chant many times in english. I guess i should learn pali since chanting meaningless words is pretty... meaningless.
If it was up to me, we would do everythjng in English at the monastery, so we could all understand without having to learn an ancient dead language.

This is what I mean, I dont want to be disrespectful but those worthy beings that have gone forth in the Buddhas dispensation deserve to apply a bit more common sense to this practice, chanting day in a and out something I dont have a clue what it means does not sound like something is conducive to awakening. Its like an empty ritual.

smile all the time
dhammarelax

Memorising Dhamma is an aspect of the path.
There is a Sutta to support this.

[dhammarelax]

Personally i have no idea what most of the chanting i do at the monastery means, line by line. I have it translated in a booklet so i can look it up though, and i have read those suttas we chant many times in english. I guess i should learn pali since chanting meaningless words is pretty... meaningless.
If it was up to me, we would do everythjng in English at the monastery, so we could all understand without having to learn an ancient dead language.

This is what I mean, I dont want to be disrespectful but those worthy beings that have gone forth in the Buddhas dispensation deserve to apply a bit more common sense to this practice, chanting day in a and out something I dont have a clue what it means does not sound like something is conducive to awakening. Its like an empty ritual.

smile all the time
dhammarelax

Memorising Dhamma is an aspect of the path.
There is a Sutta to support this.

Yes but you are meant to memorize it at least in a language you understand, do you think that just repeating sounds that you have no idea of their meaning is helpful?

[SarathW]

Well if you need learn Pali chanting is the best way to do it.
If you want to be an excellent Dhamma teacher you should have a good knowledge in Pali.
I have know knowledge in Pali.
But I think if I had that knowledge I would have better understood the dhamma.
It is just the icing on the cake.

[JamesTheGiant]

Bhante Lucky
Before you call Pali an ancient dead language I request you to learn it first.
Pali is not a dead language.

If i remember correctly, a dead language is defined as a language which does not have any native speakers. So Pali is indeed an ancient dead language, unless someone taught their infant how to speak it before their mother-tongue.

[SarathW]

Many scholars study Latin even it is a dead language.
Dead language does not mean it is useless.