The Role of Chanting and Prayer in Buddhism: A Multidimensional Review

Contemporary scholarship recognizes vocal practices such as sutta recitation, paritta chanting, mantra repetition, and devotional invocation as central to Buddhism, challenging earlier Western views of it as a rational philosophy focused on individual meditation. Chanting involves rhythmic recitation of canonical texts, protective formulas, and mantras, often in liturgical languages not fully understood by lay participants. Prayer overlaps with aspirational verses, bodhisattva vows, and invocations directed toward buddhas, bodhisattvas, or deities, especially in Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. Unlike theistic petitionary prayer, Buddhist prayer emphasizes aspiration for universal welfare, confession, and merit dedication, though popular practice includes requests for protection, health, prosperity, and favorable rebirth.

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Abstract

While early Western scholarship often portrayed Buddhism as a rational philosophy emphasizing individual meditation and ethical discipline, contemporary research increasingly recognizes vocal practices including sutta recitation, paritta chanting, mantra repetition, and devotional invocation as crucial vehicles for transmitting doctrine, cultivating virtues, regulating mental states, and constructing religious communities (Kumar, 2023;Yulianti, 2012;Perry et al., 2021).The term "chanting" in Buddhist contexts typically refers to rhythmic vocal recitation of canonical texts (Pli suttas, Sanskrit stras), protective formulas (paritta, rak), and mantras or dhras, often performed in liturgical languages not fully understood by lay participants (Kumar, 2023;Piyadassi, 1999;Payne, 2018)."Prayer" overlaps significantly with aspirational verses, bodhisattva vows, and invocations directed toward buddhas, bodhisattvas, or protective deities, particularly prominent in Mahyna and Vajrayna traditions where relational devotion and supplication are more explicitly articulated (Kumar, 2023;Jones, 2021;Beer, 2003).Unlike theistic petitionary prayer, much Buddhist prayer emphasizes aspiration for universal welfare, confession of unwholesome actions, and dedication of merit, though popular practice also includes requests for protection, health, prosperity, and favorable rebirth (