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Chanting and mantras are ways of learning and showing devotion to Buddhist teachings. They are linked to meditation as they are another way of focusing the mind.

Mahayana Buddhists sometimes speak mantras while they are using prayer beads, called malas. The malas help them to count the number of times they have repeated the mantra.

Chanting

Chanting is used as preparation for meditation or as part of meditation itself. Buddhists chant alone or together. If together, they chant in unison. Chanting is not like the hymns sung to worship God in the Christian religion. It helps Buddhists to enter a calm meditative state on their own path towards enlightenment.

Chanting the Triratna (the Three Jewels)

The Three Jewels (also called the Triratna) are the three essential supporting components of Buddhism. They guide and give refuge (safety and comfort) to Buddhists. They are:

• the Buddha – Gautama Buddha, who is seen as a role model
• the Dhamma – the teachings of the Buddha
• the Sangha – the community of Buddhist monks and nuns

The Dhammapada explains the importance of these three things: He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Teaching and his Order, penetrates with transcendental wisdom the Four Noble Truths – suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering. (Dhammapada 190–191)

Many Buddhists chant the Triratna. Often, this is referred to as ‘going for refuge’:

I go to the Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dhamma for refuge, I go to the Sangha for refuge.

This simple chant reminds Buddhists that the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha offer them wisdom, guidance, friendship and knowledge.

Mantras

A mantra is a sacred (holy) phase, prayer or word that is often chanted or sung rather than just spoken. Mantras are commonly said or sung repeatedly. ‘Mantra’ is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning ‘instrument of thought’.

Different Buddhist mantras are associated with different traditions. One of the most well-known mantras is ‘om mani padme hum’. It expresses hope of experiencing wisdom and compassion, and is associated with Tibetan Buddhism.

Malas

Malas, or prayer beads, are used to keep count when repeatedly chanting a mantra. A mantra may be chanted hundreds of times. Malas are also used to count breaths during meditation. Buddhists move their fingers from bead to bead in order to help them focus on chanting, breathing or meditating rather than counting.

Tibetan malas are 108 beads long. The Buddha taught that humans are afflicted by 108 desires. In Japan, malas can be either 108 beads long or shorter. These malas are made up of two rings – one to count single recitations and the other to count full recitations of a set.