[Buddha-l] liturgical languages (was: Will new the pope verify Buddhist doctrine?)

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Wed, 2005-04-27 at 11:36 -0400, curt wrote:

> In other words, and to put it bluntly, isn't the idea of chanting in one's
> own language largely a Western affectation?

As far as I know, most Asian Buddhists chant syllables that they barely
understand. But why would you call it an "affectation" to chant
something that you understand instead of something that is gibberish to
you? I should think it more an affectation to do the opposite. But then
I guess I have been overly influence by the Buddha's urging his
disciples always to talk about dharma in the local language and always
to chant in such a way that people can understanding the meaning of the
text being chanted. Otherwise, one is just making unnecessary noise,
nicht wahr?

> A specific example of the Buddhist use of liturgical languages (and
> one that I am very interested in) is the chanting done by Japanese and
> Korean Buddhists.

For years I practiced Korean-style Zen. Most of our chanting was of
Chinese texts rendered into Korean syllabics, which we anglos pronounced
with heavy Canadian English accents. The Koreans in the congregation
could not understand our pronunciation, nor could they understand what
they were saying when they chanted the Chinese pronounced the Korean
way. Offhand, I can't think of anything much more ridiculous. We might
as well have chanted "Eenie meenie mynie mo, with a hey nonny and a hey
nonny no!"

> Also - do Theravadin Buddhists chant in Pali, or in "their 
> own" language?

In Pali as pronounced locally. When I went to Buddhist temples in
Myanmar it took me a while before I recognized that people were chanting
the tiratana and pañcasîla and reciting chapters from the Dhammapada.
Finally I caught on that what sounded to my ear something like "tankam
taranam gatsami" was "sangham saranam gacchami." I have heard Thai monks
chanting Pali texts that I know pretty well, and I can barely follow
them. So I guess when Americans chant in Pali, they should probably do
so with either a New Jersey or Texas accent, while Scots should chant
with a Glaswegian accent. Oh, and people in the UK will have to be sure
to make some distinction between upper class and working class
pronunciations of Pali, so everyone will know immediately how much
respect the cantor deserves.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico