[Buddha-l] liturgical languages]

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Fri, 2005-04-29 at 09:59 -0400, curt wrote:

> Of course, chanting by ordinary Western lay people is not always beautiful

Chanting by Theravadin monks can also be decidedly unmelodious, even
cacophonous. It depends on how much the monks adhere to the Buddha's
advice not to make beautiful sounds lest it distract from the meaning of
the words. The local Thai monks in Albuquerque chant in a pretty
unappetizing way. First they chant in unmusical Pali and then in equally
unmusical English translation. They also hand out a booklet to visitors
that has the Pali text with an interlinear translation so that everyone
can know what they are chanting.

Years ago I had a long discussion with a bhikkhu about chanting, and he
said that ideally when several people are chanting together, they should
each be in a slightly different key, so as to avoid harmony that might
sound beautiful to the ear. I have no idea how frequently this advice is
given, but my experience in listening to monks is that it is commonly
observed. Most monks I have heard chanting make Bob Dylan sound like
Luciano Pavarotti. 

I have also heard that one should never let the voice hit two notes in
the same syllable; in other words the voice should not glide from one
note to another. Each syllable should be distinctly pronounced and on a
distinctive note.

Clearly there are Buddhists who prefer a relatively non-aesthetic, even
anti-aesthetic, approach to dharma recitation and other rituals, while
others (such as Sangharakshita) emphasize the importance of beauty in
ritual. To my mind, the most sensible advice in this matter, as in so
many other matters, is Buddhaghosa. For people given to sensual
attachments, he says, beautiful surroundings and beautiful rituals
should be avoided. For people given to hatred or depression, beautiful
surroundings and beautiful rituals can be a useful antidote to their
particular maladies. For intellectuals, it makes no difference, since
they tend to be indifferent to their surroundings.

Indifferently yours,
Richard

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico