[Buddha-l] music chanting buddhists

[Michael Wilson]

My guru Richard wrote:

"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"

- I've always wondered about that.  I've heard the
theravadins chanting refugee in the early morning in
Sarnath and Bodhgaya and it sounds very ancient and
full of reverence to me - sounds from the cracked bell
of lost civilizations.

- On the other hand, I almost gave up on Tibetan monks
chanting in the early days, but I was mixed up with
Chisti-like Sufis who have a deep and rich musical
tradition.  I'd only heard "cacophony" in the tibetan
chants until I went on a weekend sojourn when I heard
the monks chanting something that sounded like music
for the first time.  And oh, it was very  profound,
very harmonious!  Never heard those deep tonalities
and underlying harmonies again until participating in
a gelugkpa puja in Lumbini - the music does live on in
the tibetan tradition ...

michael j 




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