Chanting Practice in Shambhala Buddhism

Why do we chant? Chanting is an ancient Buddhist method for conveying the teachings. In Shambhala we chant as mindfulness practice: mindful of speech and being in unison with the voices of others. (This is a bit of a challenge over Zoom!) We pay attention to how we pronounce words. In this way it becomes a practice of mindfulness – awareness (shamatha-vipashyana). The words (we chant in English!) come from the profound teachings of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. They are teachings on how to wake ourselves up, have compassion for ourselves and others, and create a good human community. As we chant, we begin hearing the wisdom of the words. If we can open to the wisdom of the words, we can begin to embody this wisdom in our lives.

Many of our public meditation practice sessions start out and close with chants. Chant books are shared in-person and on the Zoom screen. Please feel free to take part in the chanting or not, as it feels right to you.