Browsing the Dharma Bookshelf – 'How to Chant for Maximum Merit and Virtue'
A new guide explores Buddhist chanting practices and their role in cultivating merit and virtue, offering methods for practitioners to achieve spiritual happiness and wisdom through regular devotion and understanding of dharmic teachings.
The book 'How to Chant for Maximum Merit and Virtue' Author: Editorial team of Liang Chiang Publishing House Published by: Liang Chiang Publishing House for Buddhism Price: 18 baht
"Any household that regularly practices chanting and worshipping the Buddha, cultivating virtuous discipline, will experience no quarreling but only forgiveness and compassion. Such a home becomes a place of supreme happiness and comfort throughout life until its end. Therefore, the practice of chanting and worshipping the Buddha while cultivating virtue holds great benefit. If practiced consistently with sincere intention, one will transform from wrongdoing to righteousness and experience lasting happiness." – Dharmic teachings from Phra Tham Singhaburajacharya (Luang Por Charn Jitdhamma), former abbot of Wat Ampawan, Sing Buri province.
Though Buddhism, founded by the Buddha, emerged over 2,500 years ago, its light of dharma continues to illuminate and guide the path of life, helping people understand right from wrong. However, the benefit one receives depends on each individual's dedication to studying and learning Buddhist teachings.
Chanting is another method for acquiring wisdom, as it originally served as a means of memorization – reciting teachings orally, a practice called "mukhapatha." The Buddha instructed Venerable Upali to recite and memorize the Vinaya (monastic code) and Venerable Ananda to recite and memorize the Sutras, which proved invaluable during the First Buddhist Council, as these two senior monks accurately preserved the Buddha's teachings without error. Later, chanting developed as a protective practice against various dangers, earning it the additional name "protective chanting."
Today, regardless of what one hopes to gain through chanting, as a Buddhist practitioner, when you bow and chant before the Buddha, strive to understand the dharma by studying the meaning of the chants. Upon understanding, practice accordingly so your life proceeds smoothly and safely.
It is hoped that the contents of this book, filled with chants and teachings on how to achieve maximum merit and virtue, will help you recognize the value of merit – goodness – and the value of virtue – wisdom – as foundations for lasting happiness.
May the true dharma remain in your heart forever.
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**'The Yellow-Furred Animal' – A Critical Examination of Buddhist Monks** **The Core of Suffering's Foundation in 'Mulmadhyamakakrika'**
"Those who associate with the wicked inevitably become wicked..." – A teaching from Phra Buddhagosha (P.A. Payutto) of Wat Yanawesakawan.
This week's column introduces a quality book from Inbend Publishing: "The Yellow-Furred Animal" by Uten Promadaeng, a short story collection critically examining Buddhist monks and religious beliefs. Many Buddhists of previous generations view criticizing monks as sinful karma creation. Some witness monks exhibiting misconduct but dare not speak or rebuke them, treating the monkhood as a privileged status above ordinary humans. Society reveres them; food and money flow to them without effort; wrongdoings often go unchallenged. Some behave like gangsters or influential figures cloaked in yellow robes. Modern monks are no exception – today's sangha seemingly does everything: fighting, drinking alcohol, engaging in sexual misconduct, committing fraud, purchasing ecclesiastical ranks. This book addresses these issues directly through short stories that largely critique monks. This appears to be the first and only collection of its kind, priced at 299 baht.
