Chanting in a Vietnamese temple: what is chanted and how to join

Chanting is how a temple's community practises together, in the early morning and in the evening. For a visitor it is also one of the best moments to see a temple at work. You may listen, join in or leave quietly; none of these is wrong.

What is chanted

Chanting is mostly of three kinds. Which ones you hear depends on the temple and the tradition.

• Sutras. Texts attributed to the Buddha, such as the Heart Sutra (Bát-nhã Tâm Kinh), the Diamond Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra (A Di Đà) and the Universal Gate chapter of the Lotus Sutra (Phổ Môn). In many Vietnamese temples they are chanted in Sino-Vietnamese, which sounds different from everyday Vietnamese.
• Mantras and dharani. Short verses chanted for their sound and rhythm. The Great Compassion Mantra (Đại Bi) is among the best known.
• The Buddha's name (niệm Phật). A short phrase repeated slowly, most often "Nam mô A Di Đà Phật" or, for Avalokiteshvara, "Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát". "Nam mô" is an expression of respect and refuge. The phrase can be chanted aloud, softly or silently.

The wooden fish and bell set the tempo; see bell, drum and wooden fish.

When services happen

Many temples hold a morning and an evening service, often around dawn and dusk. On the first and fifteenth of the lunar month and on festivals the service is longer and crowds are larger. Times differ by temple, so look at the board near the entrance or ask. The calendar lists the main days.

How to join, step by step

1. Arrive a little early and go in quietly through a side door.
2. Stand or sit at the back, out of the way of those who practise there daily. Wear modest clothes (see etiquette).
3. Take a chant book if one is offered. Most temples have printed books with the text and its pronunciation. If not, simply listen.
4. Follow the rhythm. Let the wooden fish and bell guide you. You do not need to know the words or pronounce them well. Humming along is welcome.
5. Bow when the others bow, or remain standing with palms together.
6. Stay for the part you wish. You can leave quietly during a pause if you need to.

No pressure

You do not have to chant, take part in any rite, or say any phrase that does not feel right to you. Listening is a full way of taking part. Nobody checks and nobody should ask you to explain why you did or did not chant. If a person pushes you to join, you can say a polite "no, thank you" and keep your place at the back.

Chanting and the online temple

In the online Pagoda temple, chanting is part of the background of the visit and has no game step yet. If you want to try it, find a service in a real temple near you.

Related pages

How to pay respects shows where chanting fits in a day at the temple. Meditation is the quiet counterpart. For the meaning of the sutras' names, see the glossary, and for the Three Jewels in the opening verses, see the basics.

Related pages

• The temple bell, drum and wooden fish: how to ring and whenWhat the temple bell, the drum and the wooden fish (mõ) are for, when they sound, how a visitor can ring the bell or tap the wooden fish, and the etiquette around them.
• Sitting and walking meditation for a first-time visitorHow to sit quietly in a temple hall, how to place your back, hands and breath, a simple way to follow the breath, and how walking meditation works. No experience needed.
• How to pay respects at a Vietnamese templeA step-by-step visit: enter the main area, offer incense, enter the hall, make an offering, bow to the Three Jewels, ring the bell and sit, then bow to Quan Âm and see the rest of the grounds.
• Buddhist glossary for temple visitorsShort explanations of more than sixty words you meet at a Vietnamese temple or in a Buddhist text: main hall, three-door gate, offering table, bowing, Three Jewels, Bodhisattva, Mahayana and Theravada, uposatha, karma and more.

Keep reading

• Buddhist basics in plain words
• Layout of a Vietnamese Buddhist temple
• The Three Jewels (Tam Bảo): Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
• The altars of a Vietnamese temple
• How to pay respects at a Vietnamese temple
• Your first visit to a Vietnamese temple, step by step
• How to bow in a Vietnamese temple: palms together, three bows, prostration
• The temple bell, drum and wooden fish: how to ring and when
• Offering incense at the main censer
• Sitting and walking meditation for a first-time visitor
• Buddhist calendar
• Uposatha, full-moon and new-moon days
• Buddhist glossary for temple visitors
• Avalokiteshvara (Quan Thế Âm), the one who listens
• The Buddha's awakening
• Two Jataka tales
• Maudgalyayana and filial gratitude
• Visiting a Vietnamese temple: common questions
• Temple etiquette: how to behave in a Vietnamese temple
• Offerings: what flowers, fruit, water, lamps and incense mean
• Festivals in Vietnamese Buddhist temples
• Kisa Gotami and the mustard seed
• The blind men and the elephant
• The poisoned arrow
• Angulimala, the road back
• Ksitigarbha (Địa Tạng) and the vow
• Sujata and the bowl of milk rice
• The life of the Buddha

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