Paritta

[puppha]

Hi all,

I went to my weekly Dhamma class yesterday, which is provided by a Sri Lankan monk. He's been a monk for 13 years and spent most of his life in Sri Lanka; he now essentially lives in the Vihara in London.

At the end of the class, a student asked about what can be done to help others when they are ill. For example, Christians can pray, etc. The monk said they do paritta chanting. He did that a number of times in Sri Lanka. Some terminally-ill people, where doctors said they would die within a few days, have recovered very quickly after such chanting. He explained that such chanting, done with good intentions (i.e. loving-kindness), generates some sort of spiritual energy and produces positive results. I haven't realised before this more "popular" aspect of Theravada Buddhism.

Has anyone heard or witness similar stories? I find this quite interesting, I would like to learn more about it.

With metta

[Ben]

Yes, a paritta is a protection.
I think the protection comes to the one who does the chanting or the person listening or hearing about the paritta and its "power" is an artefact of saddha (devotion/confidence) in the Triple Gem that is triggered through listening or chanting. As for miraculous cures and the like...I keep an open mind. For more information, follow this link: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... ction.html
kind regards,

Ben

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Even the Buddha made use of the Bojjhanga Paritta to cure an illness, so such cases are well documented in the texts and commentaries. Perhaps the most famous case is that of Āyuvaddhana Kumāra.

The practice of insight meditation may also lead to remarkable cures, but one should be very cautious about making extravagant claims. Those suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses should not be misled into thinking there are any miracles to be performed by chanting. Healing, if it happens, is a natural process, not a supernatural one.

Healing Through Insight Meditation

This case history is just one of many examples of the healing powers of insight meditation. However, as the author makes clear, meditation is not a panacea for all diseases, so medical treatment should still be taken in most cases.

Daw Hla Myint was an exceptional person who practised with unshakeable confidence and courageous energy. Her story is told to inspire others to similar efforts, not to offer a miracle cure to the chronically or terminally ill.

There are four kinds of nutriment: food, climate, mind, and kamma. Diseases may be caused by any of these four. Insight meditation is a powerful wholesome kamma that can mitigate or reverse the effects of unwholesome kamma. Suitable food, healthy exercise, medicine, and physiotherapy should also be used to cure diseases or to reduce their bad effects.

[puppha]

Yes, a paritta is a protection.
I think the protection comes to the one who does the chanting or the person listening or hearing about the paritta and its "power" is an artefact of saddha (devotion/confidence) in the Triple Gem that is triggered through listening or chanting. As for miraculous cures and the like...I keep an open mind. For more information, follow this link: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... ction.html

For a long time, I believed there are some links between the mind and the body. Somatization is quite undeniable, and it is just the tip of the iceberg. The effects of paritta chanting would probably fall into this category, as you explained above.

In the link you provided, in the chapter "The Book of Protection", there is a mention of a certain Dr. Bernard Grad who showed that water poured over barley seeds by psychic healer subsequently grow better than untreated seeds...

When discussing that with the monk, I made the link with the water and threads that the monks give to lay people at the end of the service. I never participated in that because I did not understand it at that time. He indeed confirmed that they do paritta chanting on the water and threads, and thus some spiritual energy is transfered to the water and threads and then to the lay people...

I have to admit this is all quite new to me. Anyone would like to comment?

With metta

[puppha]

Bhante

Healing Through Insight Meditation

Many thanks for the link. This story reminds me that few years ago, I read "In this very life" from Sayadaw U Pandita, and he mentioned a similar case of someone coming to the temple with a serious illness, and who cured himself through intense meditation.

With metta

[puppha]

Hi Ben,

I think the protection comes to the one who does the chanting or the person listening or hearing about the paritta and its "power" is an artefact of saddha (devotion/confidence) in the Triple Gem that is triggered through listening or chanting.

Do you think something similar happens with paritta threads? (these are simple little threads that monks tie around lay people wrist).

Kind regards