The Role of Chanting and Prayer in Buddhism: A Multidimensional Review

Chanting and prayer occupy central positions in Buddhist religious life, shaping daily devotional routines, lifecycle rituals, and individual contemplative practice across diverse traditions and cultural contexts (Kumar, 2023;Piyadassi, 1999;Soeta et al., 2015).While early Western scholarship often portrayed Buddhism as a rational philosophy emphasizing individual meditation and ethical discipline, contemporary research increasingly recognizes vocal practices including sutta recitation, paritta chanting, mantra repetition, and devotional invocation as crucial vehicles for transmitting doctrine, cultivating virtues, regulating mental states, and constructing religious communities (Kumar, 2023;Yulianti, 2012;Perry et al., 2021).The term "chanting" in Buddhist contexts typically refers to rhythmic vocal recitation of canonical texts (Pāli suttas, Sanskrit sūtras), protective formulas (paritta, rakṣā), and mantras or dhāraṇīs, often performed in liturgical languages not fully understood by lay participants (Kumar, 2023;Piyadassi, 1999; Payne, 2018)."Prayer" overlaps significantly with aspirational verses, bodhisattva vows, and invocations directed toward buddhas, bodhisattvas, or protective deities, particularly prominent in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions where relational devotion and supplication are more explicitly articulated (Kumar, 2023;Jones, 2021;Beer, 2003).Unlike theistic petitionary prayer, much Buddhist prayer emphasizes aspiration for universal welfare, confession of unwholesome actions, and dedication of merit, though popular practice also includes requests for protection, health, prosperity, and favorable rebirth (Piyadassi, 1999;Gombrich, 1971;Harvey, 2012).In recent decades, scientific interest in contemplative practices has expanded dramatically, with chanting emerging as a subject of neuroscientific, psychological, and clinical investigation (Gao, Leung, et al., 2019; Perry et al.