Can anybody help me with buddhist pray?

[BibiPai7]

While I got married in Thailand with my thai husband the monks were saying a prey to bless our wedding. I would like to know if somebody give me the exact lines? I only remember flashes of the pray/matra :

sangha ... a la hato .. pa ka ha to ....

please help me learn ...

[bassai]

Hello BibiPai7- While I haven't participated in a marriage ceremony yet, the few words you recall seem to come from a series of chants we do at the Wat in conjuntion with most of our activities. Morning chanting, evening chanting, offering food to the monks, etc. The standard seems to revolve around Homage to the Buddha and the Triple gem ( Buddha, Dhamma and Shanga). There are an endless amount of chants pertaining to different subjects, but I've seen , heard, this one countless times.

I have a book of chants that the Abbott of our small Wat provided for us and tomorrow I'll see if I can get it in some kind of electronic form. I believe he translated it for us Faranf from his book of chants, but I'll see if I can get something for you.

Please be patient as I am very techonolgy challenged and an computer stuff is slow and labourious for me

"Chanting is medicine to apply:
Vipassana is medicine to take."
-Laung Poh Jarun

[BibiPai7]

Hi Bassai

That is correct, that it is a very standard chant. With the Songkran I heard the same blessing. And in other Wats as well. I am studing a lot about buddhism theoreticly, but I can't bring this one to a practical one, simply because I can't remember all the words. So I will be so happy with your help. I 'll be patient and waiting for your answer, thank you maak-maak in advandce!

[khunlungphudhu]

BibiPai7,

Hi, I am no expert, but this sounds like what you need......

Vandana- Homage.

Nammo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
( Repeated three times.)
Translates as
'Honour to the Blessed One, the Exalted One, the Fully Enlightened One.'

You probably heard the Tisarana as well....The Three Refuges....

Buddham sarnam gachami
Dhammam saranam gachami
Sangham saranam gachami
Dutiyam pi Buddham saranam gachami
Dutiyam pi Dhammam saranam gachami
Dutiyam pi Sangham saranam gachami
Tatiyam pi Buddham saranam gachami
Tatiyam pi Dhammmam saranam gachami
Tatiyam pi Sangham saranam gachami

I go to the Buddha as my refuge,
I go to the Dharma (teaching) as my refuge,
I go to the Sangha (community) as my refuge,
For the second time......& etc.,
For the third time ......& etc.,

I try to repeat these chants myself at least daily, unfortunatly my fingers are not as devoted to typing as much as the rest of me is to the Buddha.
I do hope that both of you understand.
Regards, Peter.

[djaidee]

Everywhere you go in Thailand the Chants/Prayings are always the same. There are certain Chants/Prayers for always every Situation.
Many Chants are known by the Thai People, so a good way to find out which Chant it was is to ask your Thai Husband.
About Chant/Prayers, Chanting Book in Pali/Thai/English, also have a look at the following Link. There are 3 Sites of Informations:

http://www.thailandguidebook.com/cgi-bin....19;st=0

[BibiPai7]

Thank you Peter and djaidee,

I found the exact chant on that website: http://www.buddhanet.net/audio-chant.htm
it is under Pali Buddhist Chanting - Thai Style (MP3 Files)
1_Thai_chanting.mp3
My husband listened to it too, he is not so good with words ( pronouciation and than write it down I mean) unfotunately. Thanks Peter for writing it down, it means a lot to me. I really want to pronounce it the right way. My husband unfortunately is not so much in the buddhism in a technical way. I don't know if you understand what I mean, but he doesn't live in Thailand for a lot of years and he thinks buddhism is only all about going to the temple. I have been trying to tell him that there is more to it, you don't have to be a monk ( he already was when he was young), but I feel I need to know more about it. And of course pratice it. ( or let's say experience it) Thank you all for helping me out.

[BibiPai7]

Oeps I forgot to tell you, many thanks for the translation as well Peter

[djaidee]

Hi BibiPai7 !

Also have a look at the following Link, there are 8 Sites of Buddhist Chants: Pali/Thai/English Translation, also with Audio Files and Download as MP3:

http://www.learningthai.com/chanting_01.htm

[bassai]

Well I'm happy to see that alot of people have jumped in with some good answers for you and am impressed that khunlungphudhu was able to type out a couple for you! Good job.

I spent to long just reading and studying about Buddhism (8 years). It wasn't until I began a regular meditation practice that I began to see the true heart of the Dhamma. Ajahn Buassai always encourages me to meditate above all else and "prove the Dhamma for myself." I would like to encourage you to do the same.

I have a Thai friend who is my Dhamma sister and I she has been an excellent help in my practice. When we were relating how we came to the realization of the need to practice, I had always assumed, since she was Thai, that she just did it naturally having grown up with Buddhism as part of her culture. In fact she had lived in America for many years before she became a serious student. She told me of a Thai saying about the salt farmer who harvests the salt but never tastes the salt (apologies to all kon Thai if I'm alittle off). I sort of feel that I did that for many years by just reading books and listening to Dhamma talks.

Good luck to you. Still working on getting the chants and I'll post a forum when I meet some success. Here's an important one.

Budddhanussati (Recollection of the Buddha)

Itipi so bhagava Araham Samma-sambuddho
Vijja-carana-sampanno Sugato Lokavidu
Anuttaro putisa-damma-sarathi
Sattha deva-manussanam Buddho Bhagavati

I do this 48 times ( my age + 1) as part of my home chanting, which starts using the ones khunlungphudhu posted earlier. 108 times is the number for optimun benifit (special occasions), but I'm not sure why that is the magic number.

[BibiPai7]

Thanks djaidee that is a good way to practise too. My husband was getting curious what I was doing on the internet etc, I thinks his curiousity helped to bring him to chanting as well, finally.

Great Thai saying Bassai. I think knowing a bit more about buddhism aside from going to the temple is the best. Not to overdo it. And for the main part, feel it inside and practising that into your life and the people around you. I have been reading a lot as well, but sometimes the more I read the more questions are coming up.

108? I have asked my man, but he doens't know it either. But they do have a way with numbers, because when I was in Thailand ( songkran) in the Wat was always something special, for example for a donation, it suppost to be a un-even nummer (like 3 /5 / 7 / 9 etc). But for others things it had to be even. No way that I can find any reason for that.

About your Dhamma sister that is great, and I feel you are right too about assuming that the Thai have it naturally, but in fact you need practice. I meditate already for a long time, but the chanting really came to my heart when I was in Thailand. We have a Wat in Holland as well, but we don't go as often, because it's a long long drive. Do you have a Wat closeby your house?

I hope to see those chants from you as well Bassai, thanks in advance.