About Zen Chanting

When one practices Zen at Kwan Um they spend some time chanting. Sometimes we don’t want to chant, we think that we won’t buy into the dogma and don’t want to participate. But this is only our mind that is making the dogma. Zen chanting is just chanting - it is used to perceive your own voice - to connect with yourself. Here is an excerpt from a conversation Zen Master Sueng Sahn had with a student about Zen Chanting.

When we talk about perceiving sound during chanting we mean having a clear mind. This is different from a mind that can be lost, and also different from a one-pointed mind.

For example, consider two people having a good time together, enjoying each other’s company, laughing, feeling good and so forth. Suddenly a man appears with a gun and demands money. Instantly the good feeling evaporates and there is only fear and distress. “Somebody please help! Don’t shoot!” The mind, the centeredness is completely lost.

But suppose that a person is walking in the street concentrating on a mantra with a one-pointed mind. Then if a man appears with a gun and demands money there will be only om mani padme hum or whatever. “Hey, are you crazy! I said give me your money.” Then there is still only om mani padme hum. This is concentration, one-pointed mind.

Finally, suppose that someone with a clear mind is walking in the street and a robber appears. Then the response is “How much do you want?” This is clear mind. If the man shouts “Give me all of it!” there is no problem. “Okay, here is all of it.” In fact, with a clear mind one can use such a situation to teach others. There are a number of Zen stories in which thieves or robbers have been so surprised and shaken by the calm response of a clear-minded Zen Master that they later returned to learn Zen from him.

So chanting ultimately means clear mind, not concentration. In concentration you want to make something; there is some desire to focus on one point. This is different than simply perceiving the sound of one’s voice, without separation.

Read the whole interview here