Chapter 4 The first chant

If we add to what was said in the Sutra, then it can be said that from a Buddhist point of view, all tangible and qualitative things that can have a positive effect on the practice of Buddhism can be called "dharma implements".For example, a person who can practice Buddhism and become enlightened can be called a dharma vessel.In addition, there are utensils used in various Buddhist rituals in monasteries, as well as utensils for cultivating Taoism used by the seven congregations, which are also called dharma utensils.The former includes solemn utensils, offering vessels, and sounding instruments, while the latter includes rosary beads, bowls, tin rods, etc.

As one of the magic instruments, the ringer can be roughly divided into two types: the time teller and the singing instrument.The division between them is not strict, and some of them, such as bells, drums, chime, wooden fish, etc., can be used in both aspects.However, some utensils such as bells, cymbals [nao scratch], etc. and musical instruments can only be used as chant [bai4] utensils.So, in general, there are more chants than timers.This section provides an overview of the sounder. Bai is the abbreviation of the transliteration of Pathaka in Sanskrit. The full name of the transliteration is "Baitan".This term is commonly used in the primitive Buddhism of the South Asian subcontinent. It refers to the Dharma song chanted in Sanskrit in conjunction with the melody when chanting scriptures satirically, so it is called Fanbai.Most of what it recites is "Gathering [Jiji] Songs" written in rhyming poetry in the South Asian subcontinent. The content is not only perfunctory scriptures, but also praises Buddha's virtues, so it is also called "Bai Zan".

What I want to explain here is that the ancient South Asian subcontinent paid great attention to the study of reciting.They developed an academic study of writing, grammar and phonology. It is called Sabda-vidya in Sanskrit, transliterated in Chinese as "shetuopyetuo", and free translated as "declaration".It is one of the five academics known as the "Five Mings" in the ancient South Asian subcontinent.The statement particularly emphasizes the study of rhyme and chanting. After this study was introduced to China through Buddhism, it had a great impact on the establishment of Chinese phonology and the creation and development of rhyming poems in the history of Chinese literature, such as metrical poems and parallel prose. had a major impact.But that's another story.What we want to say here is that in the application of statements, there is a method of singing music and tunes, which is specifically applied to the recitation of verses, which can also be called statements in Buddhist teachings.It is a practical statement in chanting, roughly the same as the practical connotation of Fanbai.The statement of Chinese acceptance is actually a statement of this Buddhistization.Of course, this practical chanting method was already popular in the Vedic era in the ancient South Asian subcontinent, and Brahmanism used this method to sing.Buddhism has extensively borrowed from various practices of other sects at the same time, and the statement in Fanbai is a method borrowed.However, some scriptures say that although Shakyamuni Buddha allowed monks to chant, he was not allowed to chant sutras according to the Brahmin singing method.This point, Sinicized Buddhism has been achieved from the very beginning.Because Chinese and Sanskrit are very different in structure and structure, according to the "Biography of the Great Monk" Volume 13: "The Sanskrit sounds are repeated, and the Chinese is singular. If the Sanskrit sounds are used to chant the Chinese, the sound will be complicated and the gatha will be forced; If you use Chinese opera to chant Sanskrit, the rhyme is short and the words are long. Therefore, there are translations of Jinyan, but no teaching of Sanskrit." That is, it cannot be copied.Therefore, although the method of fanbai has long been introduced, the Chinese have to create it themselves. In Volume 12 of "Chu San Zang Ji Ji", "Catalogue of the Original Collection of Miscellaneous Origins of Fayuan", there are items such as "Chen Siwang (Cao Zhi) Gan Yushan Sanskrit Chanting Records", "Zhiqian System Consecutive Phantasm Chanting Records" and other items. , which reflects the continuous efforts of early Sinicized Buddhism in this regard. Volume 13 of "Biography of Eminent Monks" tells about the early rise and development of the related period. Among them, the earliest and most famous legend is that Cao Zhi Youyu Mountain (also known as Yushan or Wushan, in the west of Dong'a County, Shandong Province) built Fanbai's story.According to legend, Cao Zhi heard the sound of chanting scriptures in the deep valley, which was clear, gentle and bright, and echoed in the distant valley.Just imitate its voice, "Delete and edit "Ruiying Benqi", and regard it as the ancestor of scholars. There are more than three thousand voices, and forty-two in the contract."Therefore, Fanbai in China is also called "Yufan" or "Yubai".In our opinion, Yubai, which was produced in this way from the beginning, must have applied the rhythm of China at that time to the scriptures.After continuous changes in later generations, especially during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a large number of Hu Yue from the Western Regions were accepted, and some methods of reciting were adopted, so that Yubai became something that Chinese people have continuously created independently by learning from China and foreign countries.As for the chanting instruments used in Sinicized Buddhism, they are even more borrowed from China and foreign countries, and are constantly changing with the advancement of the times.The following description focuses on modern and contemporary Sinicized Buddhist chant instruments.

Fanbai of Sinicized Buddhism is mainly used in three kinds of ceremonies.One is morning and evening class recitation, commonly known as morning class and evening class. In ancient times, it also included the class recitation of six o'clock walking.The other is used in preaching.The other is used in the dojo, commonly known as Buddhist or Dharma, including etc.It is generally believed that monks who learn to recite Buddhist chant can have the following merits and virtues, that is, being educated by scriptures, they can appreciate the vastness and profoundness of Buddhism; they are familiar with the sequence of scriptures; Learn language and singing in crowds, so you can handle it in public without panicking.Therefore, monks must learn this skill, commonly known as "learning to sing and read".Especially when it is time, it should be studied as a daily lesson, and it must be practiced at any time in normal times.In the past, the method was entirely based on dictation; "point board" was used for notation; in contemporary times, units such as the Institute of Chinese Buddhist Culture have gradually adopted numbered notation and even stave notation.Using this new notation method seems to be correct and should be developed and popularized.

As for the chant, it can also be roughly described according to the sequence of the above three rituals. The chanting instruments used in morning and evening class recitation are the most basic and have the fewest types.In addition to the bells, drums, chimes, etc. that we will focus on in the following sections, the ritual instruments held by monks during morning and evening rituals are roughly as follows: Citing chime, it is like a small bell on the top of a wooden stick, which is struck with another small stick.The way to hold the chime is to hold the lower end of the chime stick with the left hand and hold the left hand with the right hand; at this time, the part with the "small bell" on the head of the chime is facing the mouth.The small stick used for percussion is held together with An Qing's wooden stick, and it is on the outside of the body.This method of holding is commonly known as "counterpart cited chime".One of two methods can be used to play the chime.One is to use the left hand to hold the right hand to hold a small stick to strike. The skill is not high, and this method is often used by those with low levels.The other is to keep both hands clasped in the original state when holding it, and use the index finger and thumb of the right hand to strike upwards, requiring users to have higher skills.

There are two kinds of wooden fish, the big wooden fish placed on the pedestal and the small wooden fish held in the hand. Although the size is very different, the shape is the same.The big wooden fish will be mainly mentioned in the following chapters, and only the small wooden fish will be mentioned here.Its holding method is: hold both hands on the chest, which is called "holding the caviar with the heart".The fish vertebrae for hitting the wooden fish are placed outside the wooden fish (when not in use, the bottom of the vertebral handle can be inserted downwards into the wooden fish's mouth, but the formal placement method is to place it on the right side of the wooden fish), and the pointed drop-shaped vertebral head faces to the left.Clamp the fish vertebrae with the index finger and thumb of both hands, and hold the wooden fish with the other six fingers.When tapping, hold the fish with the left hand and the vertebra with the right hand, and use the big finger, middle finger, and index finger (this finger only plays an auxiliary role) to hold it.The mouth of the wooden fish is upward, slightly flat with the shoulder.The head of the fish vertebrae is opposite to the head of the wooden fish.

The appearance of the 铛 [dangdang] is: there is a handle underneath, and a large circle is inlaid on the handle, and a concave-convex copper sounder in the shape of a gong is hooked on the circle.The concave side is the reverse side, and the convex side is the front side.Hit it with a chisel cone with a chess piece-shaped head.The holding method is: hold the Dangzi and the Dangzhui together in the left hand, with the Dangzhub on the outside and the Dangzi on the opposite side.The right hand embraces the left hand.With both hands flat on the chest, the top of the clang is level with the mouth.When striking, hold the clang with the five fingers of the left hand and point the front at your face, just like looking in a mirror, so it is called "face-to-face clang".The big finger, index finger, and middle finger of the right hand hold the Dang vertebrae together, and strike the front of the Dangzi.

The haf [ha ha] son ​​is a small copper gong with two sides, slightly larger than an outstretched human hand.The way to hold it is: hold it together with both hands, press the two big fingers and the index finger on the buckled hafnium, and rest the other six fingers on the bottom, flat chest.So it is called "flat-chested hafnium".When striking, grasp the support with five fingers of the left hand, and grasp the head with five fingers of the right hand to strike.It is required that the upper and lower hafnium sides differ by a few points when tapping, so that the sound will be louder.Incidentally, all copper sounders are made of special Chinese "sound copper".This kind of copper making and clapper manufacturing technology is a traditional Chinese handicraft. The clappers purchased by temples in Japan and Southeast Asia all come from China.

The tambourine, also known as the Dharma drum, is a flat, round drum about the size of a hafnium.The drum vertebra is a wooden stick.The way to hold it is: hold it with both hands and keep your chest flat.The tympanum is horizontal outside the drum.The two index fingers buckle the vertebrae and the drum together, the middle finger supports it, and the other six fingers support it underneath.This posture is called "holding the moon tambourine".When percussion, the thumb and middle finger of the left hand support the drum, and the index finger sets it off.flat chest.The big finger, index finger, and middle finger of the right hand hold the vertebrae, and beat the drum from the outside to the inside.

All kinds of chant instruments mentioned above, together with the big chime, big wooden fish, big Dharma drum, and big bell placed on the pedestal, constitute a chant instrument at the Fa conference.When the flame is released, there are additional large cymbals and other large sounders.Among the monks at the mouth of flames, the head of the great mage is in charge of "Fangzheng" and wears the "five Buddha crowns".He holds the censer in his left hand and the vajra bell in his right.The handle of the bell is in the shape of a vajra, so it is called a vajra bell. In the more secular "music flame mouth", various instruments are also played.Each monastery has its own long-standing tradition. For example, famous bands such as Beijing Zhihua Temple Music have their own special traditional musical instruments, which are inextricably linked with ancient Chinese folk or court music. Some of them can be called living fossils of ancient Chinese music.In general music, the commonly used musical instruments are three pieces: Sheng, Guan and Di.In contemporary China, in addition to performing in large-scale religious events such as Yankou and Water and Land Festivals, this kind of band can already hold concerts alone, perform for Chinese and foreign people, and some are invited to go abroad.This made it more secular, of course, but also expanded its influence.The above is only for music performance.Although Buddhism does not necessarily approve of this kind of practice that tends to please the world, at least it does not openly oppose it.As for the concert with the singing of Buddhist songs, I heard that Tianjin has tried it, but I don't know the details.The author believes that according to the content of the singing, they can be treated differently.However, according to the author's opinion, the whole set of content like the flame mouth can only be used in the religious affairs of the temple.

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