Buddhism: Blessing at Almsoffering with Subtitles & Translation at Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage
Channel: Dhamma Talks at Dhammagiri
Date: 2021-03-27

This is the chanting we regularly do at Dhammagiri for our kind, generous donors, when they offer almsfood to the sangha.

Ven Dantacitto has added both the Pali text and an English translation in the subtitles. Pali is the language of the Buddhist Canon in the Theravada tradition, and is very similar to the language spoken by the Buddha himself. The little dash '-' ('macron') over a vowel indicates that the syllable is to be pronounced long. This is important, as the metre of the verse in Pāli poetry is determined by the alteration of short and long syllables. Modern languages like English, on the other hand, distinguish metre by alteration of stressed and unstressed syllables.

The Pāli lines we're chanting are in the 'Siloka' metre (also known as 'Vatta' or Sanskrit 'śloka'), consisting of 4 quarter verses of 8 syllables each.

The English translation by Ajahn Dhammasiha uses Iambic Tetrametres, without rhymes, i.e. 8 syllables per line like the Pāli original, starting with an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable, and so on in regular alteration.

In order to preserve the metre, it was not always possible to translate each word in the same order. For instance, where the Pāli literally has: "Life, beauty, happiness, strength", the English translation uses: "Long life, strength, beauty, happiness" to preserve the metre.

The first part of the chant directly refers to the ritual of pouring water from a small bronze vessel into a receptacle. While pouring the water, the donors form a mental resolution to share all their good karma with departed relatives.
(Khuddakapāṭha 1.7 'Tirokuṭṭasutta')

The second part starting with "Those who give others..." was spoken by the Buddha when he explained 5 karmic rewards for offering food.
(Anguttara Nikāya/Numerical Discourses, Fives #37)

Next follows Verse #109 from Dhammapada.

The anumodanā ends with traditional verses of blessings.

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