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THE REQUEST:
Ahaṃ bhante, ti-saraṇena saha pañca sīlāni yācāmi.
Venerable Sir, I request the Three Refuges & the Five Precepts.
Dutiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a second time...
Tatiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a third time...
The monk then recites the following passage three times, after which the lay people repeat it three times:
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.
The monk then recites the following passages line by line, with the lay people reciting line by line after him.
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
The monk then says:
Ti-saraṇa-gamanaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ.
This ends the going for refuge.
The lay people respond:
Āma bhante.
Yes, Venerable Sir.
The monk then recites the precepts line by line, with the lay people reciting them line by line after him.
Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from taking life.
Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from stealing.
Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual misconduct.
Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from telling lies.
Surā-meraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicating liquors & drugs that lead to carelessness.
The monk then concludes with the following:
Imāni pañca sikkhā-padāni:
These are the five training rules.
Sīlena sugatiṃ yanti.
Through virtue they go to a good bourn.
Sīlena bhoga-sampadā.
Through virtue is wealth attained.
Sīlena nibbutiṃ yanti.
Through virtue they go to Liberation.
Tasmā sīlaṃ visodhaye.
Therefore we should purify our virtue.
BOW THREE TIMES
THE REQUEST:
Ahaṃ bhante, ti-saraṇena saha aṭṭha sīlāni yācāmi.
Venerable Sir, I request the Three Refuges & the Eight Precepts.
Dutiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a second time...
Tatiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a third time...
The monk then recites the following passage three times, after which the lay people repeat it three times:
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.
The monk then recites the following passages line by line, with the lay people reciting line by line after him.
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
The monk then says:
Ti-saraṇa-gamanaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ.
This ends the going for refuge.
The lay people respond:
Āma bhante.
Yes, Venerable Sir.
The monk then recites the precepts line by line, with the lay people reciting them line by line after him.
Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from taking life.
Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from stealing.
Abrahma-cariyā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual intercourse.
Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from telling lies.
Surā-meraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicating liquors & drugs that lead to carelessness.
Vikāla-bhojanā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from eating after noon & before dawn.
Nacca-gīta-vādita-visūka-dassanā mālā-gandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhūsanaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from dancing, singing, music, watching shows, wearing garlands, beautifying myself with perfumes & cosmetics.
Uccāsayana-mahāsayanā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from high & luxurious seats & beds.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
The monk then concludes with the following:
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni:
These are the eight training rules.
Sīlena sugatiṃ yanti.
Through virtue they go to a good bourn.
Sīlena bhoga-sampadā.
Through virtue is wealth attained.
Sīlena nibbutiṃ yanti.
Through virtue they go to Liberation.
Tasmā sīlaṃ visodhaye.
Therefore we should purify our virtue.
BOW THREE TIMES
Arahaṃ sammā-sambuddho bhagavā.
The Blessed One is Worthy & Rightly Self-awakened.
Buddhaṃ bhagavantaṃ abhivādemi.
I bow down before the Awakened, Blessed One.
(BOW DOWN)
Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo.
The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One.
Dhammaṃ namassāmi.
I pay homage to the Dhamma.
(BOW DOWN)
Supaṭipanno bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho.
The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples has practiced well.
Saṅghaṃ namāmi.
I pay respect to the Sangha.
(BOW DOWN)
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa. (Three times.)
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.
Venerable sir, I take refuge in the Blessed One — though he long ago attained Liberation — together with the Dhamma & the Bhikkhu Sangha. May the Sangha regard me as one gone forth, having attained refuge from this day forward.
Ahaṃ bhante, ti-saraṇena saha aṭṭha sīlāni yācāmi.
Venerable Sir, I request the Three Refuges & the Eight Precepts.
Dutiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a second time...
Tatiyampi ahaṃ bhante...
Venerable Sir, a third time...
The monk then recites the following passage three times, after which the nun repeats it three times:
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa.
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.
The monk then recites the following passages line by line, with the nun reciting line by line after him.
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A second time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
A third time, I go to the Sangha for refuge.
The monk then says:
Ti-saraṇa-gamanaṃ niṭṭhitaṃ.
This ends the going for refuge.
Āma bhante.
Yes, Venerable Sir.
The monk then recites the precepts line by line, with the nun reciting them line by line after him.
Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from taking life.
Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from stealing.
Abrahma-cariyā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual intercourse.
Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from telling lies.
Surā-meraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicating liquors & drugs that lead to carelessness.
Vikāla-bhojanā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from eating after noon & before dawn.
Nacca-gīta-vādita-visūka-dassanā mālā-gandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhūsanaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from dancing, singing, music, watching shows, wearing garlands, beautifying myself with perfumes & cosmetics.
Uccāsayana-mahāsayanā veramaṇī sikkhā-padaṃ samādiyāmi.
I undertake the training rule to refrain from high & luxurious seats & beds.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
Imāni aṭṭha sikkhā-padāni samādiyāmi.
I undertake these eight precepts.
BOW THREE TIMES
Pāli is the original language of the Theravadin Buddhist scriptures, the closest we have to the dialect spoken by the Buddha himself. It has no written script of its own, and so every country that has adopted Theravada Buddhism has used its own script to transcribe it. In Thailand this has meant that Pāli has picked up some of the tones of the Thai language, as each consonant & consonant cluster in the Thai alphabet has a built-in tone — high, medium, low, rising, or falling. This accounts for the characteristic melody of Thai Pāli chanting.
Pāli has two sorts of vowels, long — ā, e, ī, o, ū, & ay; and short — a, i, & u. Unlike long and shorts vowels in English, the length here refers to the actual amount of time used to pronounce the vowel, and not to its quality. Thus ā & a are both pronounced like the a in father, simply that the sound ā is held for approximately twice as long as the sound a. The same principle holds for ī & i, and for ū & u. Thus, when chanting Pāli, the vowels are pronounced as follows:
a as in father
o as in go
e as in they
u as in glue
i as in machine
ay as in Aye!
Consonants are generally pronounced as they are in English, with a few unexpected twists:
c as in ancient
p unaspirated, as in spot
k unaspirated, as in skin
ph as in upholstery
kh as in backhand
t unaspirated, as in stop
ṃ & ṅ as ng
th as in Thomas
ñ as in canyon
v as w
Certain two-lettered notations — bh, dh, ḍh, gh, jh — denote an aspirated sound, somewhat in the throat, that we do not have in English and that the Thais do not have in their language, either. The Thai solution to this problem is to pronounce bh as a throaty ph, dh as a throaty th, and gh as a throaty kh.
Pāli also contains retroflex consonants, indicated with a dot under the letter: ḍ, ḍh, ḷ, ṇ, ṭ, ṭh. These have no English equivalent. They are sounded by curling the tip of the tongue back against the palate, producing a distinct nasal tone.
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a as in father
o as in go e as in they u as in glue i as in machine ay as in Aye! c as in ancient p as in spot k as in skin ph as in upholstery kh as in backhand t as in stop ṃ & ṅ as ng th as in Thomas ñ as in canyon v as w | ||||||||