Pāli is the original scriptural language of Theravāda Buddhism. It was a spoken language, closely related to Sanskrit, with no written script of its own. As written forms have emerged, they have been in the letterings of other languages (e.g. Devanagari, Sinhalese, Burmese, Khmer, Thai, Roman). The Roman lettering used here is pronounced as in English, with the following clarifications:
| Short | Long |
| a as in about | ā as in father |
| i as in hit | ī as in machine |
| u as in put | ū as in rule |
| e as in grey | |
| o as in more |
Exceptions: e and o change to short sounds in syllables ending in consonants. They are then pronounced as in ‘get’ and ‘ox’, respectively.
c as in ancient (like ch but unaspirated)
ṃ, ṅ as ng in sang
ñ as ny in canyon
v rather softer than the English v; near w
bh ch dh ḍh gh jh kh ph th ṭh
These two-lettered notations with h denote an aspirated, airy sound, distinct from the hard, crisp sound of the single consonant. They should be considered as one unit.
However, the other combinations with h, i.e., lh, mh, ñh, and vh, do count as two consonants (for example in the Pāli words ‘jivhā’ or ‘muḷho’).
th as t in tongue. (Never pronounced as in ‘the’.)
ph as p in palate. (Never pronounced as in ‘photo’.)
These are distinct from the hard, crisp sound of the single consonant, e.g. th as in ‘Thomas’ (not as in ‘thin’) or ph as in ‘puff’ (not as in ‘phone’).
ḍ ḍh ḷ ṇ ṭ ṭh
These retroflex consonants have no English equivalents. They are sounded by curling the tip of the tongue back against the palate.
Once you have grasped the system of Pāli pronunciation and the following chanting technique, it allows you to chant a text in Pāli from sight with the correct rhythm.
Unstressed syllables end in a short a, i or u. All other syllables are stressed. Stressed syllables take twice the time of unstressed syllables — rather like two beats in a bar of music compared to one. This is what gives the chanting its particular rhythm.
| BUD | · | DHO | SU | · | SUD | · | DHO | KA | · | RU | · | ṆĀ | MA | · | HAṆ | · | ṆA | · | VO | |||
| 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 |
Two details that are important when separating the syllables:
1. Syllables with double letters get divided in this way:
| A | · | NIC | · | CA | |
| ½ | 1 | ½ | |||
| (not | A | · | NI | · | CCA) |
| ½ | ½ | ½ |
| PUG | · | GA | · | LĀ | |
| 1 | ½ | 1 | |||
| (not | PU | · | GGA | · | LĀ) |
| ½ | ½ | 1 |
They are always enunciated separately, e.g. dd in ‘uddeso’ as in ‘mad dog’, or gg in ‘maggo’ as in ‘big gun’.
2. Aspirated consonants like bh, dh etc. count as single consonant and don’t get divided (Therefore am·hā·kaṃ, but sa·dham·maṃ, not sad·ham·maṃ or, another example: Bud·dho and not Bu·ddho).
Precise pronunciation and correct separation of the syllables is especially important when someone is interested in learning Pāli and to understand and memorize the meaning of Suttas and other chants, otherwise the meaning of it will get distorted.
An example to illustrate this:
The Pāli word ‘sukka’ means ‘bright’; ‘sukkha’ means ‘dry’; ‘sukha’ — ‘happiness’; ‘suka’ — ‘parrot’ and ‘sūka’ — ‘bristles on an ear of barley’.
So if you chant ‘sukha’ with a ‘k’ instead of a ‘kh’, you would chant ‘parrot’ instead of ‘happiness’.
A general rule of thumb for understanding the practice of chanting is to listen carefully to what the leader and the group are chanting and to follow, keeping the same pitch, tempo and speed. All voices should blend together as one.
[Square brackets] indicate parts usually chanted only by the leader, but chanting customs differ in the various monasteries.
The slash / indicates variations of male of female forms according to the person chanting them, or singular and plural forms when chanting alone or in a group.
The cantillation marks indicate changes in pitch, usually a full tone up or down:
| High tone: | no꜓ble | Long low tone: | ho꜖mage |
| Low tone: | ble꜕ssed | Long mid tone: | guides |
As an aid to understanding, some of the longer Pāli words in the text have been hyphenated into the words from which they are compounded. This does not affect the pronunciation in any way.
Literally, ‘not-self,’ i.e. impersonal, without individual essence; neither a person nor belonging to a person. One of the three characteristics of conditioned phenomena.
Transient, impermanent, unstable, having the nature to arise and pass away. One of the three characteristics of conditioned phenomena.
A gesture of respect. The palms of both hands join together directly in front of the chest, with the fingers aligned and pointing upwards.
Literally, ‘worthy one’ — a term applied to all enlightened beings. As an epithet of the Buddha alone, ‘Lord’ is used.
‘Noble Beings’ or ‘Noble Disciples’ — there are eight kinds: those who are working on or who have achieved the four different stages of realization.
Bountiful, with good fortune — when used as an epithet of the Buddha, ‘the Fortunate One,’ ‘the Blessed One.’
A Buddhist monk who lives as an alms mendicant, abiding by 227 training precepts that define a life of renunciation and simplicity.
Celestial being; a god in one of the higher spiritual realms.
The Understanding One, the Awakened One, who knows things as they are; a potential in every human being. The historical Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama, lived and taught in India in the 5th century B.C.E.
A celestial being. Less refined than a brahmā; as a deva is still in a sensual realm, albeit a very refined one.
(Sanskrit: Dharma) The Teaching of the Buddha as contained in the scriptures; not dogmatic in character, but more like a raft or vehicle to convey the disciple to deliverance. Also, the Truth towards which that Teaching points; that which is beyond words, concepts or intellectual understanding. When written as ‘dhamma’, i.e. with lower case ‘d’, this refers to an ‘item’ or ‘thing’.
Literally, ‘hard to bear’ — dis-ease, restlessness of mind, anguish, conflict, unsatisfactoriness, discontent, stress, suffering. One of the three characteristics of conditioned phenomena.
1. mindfulness, 2. investigation of truth, 3. effort, 4. rapture, 5. tranquility, 6. concentration, 7. equanimity.
Mindfulness of 1. kāya (body), 2. vedanā (feelings), 3. citta (mind), 4. dhamma (mind-objects).
The four modes of generation by which beings take birth: womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born and spontaneously born.
Literally: the Brahma-conduct; usually referring to the monastic life. Using this term emphasizes the vow of celibacy.
Mental absorption. A state of strong concentration focused on a single physical or sensation or mental notion.
(Sanskrit: karma) Action, deed; actions created by habitual impulse, intention, volition.
The five aggregates, physical or mental — that is: rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhārā, viññāṇa. Attachment to any of these as, ‘This is mine’, ‘I am this’ or, ‘This is my self’ is upādāna — clinging or grasping.
Personification of evil forces. During the Buddha’s struggle for enlightenment, Māra manifested frightening and enticing forms to try to turn him back from his goal.
(Sanskrit: Nirvāṇa) Literally, ‘coolness’ — the state of liberation from all suffering and defilements, the goal of the Buddhist path.
Solitary Buddha — someone enlightened by their own efforts without relying on a teacher but who, unlike the Buddha, has no following of disciples.
Verses chanted particularly for blessing and protection.
The Buddha’s final passing away, i.e. final entering Nibbāna.
An epithet of the Buddha.
The three planes where rebirth takes place: kāmāvacara-bhūmi: the sensuous plane; rūpāvacara-bhūmi: form plane; arūpāvacara-bhūmi: formless plane.
Merit, the accumulation of good fortune, blessings, or well-being resulting from the practice of Dhamma.
Form or matter. The physical elements that make up the body, i.e. earth, water, fire and air (solidity, cohesion, temperature and vibration).
The community of those who practise the Buddha’s Way.
More specifically, those who have formally committed themselves to the lifestyle of mendicant monks and nuns. The ‘four pairs, the eight kinds of noble beings’ are those who are on the path to or who have realized the fruition of the four stages of enlightenment: stream-entry, once-return, non-return and arahantship.
Formations, constructions, all conditioned things, or volitional impulses, that is all mental states apart from feeling and perception that colour one’s thoughts and make them either good, bad or neutral.
Perception, the mental function of recognition.
‘Thus gone’ or ‘Thus come’ — one who has gone beyond suffering and mortality; one who experiences things as they are, without delusion. The epithet that the Buddha applied to himself.
Mundane bliss, celestial bliss and Nibbānic bliss.
Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha.
Feeling — physical and mental feelings that may be either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
Sense consciousness — the process whereby there is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking.