Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Chanting from the heart is a ubiquitous practice in domestic Zen. It is a basic tool for garnering the focus and energy required to respond to the inevitable vicissitudes of life. It is done alone or in a group – whether together or scattered in different locations – to magnify the impact. Multiple rounds are done in the event of significant difficulties or challenges. Repeating a familiar chant helps Gyokko Sensei, among numerous others, find her way back to other times when she chanted when she was calm, reminding her body how to feel safe again. Perhaps such chanting also stops the cascade of stress-responses that often accompany fear, a question for future rescarch. For now, the ethnographic materials tell us that whether you are sitting in front of your home altar chanting clearly, standing in front of a Buddhist figure chanting under your breath, or running with a child to the doctor’s office chanting only in your heart, chanting can have an immediate, practical, and positive effect on your healing. It provides the breathing room and steadiness of mind required to see what next course of action would be most helpful.’ (Bringing Zen Home)