MUSC 242 Final Writing Assignment

April 21, 2014

Ben Simonson
Music in Chinese Buddhism

One of the Buddha's teachings say, In order to build a pure land, the [enlightened beings] make
use of beautiful music to soften people's hearts (Yun, 2). The fifth largest religion/philosophy
that is practiced worldwide, particularly in China, is Buddhism. Music used in a religious context
can serve different purposes than what we're used to. Evaluating the way that music is integrated
into Chinese Buddhist practices can help us reach a better understanding of the religion itself, as
well as the culture and the history surrounding it.
Originating in India approximately 2500 years ago, Buddhism slowly spread outward to
China through Buddhist missionaries traveling the Silk Road. The religion had eventually arrived
in China and other parts of East Asia between the first and second century C.E. The predominant
type of Buddhism in China is called Mahayana, which is a less traditional form of the religion
(Mitchell).
As the religion was first introduced into China, more emphasis was placed on the
scriptures, rather than the hymns, which were written in Sanskrit, since there were so many
linguistic differences between Sanskrit and Chinese. To fill in the absence of these hymns,
monastics soon adapted classical Chinese folk songs, along with music played for royalty. With
this new music, and newly adapted language, Chinese Buddhist music took on a unique style.
The earliest Chinese hymns date back as far as the Wei Dynasty (220-265 C.E.) (Yun 5-7).
Traditional Chinese Buddhist music, known in Mandarin as fanbei, uses a variety of
instruments to accompany chants and hymns. Some of these include the gong, bells, drums,
cymbals and wooden fish. These instruments are all native to China, and are collectively

named Dharma instruments in a religious context. In modern practices, the music is sometimes
paired with Chinese orchestral instruments, piano, or even traditional European symphony
orchestras (Yun, 4-7)
.

The main function of Buddhist fanbei is not to excite or elevate the moods of the

participants, but rather to conserve emotional energy, calm the mind, and reduce desire. This
relates to the purpose of meditation in Buddhism, which is intended to be used for these same
reasons. According to the Vinaya in Ten Recitations, regular listening to Buddhist fanbei can
provide the listener with such benefits as increased wakefulness, less confusion and
forgetfulness, and greater ease in personal expression and communication (Yun, 14-16). Today,
in Chinese-speaking areas, there are essentially three music types that are associated with
Buddhism, each with their own specific history and social meaning (Chen, 267).
One of the three music types, and probably the most well-known forms of Buddhist
music, is chanting, which began with the passing down of the Buddha's teachings. Scriptures and
monastic codes were repetitively chanted. Although these have been written down, low
monotone chanting is still tradition in the Theravada contexts in order to spread the teachings. In
the later forms of the religion, these chants were expanded upon to include short phrases or
incantations. Chants can be done in a group setting or alone. They are sometimes intoned, and
are often used to prepare the mind for meditation, and in Mahayana, chants are sometimes used
to pay a short homage to the Buddha (Mitchell).
Another type of Buddhist music is devotional and liturgical music. These are written for
the purpose of giving praise to all the Buddhas and their teachings, and are often referred to as
gathas. These gathas are characterized by a relaxed pace, soft tones, and a dignified, solemn
manner. Hymns of praise are used in ceremonies to make offerings or to invite the presence of

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. (Yun, 14-15).

The final type of Buddhist music in China, which has been met with some controversy, is
commercial popular music. Commercial popular forms of Buddhist music began in Thailand in
the 1980's, and gradually influenced trends in mainland China. Compared to traditional Chinese
devotional songs, which tend to follow the form of Western art music, commercial Buddhist
music includes a variety of styles. However, rather than Buddhist institutions creating the music,
it is largely created and marketed by record companies. Today, this music, despite its religious
references, doesn't necessarily reveal Buddhist communities, or their cultural practices. Instead,
the music is created by people who know very little about traditional chanting, or religious
processions (Chen, 277-280).
These three forms of Buddhist music in China all have different functions, with chanting
and devotional and liturgical songs being the most similar in purpose. For these two styles, the
music is a key practice of the religion. They are used for very spiritual purposes, but that doesn't
mean that they cannot be enjoyed by those outside the monastic setting, as seen with monks
performing with classical musicians. One important lesson we can learn from chanting and
devotional singing in Buddhism is that the music is one of the most important ways for
practicing Buddhists to get their message across. The fact that practicing Buddhists choose music
as a channel for their holy teachings definitely says something about what is regarded as
spiritual. Maybe harmonious music has more of an influence of reaching these spiritual
understandings than simple spoken words do.

Works Cited:
Mitchell, Scott A. Buddhism. Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online. Oxford University
Press. Web. 21 April 2014.
Mabbet, Ian W. Asian Music, Vol 25, No 1/2, 25th Anniversary Double Issue (1993-1994), pp. 928. Web. 21 April 2014.
Yun, H. "Sounds of the Dharma Buddhism and Music." (2010).
List, George. "The boundaries of speech and song." Ethnomusicology 7.1 (1963): 1-16.
hunglu6983. Chinese Buddhist Morning Ceremony 1. YouTube. YouTube, LLC. 11 December
2009. Web. 23 April 2014.