A Great Way to End the Day
Every night of the retreat, at the end of the last sitting, we sang a Metta Chant known as Imaya Dhammanu (which is the first line of the chant and means “By this Practice.”) At first Guy Armstrong and then Bhante Buddharakkhita led the chant, but it soon became clear that one of the yogis (retreatants) had an amazingly beautiful voice, so they quickly turned the lead over to her. On the last night, they recorded us and I wish I could share it with you, but for privacy reasons, it’s only available to attendees. (You can probably google “Imaya Dhammanu chant” and find another recording of it somewhere.)
It was such a lovely way to end the evening that I’ve been chanting it here at home every night before going to bed. The chant is in Pali, but here’s what it means in English:
By this practice,
truly in accord with the Dhamma,
I honor the Buddha.
By this practice,
truly in accord with the Dhamma,
I honor the Dhamma.
By this practice,
truly in accord with the Dhamma,
I honor the Sangha.
May I be free from enmity/danger.
May I be free from mental suffering.
May I be free from physical suffering.
May I care for myself happily.
May my mother and father,
teacher, relatives, friends,
and fellow dhamma-farers
be free from enmity/danger,
be free from mental suffering
be free from physical suffering
and may they care for themselves happily.
May all yogis in this forest (place)
be free from enmity/danger,
be free from mental suffering,
be free from physical suffering,
and may they care for themselves happily.
May the guardian deities
of this abode
and this dwelling,
and may the guardian deities
of this forest
be free from enmity/danger,
be free from mental suffering
be free from physical suffering
and many they care for themselves happily.
May all beings,
all creatures,
all living things,
all people,
all beings with bodies,
all females,
all males,
all noble ones,
all who are not noble ones,
all deities,
all humans,
all those in unhappy states,
be free from enmity/danger,
be free from mental suffering,
be free from physical suffering,
and many they care for themselves happily.
May they be free from suffering,
enjoy safety and abundance,
and have kamma as their true property.
May our merit be shared
with all beings.
Well spoken, well spoken, well spoken.