Expert: Justin Choo - 11/14/2011

Question
I find it difficult to say the 3 refuges and 5 precepts  in pali. Would I be able to say it in english and still have it count/ be considered buddhist?

Also do they need to be said everyday, often, or once?

Answer
Hi Troy,

The Buddha's teachings are about universal truths for the well-being and happiness of individuals.  It does not matter what language you choose to recite.  The bottom line is about reducing greed, hatred and ignorance. I would say reciting in the language that you are familiar with is better than reciting blindly in a language that you don't understand. Sure, you are still considered a Buddhist so long as you practise the teachings of the Buddha.

Be that as it may, since Pali was the language the Buddha used, Buddhists usually learn to recite in Pali at least the 3 refuges and the 5 precepts. It gives them a sense of identification with the Buddha.  It is actually not that difficult to learn them.  There is a lot of repetition, so you actually need to remember only a few words.  The way to remember them is not to look at them as words.  This is what I mean, for example "Namo Tassa" being two words.  Split them into individual sounds and they become easier to identify and pronounce, like this: Na mo Tas sa.  So far from my experience, no one has yet to fail to recite these in Pali, after repeated practice.  You can do it too.  But not to worry as I said above.

As a daily Buddhist ritual, it is usually recited once in the morning and once at night. If there is any religious celebration or event, we usually recite them in the beginning before the start of the event.  Again there is no hard and fast rule on this.

Whatever we do, we need to understand why we are doing it.  Recitation of the 3 refuges is paying respect to the triple gem, while reciting the 5 precepts is to remind us to be mindful of our effort and commitment to lead our lives in a wholesome manner.

By the way, Pali is actually not the language spoken by the Buddha.  He spoke Maghadian dialect, and this dialect was accorded a special reverence and referred to as Pali, meaning "the language of the text".

Hope this helps.

Justin Choo