Listen, then join in

Chant Along

Built by Tim Yu, Founder & Editor · Published 11 November 2026

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Chant along with monks: the homage to the Buddha and the Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta in Pali, as the monks of Metta Forest Monastery chant them, and an English reading of the Heart Sutra. Each line lights up as it is chanted, with the meaning beside the Pali; tap any line to hear it again.

Theravāda, in Pali. The homage to the Buddha, said three times at the start of Theravāda morning and evening chanting and before the refuges. Here it is taken from the morning chanting of the monks of Metta Forest Monastery in California.

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Recording: the monks of Metta Forest Monastery (Wat Metta Sangha), © 2011 Thanissaro Bhikkhu (source), used under CC BY-NC 4.0; an excerpt from their Morning Chanting, converted to mono. Words: A Chanting Guide (Dhammayut Order in the USA, CC BY-NC 4.0; the leader's bracketed cue, line breaks and stress marks simplified); meaning: the same guide. More: Namo Buddhaya and the homage.

The recording loads only when you press play. Your choice of chant and settings are kept on this device and never sent anywhere.

How to chant along

Listen through once, then join in. The Dhammayut Order’s Chanting Guide, which the monks chant from, sets out the rules of Pali pronunciation and rhythm, and then gives the simplest advice of all: “If all these rules seem daunting, the best course is simply to listen carefully to the group and to chant along, following as closely as possible their tempo, rhythm, and pitch. All voices, ideally, should blend together as one.” While you learn, tick Slower, tap a line to hear it again, and keep the meaning showing.

The Pali chants’ melody is Thai. Pali has no script of its own, the guide explains, and in Thailand it “has picked up some of the tones of the Thai language”, which “accounts for the characteristic melody of Thai Pāli chanting.” For the sounds themselves, see our guide to Pali pronunciation; for why Buddhists chant at all, our guide to Buddhist chanting.

The chants

Namo tassa. The homage, said three times: “Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.” In the morning chanting the leader invites it, and all chant it together. Our page on namo Buddhāya explains the words.

Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta. The Discourse on Goodwill (Sn 1.8, also Khp 9), one of the texts Theravāda communities chant for protection. It asks for goodwill to be cultivated toward every being, “as a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child”. Our guide to the Metta Sutta explains it.

The Heart Sutra, in English. Samuel Beal, a Royal Navy chaplain, presented this translation from the Chinese in December 1863, and it was printed in 1865. He describes it as recited: “It is repeated in the course of the daily worship of the Buddhists, by rote, as a mantra would be repeated…” Read it as a historical translation. Where Beal writes “Form is the same as space”, modern translators write “empty” or “emptiness”, and of the closing mantra he admits, “words I cannot attempt to explain.” Our Heart Sutra guide sets modern translations side by side.

About the recordings

We use recordings only where their makers allow it. The Pali chants are the monks of Metta Forest Monastery’s own recordings (© 2011 Thanissaro Bhikkhu), shared on dhammatalks.org for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC 4.0), with the words and English from their Chanting Guide; we have converted them to a smaller file, and the Namo tassa is cut from their morning chanting. Nothing is sold on this page. The Heart Sutra is a LibriVox recording, which LibriVox places in the public domain in the USA, trimmed to the sutra itself: LibriVox’s spoken introduction and closing are left out. We have not yet found a recording of the nembutsu or of Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ that we may share, or an openly licensed text to go with the Japanese Heart Sutra; when we do, we will add them.

To count recitations of your own, use the digital mala; for a quiet background to sit in afterwards, meditation sounds. See all our free tools.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Namo tassa chant?

It is the homage to the Buddha, said three times at the start of Theravāda morning and evening chanting and before the refuges: 'Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā-sambuddhassa', which A Chanting Guide translates as 'Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One.' The player has it as the monks of Metta Forest Monastery chant it.

What does the Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta say?

It is the Buddha's Discourse on Goodwill (Sn 1.8, also Khp 9). It describes the person who is 'capable, upright, & straightforward', and the wish to be held for every being, 'weak or strong, without exception': 'may all beings be happy at heart.' It asks for that goodwill to be cultivated 'as a mother would risk her life to protect her child'.

How do I chant in Pali if I can't read it?

Listen first, then join in. The Chanting Guide's advice is 'simply to listen carefully to the group and to chant along, following as closely as possible their tempo, rhythm, and pitch.' Use the Slower setting while you learn, tap a line to hear it again, and keep the meaning shown beside the Pali. Our guide to Pali pronunciation covers the sounds.

Why is the Heart Sutra here in an old translation?

Because it is the English reading we can share freely: Samuel Beal's 1865 translation, read for LibriVox and in the public domain. It is a historical translation. Where Beal writes 'Form is the same as space', modern translators write 'empty' or 'emptiness', as in Edward Conze's 'form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form'. Our Heart Sutra guide compares modern translations.

Is anything saved?

Only your choice of chant and settings, on this device, so the player opens where you left it. The player sends and counts nothing. Each recording loads only when you press play.