Preliminary formula

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa

Three Refuges

Buddham saranam gacchami
Dhammam saranam gacchami
Sangham saranam gacchami

Dutiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami
Dutiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami
Dutiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami

Tatiyampi Buddham saranam gacchami
Tatiyampi Dhammam saranam gacchami
Tatiyampi Sangham saranam gacchami

Five Precepts

1. Panatipata
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

2. Adinnadana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

3. Kamesu micchacara
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

4. Musavada
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

5. Sura-meraya-majja-pamadatthana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

Eight Precepts

1,2,4,5, are the same as the Five Precepts. The others are:

3. Abrahmacariya
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

6. Vikalabhojana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

7. Nacca-gita-vadita-vissuka-dassana
mala gandha-vilepana dharana-mandana-vibhusanatthana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

8. Uccasayana-mahasayana
veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

Recollection of the Three Treasures

Iti pi so bhagava araham samma-sambuddho vijja-carana-sampanno sugato lokavidu anuttaro purisa-dhamma-sarathi sattha-deva-manussanam buddho bhagava’ti

Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo sanditthiko akaliko ehipassiko opanayiko paccattam veditabbo vinnuhi’ti

Supatipanno bhagavato savakasangho, ujupatipanno bhagavato savakasangho, ñayapatipanno bhagavato savakasangho, samicipatipanno bhagavato savakasangho yadidam cattari purisayugani attha purisapuggala, esa bhagavato savakasangho, ahuneyyo pahuneyyo dakkhineyyo añjalikaraniyo, anuttaram puññakkhettam lokassa’ti.

Affirmation of Refuge in the Three Treasures

Natthi me saranam aññam
Buddho me saranam varam
Etena saccavajjena
Vaddheyyam satthusasane

Natthi me saranam aññam
Dhammo me saranam varam
Etena saccavajjena
Vaddheyyam satthusasane

Natthi me saranam aññam
Sangho me saranam varam
Etena saccavajjena
Vaddheyyam satthusasane.

Five Subjects for Daily Recollection

1. Jaradhammomhi, jaram anatito

2. Byadhidhammomhi, byadhim anatito

3. Maranadhammomhi maranam anatito

4. Sabbehi me piyehi manapehi nanabhavo vinabhavo

5. Kammasakkomhi kammadayado kammayoni kammabandhu kammapatisarano, yam kammam karissami kalyanam va papakam va tassa dayado bhavissami

The Development of Loving-kindness

Aham avero homi
Aham abyapajjho homi
Aham anigho homi
Aham sukhi attanam pariharami
Sabbe satta avera hontu
Sabbe satta abyapajjha hontu
Sabbe satta anigha hontu
Sabbe satta sukhi attanam pariharantu.

Anumodana
Puññassidani katassa
Yanaññani katani me
Tesañca bhagino hontu
Sattanantapamanaka
...
Maya dinnana puññanam
Anumodanahetuna
Sabbe satta sada hontu
Avera sukhajivino
Khemappadañca pappontu
Tesasa sijjhatam subha.

Notes

1.Perhaps at this point someone who has read the discourses of the Buddha might object, "But the Buddha before his Parinibbana said, ’Ananda, the twin sala trees are quite covered with blossoms though it is not the season. They scatter and sprinkle and strew themselves on the Perfect One’s body out of veneration for him. And heavenly Mandarava flowers and heavenly sandalwood powder fall from the sky and are scattered and sprinkled and strewed over the Perfect One’s body out of veneration for him. But this is not how a Perfect One is honored, respected, revered, venerated or reverenced: rather it is the bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, or the man or woman lay-follower, who lives according to Dhamma, who enters upon the proper way, who walks in the Dhamma that honors, respects, reveres and venerates a Perfect One with the highest veneration of all. Therefore, Ananda, train thus: "We will live in the way of the Dhamma, entering upon the proper way, and walking in the Dhamma."’" (Ven. Ñanamoli’s translation).
There is no doubt that the practice of giving (dana), moral conduct (sila), meditation (samadhi) and wisdom (pañña) are the best way of honoring the Buddha — they are called the puja of practice (patipatti-puja), but offerings and chanting are found useful by many people as it stimulates practice. It is only when sakkara-puja, the puja with material offerings, supplants patipatti-puja that there is the danger that peoples’ "Buddhism" becomes mere ceremonials. In time, these tend to become complex, like a strangling vine overgrowing the majestic tree of the Buddhasasana.
2.Añjali, in many Asiatic lands, is the common form of greeting, just as shaking hands is in the west. The latter custom is said to have been derived from the need to show that one had no kind of weapon in one’s right hand, while añjali perhaps derives from a gentle attitude towards other people. This respect becomes reverence when añjali is made to religious teachers, and so by extension to the objects symbolizing the Teacher of gods and men (the Buddha), such as images and stupas. In the Buddhasasana it does not have the significance — that of prayer — given to it in western religion.
3.This is not "surrender," as such an action might be in a "devotion-only" religion, nor of course is it an abject debasement of oneself, a sort of fawning of favors, since Buddhists do not approach their shrines with such ideas. And of course it is not "bowing down to idols." It is rather the bowing down of one’s own idol — self-pride — to Enlightenment.
4.Bhagava: a very frequent term of respect for the Buddha (usually translated, "Lord," "Blessed One," "Exalted One") is hard to render in English. It means: "The compassionate Lord who by his skillful means apportions Dhamma which exactly corresponds to the needs of those who hear."
5.See The Three Refuges, Wheel No. 75, B.P.S, Kandy.
6.The Pali of the Going-for-Refuge (etc.) is in the Appendix at the end of this book. Where "Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha" are felt to be more meaningful, they can be used in place of "The Enlightened One," "The Way to Enlightenment," and "The Enlightened Community."
7.See The Five Precepts, Wheel 55, BPS, Kandy, for the precepts explained, also the excellent article, "Sila in Modern Life" in The Buddhist Outlook by Francis Story, BPS.
8.See the Appendix for the Pali.
9.See the Appendix for the Pali.
10.See the Appendix for the Pali.
11.See the Appendix for the Pali.
12.See the Appendix for the Pali.
13.The lotus posture is made by placing the feet, soles up, on the opposite thighs. In the half-lotus one foot is on the opposite thigh, the other under the opposite upper leg. In the lion posture, one lower leg lies over the other, the foot on the knee, or slightly behind it.
14.For this in greater detail, see: "The Path of Purification," Ch. VIII, para 145ff, and "Mindfulness of Breathing," both translated by Venerable Ñanamoli Thera (from BPS, Kandy).
15.For this in greater detail, see: "The Path of Purification," Ch. IX; The Practice of Loving-kindness, Wheel No. 7; and The Four Sublime States, Wheel No. 6.
16.An LP record of Pali chanting in Sinhalese style may be had from the Buddhist Missionary Society, Brickfields Buddhist Temple, Jalan Berhala, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tapes of chanting (morning and evening services, paritta, etc.) can be had of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, 33 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 11, Thailand. These are in Thai styles of chanting.
17.In "The Entrance to the Vinaya II" (Mahamakut Press, Bangkok, BE 2516) we read: "It is prohibited for a bhikkhu to preach Dhamma with a long-drawn intonation. To preach Dhamma or recite Dhamma in an artificial long-drawn way of chanting until it brings about mispronunciation, should not be done."
18.See the author’s "Buddhist Texts for Recitation" (Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy; Vesak 1974.
19.See Wheels: 14, Everyman’s Ethics; 55, The Five Precepts; 50, Knowledge and Conduct; 104, Early Buddhism and the Taking of Life; 175/176, Ethics in Buddhist Perspective.
20.See Wheel 73, The Blessings of Pindapata.
21.See the Appendix for the Pali.
22.This should not be called "Buddhist Lent"! There is no basis for comparing Christian Lent with Buddhist Rains-residence, as they do not spring from the same religious ideas, nor have the same purpose, nor apply to the same people.
23.See Wheel 83-84, With Robes and Bowl.
24.Visakha: a very generous woman lay-disciple who, by listening frequently to Dhamma, became a Streamwinner and who was, perhaps, already a noble disciple (ariya) when this discourse was spoken.
25.Anga: lit. part, component, practice; here meaning practices composing the Uposatha.
26."Here": meaning "in the Buddhasasana," the Buddha’s instructions or religion.
27.Lajji: one who has shame (hiri) of doing evil, and fear of doing evil (ottappa), the two qualities which are called "the world guardians."
28.Saccasandha: "they join the truth" (Comm.).
29.Theta: lit. "firm, established," that is, in the experience of ultimate truth.
30.Paccayika: truth that has been seen by perceiving its conditional arising.
31.Bhikkhus do not eat after midday until the following dawn.
32.High beds means luxurious beds which are soft and well-sprung.
33.Large beds means those in which two people can sleep.
34.Rajjam: lit., "kingship," but meaning generally great authority.
35.The seven treasures: gold, silver, pearls, crystal, turquoise, diamond, coral.
36.If calculated in human years, the devas of the Four Great Kings live 9,000,000 years; of the Thirty-three 36,000,000 years; of the Yama 144,000,000 years; of the Tusita 576,000,000 years; of the Nimmanarati 2,304,000,000 years; of the Paranimminitavasavatti devas the life is 9,216,000,000 years. Man can live at most one day in the life of the Thirty-three. It is worth reading the story in the Dhammapada Commentary (trans. "Buddhist Legends," Harvard Oriental Series Vol. 29, reissued by the Pali Text Society, London, 1969), called Husband-honorer, which brings to life this comparative time scale.
37.Merit (puñña): good kamma which purifies and cleanses the mind of the doer, such as the practice of the three ways of merit-making: giving, moral conduct (or precepts), and meditation.