Gatha (Buddhism)


In Buddhism, gāthā refers to any Prakrit and Pali verses in general, or specifically the arya meter of Sanskrit. Versified portions of Pāli Canon of Theravāda Buddhism are also specifically called gathas. The word is originally derived from the Sanskrit/Prakrit root gai, which means 'to speak, sing, recite or extol', cognate to the Avestan term gatha.
The stanzas of the Prakrit dialects of Ardhamagadhi, Sauraseni and Pāli are known as gathas as opposed to shlokas and sutras of Sanskrit and dohas of Apabhramsha. Most of the Jain and Buddhist texts written in Prakrit are composed of gathas.

List of gathas

Versified portions of Pāli Canon ' of Theravāda Buddhism are specifically called gathas. In addition, some texts titled with gāthā' are found in traditional Pāli parittas. Here are the gathas as cited in the chanting book of the Dhammayut Order:
  • Ovāda-pāṭimokkha Gāthā
  • Sabba-patti-dāna Gāthā
  • Devatādipattidāna Gāthā
  • Uddissanādhiṭṭhāna Gāthā
  • Aṭṭh’aṅgika-magga Gāthā
  • Dhamma-gārav’ādi Gāthā
  • Bhāra-sutta Gāthā
  • Namakāra-siddhi Gāthā
  • Cha Ratana Paritta Gāthā
  • Buddha-jaya-maṅgala Gāthā
  • Devatāyuyyojana Gāthā
  • Tāyana-gāthā
  • Vihāra-dāna Gāthā
  • Nidhi-kaṇḍa-sutta Gāthā
  • Tiro-kuḍḍa-kaṇḍa-sutta Gāthā
  • Jinapañjara Gāthā
There are also some esoteric gāthās of other traditions such as:

Traditional practices

In traditional Khmer and Thai practice, khatha, referring the Sacred Pali prayers, mantras and other magical incantations, is used in general by Thai people for a great many purposes; be it for protection, charm or business ventures, there is a khatha which can be summoned. The word khatha, or "gāthā" in Pali, means "speech", and thus the original meaning of the word implies that khatha were used only as spoken language, and not written form. In spite of this fact, the word khatha is used to refer to both that which is spoken, and also written.
Khatha is also used in Buddhist chanting by Thai Ruesi practitioner for their magical spells, inscribed on Thai Buddha amulets and yantra cloths, as well as being the main body of content in Sak Yant tattooing. The sacred yantra tattoo designs are both filled with Pali Gāthā, as well as being used to embellish the spaces between each of the designs too. When a khatha is inscribed on paper, cloth, metal, skin, or any other surface for that matter, it is traditionally done using the Ancient Khmer script. The ancient Khmer script is only permitted to be used for sacred or scriptural texts, and never for common speech or everyday matters. This alphabet is considered by some Thai people to be extremely sacred and to possess spiritual power within the letters.

Contemporary practices

In contemporary Buddhist practice as popularized by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, a gatha is a verse recited in rhythm with the breath as part of mindfulness practice, either in daily life, or as part of meditation or meditative study.

Related links

*
*
Category:Buddhism in Thailand
Category:Pali Gathas
Category:Boran esotericism