Dharma Talk by Nomon Tim Burnett : Forms and Ritual 4 – Zen Chanting

In this talk Nomon Tim reads excerpts from The Americanization of Zen Chanting by Stephen Slottow - in his opening chapter he reports that from his survey work of American Zen teachers they reported five reasons for doing Zen chanting:

1) As another form of meditation

2) As a way to energize practice

3) Exposure to Buddhist teachings

4) To express/feel gratitude towards ancestral teachers and sangha

5) To generate and transfer merit (the main reason doctrinally but not all American Zen Teachers believe in the reality of merit)