The Itipiso Chant with Translation: the Qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha

The Itipiso chant in Pali with reading and translation: the Buddha's 9 qualities, the Dhamma's 6 and the Saṅgha's 9, its source in the suttas, and chanting it 3, 9 or 108 times

The Itipiso chant is the recollection of the qualities of the Triple Gem, beginning with the words itipi so bhagavā. It has three parts: nine qualities of the Buddha, six of the Dhamma and nine of the Saṅgha, twenty-four in all. Unlike many chants composed in later times, the words of the Itipiso are in the Tipiṭaka itself and occur in many suttas. Below is the full Itipiso chant in Pali with its reading and translation, followed by the meaning of each of the Buddha's qualities. This section explains the name, its source in the suttas, the meaning of the Dhamma's and the Saṅgha's qualities, chanting many rounds, and using the chant to train the mind.

What is the Itipiso chant?

The name comes from the first three words: iti, 'thus', pi, 'also' or 'indeed', and so, 'he'. The full sentence, itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ, means 'for these reasons that Blessed One is perfected', and the qualities follow one by one. This opening shows that the chant is not a request: it reviews what kind of person the Buddha is and why he is worthy of respect.

The Navakovada, the long-used first-level Dhamma textbook, sums up the qualities of the Triple Gem briefly. In the Navakovada's words (our translation):

• The Buddha first knew well and rightly by himself, and then taught others to know as he did.
• The Dhamma keeps the one who practises it from falling into what is bad.
• The Saṅgha, having practised rightly according to the Buddha's teaching, teaches others to do the same.

The Itipiso chant expands these three statements into twenty-four qualities. The first matches the Buddha's qualities, such as sammāsambuddho, 'fully awakened by himself', and satthā devamanussānaṁ, 'teacher of gods and humans'; the second matches the Dhamma's qualities, and the third the Saṅgha's, who practise well and practise directly.

Where the Itipiso comes from in the suttas

In the discourse to Mahānāma (AN 6.10), the Sakyan Mahānāma asks the Buddha how a noble disciple who has understood the teaching usually lives. The Buddha says that such a disciple recollects the Realised One with the words itipi so bhagavā, the same words chanted today, and then describes what that recollection does to the mind:

Yasmiṁ, mahānāma, samaye ariyasāvako tathāgataṁ anussarati,
nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti,
na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti,
na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti;
ujugatamevassa tasmiṁ samaye cittaṁ hoti tathāgataṁ ārabbha.

Mahānāma, at a time when a noble disciple recollects the Realised One, their mind is not overcome by greed, not overcome by hatred, not overcome by delusion. At that time their mind is upright, resting on the Realised One.

AN 6.10

The same sutta goes on: a mind made upright like this finds inspiration in the meaning and the teaching; gladness arises, then joy, the body grows calm, there is happiness, and the mind becomes collected in samādhi. Then the Buddha describes recollecting the Dhamma and the Saṅgha, in the words of their qualities, in the same way. That is why the Itipiso chant has three parts.

Another is the Dhajagga Sutta (SN 11.3), where the Buddha tells the monks that if fear arises when they are in the wilderness, at the foot of a tree or in an empty hut, they should recollect him in the words itipi so bhagavā; if they cannot, they should recollect the Dhamma, and if they cannot do that, the Saṅgha. The sutta says the fear and dread will go: a matter of the mind settling once it has something steady to rest on.

The six qualities of the Dhamma

The translation in the chant below gives the Dhamma's qualities together in one verse; here they are one at a time.

• Svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo: the Dhamma is well taught by the Blessed One, correct, complete and understandable.
• Sandiṭṭhiko: visible here and now; those who practise see the results for themselves in this life, without taking anyone's word for it.
• Akāliko: not bound to time; whenever it is practised, it bears fruit.
• Ehipassiko: inviting you to come and see, to test it, because it is real.
• Opaneyyiko: to be brought into oneself, taken into your own life and practised, not just known about.
• Paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi: to be known by the wise each for themselves; no one can know it on another's behalf.

The nine qualities of the Saṅgha

The Saṅgha in this chant is the Blessed One's Saṅgha of disciples, which the chant itself identifies as the four pairs, the eight individuals: those on the path and those who have reached the fruit at each of four levels, stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning and arahantship. It means those who have seen the Dhamma, not everyone who wears a robe. The nine qualities are:

• Suppaṭipanno: practising well.
• Ujuppaṭipanno: practising directly, without crookedness or detours.
• Ñāyappaṭipanno: practising the right way, to know the truth and be free of suffering.
• Sāmīcippaṭipanno: practising properly, and so worthy of respect.
• Āhuneyyo: worthy of offerings brought to them.
• Pāhuneyyo: worthy of hospitality, like an honoured guest.
• Dakkhiṇeyyo: worthy of gifts given for merit.
• Añjalikaraṇīyo: worthy of greeting with joined palms.
• Anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassa: the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

The first four qualities are about practice; the last five are about what follows from it, being worthy of offerings and of merit-making. The order shows that respect comes from practice, not from position.

Chanting the Itipiso once, 3, 9 or 108 times

'One round' of the Itipiso can be counted in two ways. Some count only the Buddha's qualities, from itipi so to buddho bhagavāti, as a round; others count all three parts together. Either is fine: choose one and keep to it.

Many people chant three or nine rounds every day as a custom, and some chant nineteen or 108 rounds on special days, using a string of 108 beads to count. These numbers are customs handed down; they do not come from the suttas. The Mahānāma Sutta speaks of the state of the mind while it recollects, not of a number of rounds, so this page does not say what any number will bring. What the sutta says is that while the mind is truly with the Buddha's qualities, it is free of greed, hatred and delusion, and the longer the mind stays with the meaning, the longer such moments last.

If you chant 108 rounds, break them into sets, for example four sets of twenty-seven, with an easy breath between them. You can chant softly or silently. If you notice you are rattling through without the meaning, slow down: fewer rounds with awareness throughout are closer to what the sutta teaches.

Itipiso with Bāhuṁ, Mahākāruṇiko and the Jinapañjara

The Itipiso is often the first of a set of blessing chants, followed by the Bāhuṁ chant, which tells of the Buddha's eight victories, and the Jaya Paritta, which begins Mahākāruṇiko nātho and is often called 'Mahaka' for short. Many people add the Jinapañjara at the end. The order moves from recollecting the qualities, to the victories those qualities won, to the blessing.

Chanting the Itipiso as recollection of the Buddha

Recollecting the Buddha's qualities is called Buddhānussati, one of the forty meditation subjects. The Navakovada lists the first three recollections in these words (our translation):

• Buddhānussati: recollecting the qualities of the Buddha.
• Dhammānussati: recollecting the qualities of the Dhamma.
• Saṅghānussati: recollecting the qualities of the Saṅgha.

A simple way to use the Itipiso chant to train the mind: chant it slowly once, then choose a single quality, such as arahaṁ, 'far from the defilements', and sit with its meaning for a while: what is it like to be far from greed, hatred and delusion? When the mind wanders, come back to the word. Some people repeat the word buddho silently with the breath, which is one of the Buddha's qualities in this chant. Chanted this way, the chant is not just a familiar sound but somewhere the mind can rest and learn. For a comfortable posture, see how to sit for meditation.

The chant

Machine translation from: With Mahānāma (AN 6.10) · The Banner, Dhajagga Sutta (SN 11.3) · Navakovada (public domain)