Spiritual Chanting in the Teochew Chinese Yoga Tantra Ritual in Thailand

This study examines the distinctive Teochew Chinese Yoga Tantra chants performed at Kak Hung Niam Huk Lim Monastery in Bangkok, exploring how these devotional melodies reflect broader currents of religious continuity and innovation in Thailand. Using an ethnographic approach, data were gathered through literature review, field observation, and purposive interviews with monastic and lay experts. The primary fieldwork drew on direct observation of the Yoga Tantra ceremony at Kak Hung Niam Huk Lim Monastery, follow-up interviews conducted with two senior monk-ritual specialists, and supplementary visual and audio documentation for clarification of instruments and ritual sequence. Musical and ritual elements were documented, transcribed using Western notation, and analyzed in relation to Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy and ethnomusicological frameworks. The analysis focused on ritual sequence, participant roles, instrument use, chant structure, scale organization, rhythmic patterning, and the relationship between textual delivery and melodic contour. Four representative chant items were selected as case examples because they illustrate contrasting ritual functions: praise verse, mixed praise–mantra form, unaccompanied recitation, and short invocatory chant. Findings reveal that the chants, based on pentatonic scales characteristic of southern Chinese music, integrate both traditional and adapted melodic forms to convey complex emotional and doctrinal meanings. The performance structure demonstrates the collaborative nature of the ritual and its capacity to blend inherited forms with contemporary adaptations. These practices embody both continuity with classical Mahāyāna devotional ideals and innovation shaped by the Thai context, affirming the role of liturgical music as a medium for cultural preservation, spiritual expression, and community identity. The study contributes to scholarship at the intersection of Buddhist studies, ethnomusicology, and diaspora cultural heritage.