The belief in the effective power to heal, or protect, of the sacca-kiriya, or asseveration of something quite true is an aspect of the work ascribed to the paritta.
[3] It is also widely believed that all-night recitations of paritta by monks bring safety, peace and well-being to a community.
[4][5] The Mahavamsa contains the earliest historical reference to this practice, describing how Upatissa I of Anuradhapura instructed monks to recite the Ratana Sutta through the night during a period when Sri Lanka was afflicted by plague and disease.
In Thailand, paritta texts are printed on small pieces of cloth containing images of the Buddha or famous monks.
[13] This collection consists of thirty-one texts, including eleven from Mahāparitta, and another twenty, including the Buddha's first sermon (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta), a synopsis of the twenty-four conditions in the Paṭṭhāna, the seventh book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, and the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, which provides the textual basis for vipassanā meditation.
[13] Now follows the Mahāparitta collection and canonical sources by Ven Dr. Silananda Bhivamsa[14] •introductory passage • following two verses • remaining text Sn 312-5 Ja no.
"[15] Copies of this collection are common in the home of Sri Lankans, with children being instructed in the recitations in the morning and before bed.
[6] The most common versions of the Maha Pirit Potha may have originated from a precursor of the Khuddakapatha, which otherwise receives relatively little attention in Theravada countries.
[note 2] In Thailand, the most important collection of paritta texts is The Royal Chanting Book, which was compiled by Saṅgharāja Sā Phussadeva under the sponsorship of King Chulalongkorn and published in 1880.