You Can Ask What a Ritual Means
You do not have to choose between joining silently and rejecting an unfamiliar ceremony. There is another possibility: ask about one part.
Perhaps you recognise a chant before you know what it says. You know when palms come together, but not where the words come from. That is a reasonable place to begin.
Start with this text
Choose one short passage. Ask its title, language and source. Is it a canonical discourse, a devotional composition or a later ritual text? Find a reliable translation and someone knowledgeable who can explain its use. Different chants serve different purposes; recognising a sound does not settle its meaning.
A translation is a beginning, not the end of inquiry. Words such as refuge, emptiness or merit have particular meanings in their settings. Ask what a term means in the passage rather than replacing it with a familiar word and assuming the job is done.
Understanding without superiority
Dhammapada verses 19–20 contrast recitation with living the teaching. This is an invitation to connect words with conduct, not a reason to dismiss chanting or those who value it.
Guan’s 2021 study describes monastic, lay and social dimensions of Chinese Buddhist education in Malaysia. Its abstract offers a useful reminder that Chinese-language Buddhist life includes education; it does not establish that one language group understands Buddhism better than another. Explaining a concept fluently in English is not itself proof of deeper practice either.
One line, one question
At a suitable moment, ask a teacher or organiser for the meaning of a short passage. Let the answer lead to a practical question: what quality does this recitation invite me to cultivate? You do not have to pretend you already know. A sincere question can make a familiar practice more thoughtful.