The author Yu Chiu-yu has written of an incident from his own life that testifies to the redemptive powers of Buddhist music. As an infant he was once kidnapped by a local gang. The kidnappers fled with him to a temple, but the deep, undulating sound of chanting made them change their minds.
《文化苦旅》一書的作者余秋雨，在著作中提及，在他襁褓時期，曾遭鄰家一幫會中人綁架勒索，歹徒抱著小嬰兒逃到寺廟中，卻因為浩蕩而悠揚的佛號唱誦，放下強梁之心。