All Things Mantra

[Fa Xin]

So let's share some experiences with mantras that you guys and gals have had!  

 

Maybe some aspects of mantras that the new folks aren't aware of, pictures of your mala beads, youtube links, recommendations...

 

Anything and everything mantra related...

 

I was reading the Cundi mantra thread, and I thought having a thread where the focus was on mantra's would be awesome, and invaluable for some seekers.

 

Thanks!

FX

[Fa Xin]

I will start things off...

 

I have to say that the six syllable mantra,

"OM mani Padme hum" is the most powerful one for me - so far!

 

I find that the mantras I repeat with other people in mind, for instance the "mani Mantra" I chant and think of all beings free of suffering...

works much better than

me thinking of myself being free or awakened.

 

-

 

I'm also attracted to "namo amituofo" but i haven't quite done that enough (a few thousand times at most.)

 

I was hoping maybe someone could provide some info or personal experience with this wonderful mantra.

 

-

 

I also got a beautiful set of hematite mala beads for christmas.  Always fun to have a new toy to help motivate me to sit!

 

FX

Edited January 20, 2017 by Fa Xin

[steve]

This is the mantra of Sherap Chamma, the wisdom loving mother of the Bönpo tradition. She is beautiful and golden in color adorned with the 13 ornaments of a peaceful deity. She holds a vase in her right hand at her heart filled with the nectar of compassion. Her left hand is raised and holds a lotus blossom upon which rests the mirror of wisdom which reveals all passing phenomena as empty of inherent existence. She embodies the two-fold wisdom of emptiness and skillful means. 

 

 

 

 

 

While it is certainly wonderful and important to sit, I'd also encourage you to bring the mantra into your everyday life and activities. The connection between the cushion and our daily lives is the most valuable I know of.

Edited January 21, 2017 by steve

[JustARandomPanda]

I have been chanting the Cundi mantra for quite some time now and am amazed at the benefits I'm getting from it.

 

 

Here's another tip to aid you when chanting mantras.

 

Find or create your own small and simple vegetable oil lamp. You can download a $3 book from Amazon on how to make them. You can also try using a beeswax candle while chanting but I don't know if you get all of the same benefits as with the oil lamp. I use the candle but my goal is to make one of these simple vegetable oil lamps and see if I get even better results.

 

The reason is this: When one lights an oil lamp every one of the Great Elements comes into play - earth - the physical lamp that is the stable base, water - represented by the oil, fire - present by of course the candle flame and air - the element that allows the flame to burn. When all of these come together the final and most subtle of the Great Elements is there too - Aether. Aether creates an atmosphere that is favorable for meditation, mantra and yantra.

 

When I first heard this being discussed by some Indian mystics (Shri Rohit Arya and also Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) on YouTube videos I decided to try it and I must say there does seem to be something special and helpful when chanting a mantra or meditating in the presence of flame.  I haven't graduated to the oil lamp yet but even using a beeswax candle seems to help. Now I'm wondering if one of those little water floating votive candles might give the same results as an oil lamp. I also now understand why Kasina can be a good way to begin training in concentration before graduating to internal focusing on the breath or one of the Dantiens.

Edited February 18, 2017 by JustARandomPanda

[JustARandomPanda]

Another addendum about the Cundi mantra. In that region of India Cundi is often spelled with dots above each of the letters - i.e - umlauts.

Edited January 21, 2017 by JustARandomPanda

[C T]

[Fa Xin]

This is the mantra of Sherap Chamma, the wisdom loving mother of the Bönpo tradition. She is beautiful and golden in color adorned with the 13 ornaments of a peaceful deity. She holds a vase in her right hand at her heart filled with the nectar of compassion. Her left hand is raised and holds a lotus blossom upon which rests the mirror of wisdom which reveals all passing phenomena as empty of inherent existence. She embodies the two-fold wisdom of emptiness and skillful means. 

 

 

 

 

 

While it is certainly wonderful and important to sit, I'd also encourage you to bring the mantra into your everyday life and activities. The connection between the cushion and our daily lives is the most valuable I know of.

Very beautiful mantra/video, thanks steve!

[Fa Xin]

Here's a question for everyone.

 

Do you feel it is important to "pick one" and stick with it?

 

My coworker is a Sant Mat practitioner, has been for many years. She told me to pick one mantra and stick with it.

 

I tend to agree with her, keeping things simple.  But I'm a Taurus, and I like my safety and routines lol

Edited January 22, 2017 by Fa Xin

[C T]

In my main practice, which is the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, there's a series of mantras to be chanted - to open the practice, maintain the core, and then to end with long life dedications. This the Tibetans refer to as 'good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good at the end'. Having said this, i do have a couple of mantras which i find to be incredibly efficacious in terms of maintaining an even connection with the 3 jewels. One is Guru Rinpoche's 12 syllable mantra and the other is the 100 syllable Vajrasattva mantra. These two mantras are imbued with great effectiveness for removing all kinds of obstacles, both mundane and otherwise. 

Edited January 22, 2017 by C T

[C T]

There is a science to mantra---I don' t know much of it though.

 

The bij mantras, alone, in combination, and with other words/sounds can do different things. Part of a mantra science for generating specific effects resides in the specific combination of syllables.

 

Whether this constitutes the totality of active factors that make a mantra work, I don't know. I think there is something related to what was called a "collective consciousness" associated with mantras and other liturgy. It wasn't really discussed but it did receive a passing mention when the various sutras were recited in this past week (for the 7 day blessing with Chunyi Lin and 3 monks).

 

I think there might be something to that since each mantra tends to have specific effects that are peculiar to the mantra and are distinct from the syllables that constitute it.

 

In the past, I've liked the Kyrie and Ave Maria "mantras" from Christianity.

 

Gayatri mantras of one kind or another have been interesting too.

Check out this website for helpful mantra info http://www.wildmind.org/mantras

[C T]

Thanks.

 

I had something rather specific in mind with the first bit---it is slightly different from what you've got there.

 

I can't say that I've used much of it, but there is a youtube channel that puts up mantras and associated sadhanas. Quite a few tend toward vashikaran and shabar stuff, so I don't really mess with it. But seeing the practical assemblage of different mantras is interesting:

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/mantrascience/videos

Best not to for the more complex chants. However, where Buddhist ones are concerned, there are a handful of mantras that are quite helpful and can be used/chanted even minus the accompaniment of empowerments/blessings from the guru. Of these, the most well-known and widely chanted is the Mani mantra. 

[Vajra Fist]

I keep the Mani mantra and, when I can, the Vasudhara and Green Tara mantras. I consider them to be prayers and offerings for all beings, and not for my own development.

 

The exception is the recitation of the name of Amitabha - which is for the goal of rebirth outside of samsara in Sukhavati and, eventually, one's final liberation. In that way I don't regard it the same way as the other mantras.

 

I try to recite or listen to the Amitabha sutra daily, and I also listen to a beautiful Tibetan recitation of the heart sutra after my meditation.

[Fa Xin]

Thanks for everyone's response.

 

I've been reading into Pure Land lately for the simple reason that their practice revolves around a mantra, essentially.

I find it fascinating.

 

I have also been drawn to the Green & White Tara mantras as well.  Viewing these as a prayer of sorts to the deities makes sense.  I've always thought of them as a petition or invocation.

 

I know this thread is in the buddhist subforum, and I must admit that was my mistake when creating the thread - for even though I identify with Buddhism, my hope would be that the thread would be about mantras in general.

 

I must also report that when I was trying out different mantras a number of years ago, one mantra I felt drawn to was "om nama shivaya".  However when I chanted it with a focused mind, it tended to generate tension in my body.

 

The same sort of tension I felt when I started my qigong practice.  However I persevered through the uncomfortable feeling and it eventually subsided within a few months, and I am all the better for it.  This makes me question whether I should go back and give it a shot.

 

Anyone ever have any unpleasant side effects from a mantra, such as a detox or perhaps a realigning that was uncomfortable ?

[Fa Xin]

Well, if any mantras are good, this one is interesting:

 

https://youtu.be/W8559arekFk?t=22s

 

 

As for side effects, I have had some visual things with color. I also had some other strange things happen when I mistakenly recited an aghori mantra without knowing what it was (hence my research into the stuff mentioned in one of the above posts). Most of the time, it is a pleasant and clear sensation, though every mantra is unique with focused effects.

Ohhhh yes! The Hebrew God names.  Definitely interesting.

 

I used to play with the Middle Pillar exercise. I feel like some hebrew names resonate quite powerful with me (adonai, YHVH), and others not so much.  What the Hermetic QBL's did with assigning different Names to the Chakras/Tree of life was interesting.  Actually the tree of Life is essentially assigning everything to everything.  Colors, stones, words, numbers.  If you can figure it out, that is.... It's not exactly bedtime reading!

[roger]

One of my favorites: ooh-sa

 

Although I admit I haven't used it much because I use a TM mantra.

 

ooh-sa is supposed to help with anger.

[roger]

Here's a question for everyone.

 

Do you feel it is important to "pick one" and stick with it?

 

My coworker is a Sant Mat practitioner, has been for many years. She told me to pick one mantra and stick with it.

 

I tend to agree with her, keeping things simple.  But I'm a Taurus, and I like my safety and routines lol

 

Not necessarily imo.

 

What I would do is find one or more that really resonate with you, and let those be your main mantras.

 

Basically, I think it can be a good idea to have just one, but for many people more than one is the right choice.

 

What you don't wanna do is keep trying tons of different mantras, and never stick with them.

 

I would choose one or several which you FEEL GREAT ABOUT, and let those be your lifelong mantras.

[Fa Xin]

Well I have an effect I wanted to share.

 

Not sure if it's from a particular mantra or my qigong practice. My guess would be a combination of both, a sign of my progress perhaps?

 

I've totally lost the desire to eat meat. I haven't eaten meat for a week now. The last time I did, I viewed it as gross. It's almost like I was aware that it was an animal, and I felt for the poor thing.

 

In my 32 years I have never felt that or wanted to feel that. I loved my meat, steak and chicken. Not anymore.

 

I suppose it's the combination of the awareness from serious qigong cultivation and using compassion mantra as my main stay.

 

FX

[Maddie]

On 1/23/2017 at 10:43 AM, Fa Xin said:

 

Anyone ever have any unpleasant side effects from a mantra, such as a detox or perhaps a realigning that was uncomfortable ?

 

Yes! Several....

 

Probably the mantra that I with out fail and consistently feel the most side effects from is the Zhunti mantra. I have been doing this mantra on and off for years now. I suppose its not surprising seeing as how its primary purpose is to purge bad karma. When it got really interesting is when I got my gf to start a couple years ago and she began to have some of the same side effects that I did. 

 

Here are some of the side effects I've noticed over the years of doing Zhunti mantra.

 

1. Unpleasant emotions come to the surface in a very powerful way that is impossible to ignore. 

2. Unexpected problems often surface in life. 

3. I have to urinate a lot more in both quantity and frequency. This is one my gf experienced as well.

4. If I do mantra a lot then I have to defecate more frequently as well. 

5. Sometimes suppressed memories come to the surface. 

6. Sometimes it feels as if my entire body is vibrating or "buzzing".

 

So why do I continue to do it then? Because there are a few major issues in my life that I have radically changed by sticking with sustained Zhunti mantra practice. Issues of relationship, career, and money karma over time have drastically improved. It also seems to offer a large degree of protection from negative energy and entities. I will often gain spontaneous insight into mental blocks that I had been previously unaware of. 

 

I have similar side effects (on a slightly reduced scale) with "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo". 

 

I've found Amitofu and Om Mani Padme Hum are generally very calming.

 

I've even found that doing the Catholic rosary is powerful, but I feel like if I do it too much Mary wants me to think in a more Catholic mindset so I tend to limit it. 

 

I've also experimented with the Kleem mantra, but not so much anymore because it makes me very sexually agitated. It does seem to have the advertised effect of attracting romantic partners but not high quality ones.  

[Maddie]

Speaking of a similar topic, does anyone make a practice of sutra reading/recitation/chanting? This is more recent to me but I seem to get a lot of out it as well, effects that go beyond mere study. 

[Earl Grey]

The best resource is Thomas Ashley-Farrand's books and course on mantra, which I am studying as well to become an instructor in the practice. 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Earl Grey

[Vajra Fist]

On 13/09/2019 at 10:26 PM, dmattwads said:

Speaking of a similar topic, does anyone make a practice of sutra reading/recitation/chanting? This is more recent to me but I seem to get a lot of out it as well, effects that go beyond mere study. 

Yes, I listen to a recording of the Medicine Buddha sutra most mornings and it sounds weird, but I'm generally 'better behaved' on days when I do  (it is very focused on morality and the consequences of being a bastard).

 

I'm also really, really peaceful after listening to it. Like I've been meditating for an equivalent amount of time.

[Maddie]

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