How to use mantras

shanyin

Hello. I attended a teaching by Lama Gursam in my town about the Om Tara Tu Tara Ture mantra.

He said to 'focus' on it.

Does this just mean like... pay close attention to the sound?

Is this how all mantras are used?

zombiegirl

i have more experience with chanting than i do with other forms of meditation. my 2 cents on what he might mean.

at first, chanting seems weird. the words sound weird and unnatural. your brain has to work to remember the proper order of sounds.

then after a while (this may be days... weeks... depends.), the words start to seem very familiar. you develop a rhythm. it is no longer difficult to start or stop or sustain.

at this point, you may find that you can chant almost on auto-pilot. you don't need to think about it at all, and your mind may wander. you find yourself chanting and thinking about all sorts of crap, haha. i have been chanting with people who suddenly begin to text people on their phones or take out their planners and do many other odd distracting things without stopping. this is probably what he means to avoid. instead of just auto-piloting it, focus on the chant... on the rhythm... on the meaning of the words...

don't worry about it so much when you are first starting. in my experience, it is difficult to get much benefit from it until you become more accustomed to it and stop worrying about rhythm and breath and volume and neighbors and all of these other things that will probably float through your mind the first several times.

dorje

It's so wonderful to get a teaching on the Tara Mantra!

It's one of my main practices, and it's a wonderful practice too.

I would think Lama Gursam means to recite the mantra, and to focus on the sound, and how they are formed, and how they relate to your breath.

treederwright

Mantra's are absolutely amazing. Tibetans believe that the words that we see are forms of syllables and seed letters. These syllables and seed letters are the basis of speach of the buddha. They argue that the speach comes from the internal channels and winds and that this comes ultimately from buddha nature. Its really really amazing. This is a parallel in a very gross way to what i learned in the schools of occultism. That the letters come from spiritual sources called paths on the kabbalistic tree of life. the notion that words are spiritual forms and are composed of seeds are pretty much the same in the Sepher Yetzirah, which is a jewish book on metaphysics.

username_5

close your eyes and listen to this if you wonder what effect mantra chanting can have on oneself.

zenmonkey

username_5 wrote: »

close your eyes and listen to this if you wonder what effect mantra chanting can have on oneself.

Thank you so much for this link. It has helped me so much. I was so "attached" to being a Zen Buddhist that I never even considered mantra chanting. I saw this and was immediately moved to try it.

I have so much trouble with breath meditation that doing it seemed like a chore and it frustrated me much, but mantra chanting makes meditation actually fun and something I look forward to.

I still feel Zen in my heart, but for now this will help me much more than my inability to do breath meditation. Breath meditation is stated to be a beginner method, but for me it seems very advanced.

Chanting has opened a gate for me and I thank you from the heart.

I listen to it on my ipod while I chant along. Is this a proper method or should I just chant without it listening?

I say it silently to myself all day anyway

seeker242

zenmonkey wrote: »

Thank you so much for this link. It has helped me so much. I was so "attached" to being a Zen Buddhist that I never even considered mantra chanting. I saw this and was immediately moved to try it.

Zen Buddhists do chanting too.

These are the chants from the Zen school I practice in and they are done on a daily basis along with sitting meditation.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B62FA0C33D41CF7B

caz

shanyin wrote: »

Hello. I attended a teaching by Lama Gursam in my town about the Om Tara Tu Tara Ture mantra.

He said to 'focus' on it.

Does this just mean like... pay close attention to the sound?

Is this how all mantras are used?

Listen, Close your eyes, Slowly recite. It is important to focus on this but in order to do this you must first remember the good qualities of the mantra It is calling the enlightened being Mother Tara to come to your aid, Her Green colour represents her as being the nature of the completely purified wind aggregate this means those who rely on her receive help as swiftly as the wind blows, She is an emination of Avaloketishvaras compassion the saviouress born from the tears of the protector of the 3 worlds...If you put great faith in this mantra and imagine everytime you recite it she is in front of you granting blessings in the form of multicoloured wisdom light you will very much feel it
Mantra is mind protection, It is bringing the causes of accomplishing full enlightenment into the path, each word is represented of a specific meaning, Enlightened beings have the ability to manifest in numerous forms even as sounds so when mantras are recited it is as if we are literally in the presence of Buddhas, By using them in this way we create the Karmic potential to accomplish the same good qualities of the very enlightened beings whos mantra's we recite. Very powerful method indeed !

zenmonkey

seeker242 wrote: »

Zen Buddhists do chanting too.

These are the chants from the Zen school I practice in and they are done on a daily basis along with sitting meditation.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B62FA0C33D41CF7B

Everyone here is so awesome! Thanks for this information. I am listening to it now (the English version). It seems a little harder than Om Mani Padme Hum

I will incorporate it once I find an easy to read transcript. Would you happen to have that handy. I found something online, but would like a few examples to learn from, in case they are different (internet usually equals info overload, and much of it in error)

I will seek more chants, but so far Om Mani Padme Hum seems to resonate with me (probably because it short and my memory is slightly fried from youthful indulgence in recreational pharmaceuticals)

Thanks again to all from my heart

seeker242

zenmonkey wrote: »

Everyone here is so awesome! Thanks for this information. I am listening to it now (the English version). It seems a little harder than Om Mani Padme Hum

I will incorporate it once I find an easy to read transcript. Would you happen to have that handy.

This is the chanting book that goes along with the chants I posted. Om Mani Padme Hum is easier to remember yes.

PDF File:

http://www.kwanumzen.com/pdf/chantbk.pdf

punkmonk

I have chanted the Tara Mantra before, and enjoyed it very much. The two mantras I work with now are Om Mani Peme Hung, and Namu Amida Butsu. Om Mani Peme Hung translates to "the jewel is in the lotus" meaning that while we see a beautiful lotus flower on the top of the water, we don't see all of the ugly muck that is just below the surface. Without that ugly muck, it would be impossible for the beautiful lotus to be. So, we need the bad as well as the good to make a complete picture. I keep this in mind while chanting this mantra. Then the sound and rhythm of the chant take their own form focusing your mind completely. Chanting allowed me to experience my first real experience of emptiness, or what the Japanese call Shunyata. Namu Amida Butsu is another mantra that means "I take refuge in my True Self, or Buddha Nature". Using Amida Buddha as your archetype, you express through this chant that your True Self is Buddha. You are Buddha. The mantra is your affirmation of that. I hope this was helpful.

jinzang

Advice from Drupon Thinley Nyingpo:

While you recite the mantra of a deity, you can visualize light radiating from the mantra inside you as an offering to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. They return the light with their blessings and it dissolves into you. You can also visualize light radiating to the six realms, dispelling all their sufferings. If you practice for two hours, first try to have a clear visualization and radiate light to the six realms when reciting the mantra, If conceptual thoughts arise, do not follow them or fall under their spell. This practice is the source of all happiness. Relax when you practice and do it with enjoyment. Do not waste your time with distraction.

A talk by Lama Gursam on Green Tara.

shanyin

So I read a little article on the mantra.

The person said that the only way it is pointless is if you don't know the purpose of the mantra and your personal intentions with the mantra.

Lama Gursam said that it helps overcome fear... (not precise words); because you always hear sound.

So my personal intention is to overcome fear which I think I do have in my life.

Perhaps this is the purpose? I am not sure... what do you think?

mantra0

I start to feel stronger effect of mantra after chanting more than 3 malas....
I can feel my energy transforming (slight vibration, chi movement etc.)
And I feel calmer and there's a clear light feel and I feel like hearing a clear light hight pitch buzzling sound (Does anyone know what causes it?).

That convinced me that mantra works.

It affects the events in life. Things seem to flow smoothly and nothing bad happens.

I think it's best to choose a mantra whose deity has stronger karminc link with you.
Not every one has strong karmic link to Green tara. But it's still beneficial to chant it. :-)

meditationman

Aren't chanting mantras in your head, and not audibly, just as effective, or do they have to be audible?

shanyin

A Chinese Mayahana monk gave me a mantra and said I could recite it mentally as well, FYI.