Sponsor |  ommeditation | Dec 28, 2007 6:58am | | OM MANI PADME HUM was the original mantra the Buddha gave his disciples - symbolizing the total salvation/liberation of ALL sentient beings from samsara, and into nirvana. Would love to chat with others who also chant this most sacred mantra. The Tibetans chant, similarly, OM MANI PEME HUNG...and shall continue chanting until samsara has ended. What incredible compassion! Comments welcome. Regards, Keith (ommeditation) |
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Sponsor | | Ogmin | Dec 28, 2007 2:52pm | Howdy Keith,
Great topic, as there are so many levels of meaning condensed in these six syllables. My introduction came as a teenager thru Lama Govinda's excellent Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, which offers an in-depth look at Vajrayana practice through the lens the MANI. Years later, I was re-introduced to it in the context of formal practice by my lamas.
A question; What are your sources for the tale of its origin? |
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|  royandroy | Dec 31, 2007 1:35am | Hi - Tulku Thondup in his book "Peaceful Death Joyful Rebirth",advocates the repetition thousands of times and defines the meaning as "The body, speech and mind of the buddhas with compassion and wisdom, please bestow your blessings upon us" which I am sure you know, but I have always wondered why the various mantras, "Om ami-tabha hri", (the infinite light) "La il'ha il'a Allah - There is no god but God", the Latin Mass, etc. are given in the original language, even though the practitioners' home language is different.
Any comments? |
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Sponsor | | Ogmin | Dec 31, 2007 6:55am | | The ancient syllables which have carried the message have become vibrationally associated with the devotion and spiritual intensity of past adepts, some of whom were enlightened. As the essential message is so profound, a single translation into a more dualistic medium, as the one offered above, may not encompass the breadth and depth of the ideas contained in the original nor provide an equivalent range of meaning and nuance in the chosen code. Best to leave it in the old language to protect it from the mind's tendency to 'been-there-done-that' and keep a fresher, more 'beginner's mind' quality to all inquiry and aspiration toward the teaching and the teacher by means of these archaic symbols. |
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| | royandroy | Jan 1, 9:22am | Mmmm... I think this definition relates to how I have understood this, perhaps in a vaguely similar way that science classifies species in Latin. I like the idea that the (western) mind would then take the concept unburdened with preconceived ideas, but what then of the mother-tongue Tibetans?
Do you think that in the same way that there is a sacred geometry of, for example mandalas, that there is a sacred vibrational structure in the same way that some musical chords resonate, or is it that the endless repetition with a certain intention, creates a particular "energy" in the fabric of the space/time continuum? |
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Sponsor | | Ogmin | Jan 1, 9:58am | The mantra is in Sanskrit
As to the latter paragraph, I favor your second explanation. The resonance tends to get associated with levels of path-consciousness being cultivated by practitioners and repeatedly blessed by realizers. Informed repetition of the six syllables energizes a 'hot-spot' for the generation of bodhicitta. In sort of the same way that making a pilgrimage will give you a taste of the experiences of others who have traced the same route, mantra helps amplify (and echo) the inner mind and attitude spontaneously realized by Buddhas.
EDIT: This Wikipedia page has info regarding the origin of the six-syllable mantra. |
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Sponsor | | kundrol | Feb 15, 6:52pm | Unfortunately that particular mantra has been so popularized that it's in danger of losing some of that energy. At the big stupa in Bodha, near Kathmandu, they had a loud speaker blaring the mantra, seemingly as a way to keep the tourists that frequent the shops around the stupa in the right mood to buy something 'holy.' When our sangha was there a couple of years ago, we used to beg them to turn it off.
Our lineage doesn't focus much on the translation of mantras because mantra recitation is supposed to be a form of non-conceptual meditation. |
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| | royandroy | Feb 17, 11:32am | I think that the important element in any form of chanting is the intent of the practitioner. So many people use the phrase "Oh my god" and "Jesus Christ" either thoughtlessly or with negative implication, and it seems to me that in these instances there is no positive energy created and this habit only serves to blur the energy flow.
Hopefully the chanting of holy names or mantras with good intent will balance out the discord created.
I can understand that your experience was disappointing. In our city we have a number of mosques which use loudspeakers to call the faithful to prayer instead of using the natural voice. Many people who are not Moslem are subjected to very loud amplified Arabic at all times of the day, especially during Ramadan. It can feel very intrusive. |
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Sponsor | | Ogmin | Feb 18, 7:39am | "What the hell is all that noise?"
Waking jet-lagged before dawn my first morning in India to a cheap loudspeaker amplifying a poorly recorded live performance of praises to Hanuman, blaring at distorted volume from the nearby monkey temple; an incredibly bad, raucous sound that I could not even recognize as music.
Later that morning, after some chai and a few inquiries, I learned that most of the Hindu folks in this neighborhood use that sound as an alarm clock and consider it a form of generosity. Within a few days, I had learned to recognize what was actually a catchy melody and was often humming it before breakfast.
In my experience, going to India for spiritual retreat was like going to NYC to experience nature; its not that you won't find any, but considering everything else that is going on, it just may not be the primary thing happening.
Ironically, after going to India, I gained a deeper appreciation for the great silence and solitude found right here in these Tennessee hills. |
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Sponsor | | kundrol | Feb 18, 8:22am | Right. India is a crazy place, but I kind of like it for just that reason. The commercialization of the great stupas in Nepal started to get to me though. Even the folks in my own sangha were caught up in the shop til you drop mentality.
I do certainly agree that intentionality is the most important basis for mantra recitation, though our lineage doesn't chant much. We either sing the mantra if it has a traditional tune, or recite silently. |
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Tibetan Buddhism → Discussion