A Practitioner's Guide to Mantra (1/3)

All Buddhist mantras were taught by the historical Buddhas, or his emanations.

Introduction on how mantras and malas are used in Tibetan Buddhism:

Tibetan Buddhist mantras are words originally spoken by a Buddha while deep in meditation. Reciting them helps to replace the endless internal chatter of the mind with calming syllables that purify karmic imprints, bring beneficial energy, focus concentration, and offer protection and blessings.

Chanting a mantra cannot by itself liberate a person from cyclic existence. While chanting, one also must transform and focus one's thoughts.

To engage the mind in this way requires preparation—receiving teachings from a qualified master, reflecting on and contemplating those teachings, and engaging in skillful meditation practice. 

The fundamental reason for the use of mantras in meditation is the deity.

Why are mantras said in Tibetan Buddhism? What is their significance and power?

Mantras are customarily an important aspect of Tibetan Buddhist practice. They usually correspond to specific deities; each deity has one or more mantras associated with him or her. Therefore, the reason for reciting a specific mantra is the wish to achieve the qualities associated with that specific deity. 

If someone wishes to develop discernment, they might meditate on Manjushri and recite his mantra.

If purification is the main emphasis in practice, meditation on Vajrasattva and the recitation of his 100-syllable or six-syllable mantra are recommended.  

Om Mani Padmi Hung 

The most commonly practiced mantra is OM Mani PADME HUM, the principal mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. 

The development of impartial love and compassion is the essence of spiritual practice; in the same way, this mantra is the essence of all mantras. 

Its six syllables prevent rebirth in the six realms of samsara and contain the essence of the buddhas who liberate the six realms, as well as the essence of the six perfections practiced in the Mahayana. 

The fundamental reason for the use of mantras in meditation on deities is that a deity's mantra is no different than that of that of that deity himself or herself.

You can regard the recitation of a mantra as calling a deity by name, and indeed, many mantras are phrased in that way. But really, a mantra is more than the deity's name; it is the deity appearing as sound. For that reason, the written form of a mantra is regarded as a type of Nirmanakaya Buddha.

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For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease.
But increase further and further.

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