Learn More About: Mantras―what they are, and how to use them
• When, where, and how often to chant mantras for maximum benefit
• How to use mantras to clear your chakras for better health
• The Vedas and the Upanishads―histories and mantra stockpiles
• The 40-day principle for gauging the effects of your mantra practice
• Seed mantras―elemental energies crystallized in sound
• The Gayatri master mantra―vessel for all spiritual potencies
• Dozens of Buddhist and Sanskrit mantras taught step-by-step in English
Mantra: Sacred Words of Power - A Guide
- Contains over sixty healing mantras for various experiences
- Mantras on recording are enunciated slowly, repeated for learning
- Use this guide to remember specific mantras and learn about their origins and uses
- After familiarizing with Sanskrit pronunciations, consult the printed guide when needed for appropriate mantra selection according to situation.
- SESSION ONE: THE ORIGINS OF MANTRA
- SESSION TWO: SEED MANTRAS
- SESSION THREE: KARMA AND MANTRAS
- SESSION FOUR: NARAYANA AND BRAHMA MANTRAS
- SESSIONS FIVE AND SIX: THE AVATAR MANTRAS
- SESSION SEVEN: THE FEMININE PRINCIPLE IN MANTRA PRACTICE
- SESSION EIGHT: THE MASCULINE PRINCIPLE IN MANTRA PRACTICE
- SESSION NINE: MANTRAS AND HEALTH
- SESSION TEN: MANTRA ATTUNEMENTS
- SESSION ELEVEN TIBETAN BUDDHIST MANTRAS
- SESSION TWELVE THE GAYATRI MANTRA
The Origins of Mantra
Spirituality and Divinity:
- Light is not the highest spiritual state: sound represents the highest form of creation and enlightenment
- Old Testament: God created light after speaking it into existence (Genesis 1:3)
- New Testament: The Gospel of John states, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1)
Sound as a Spiritual Force:
- Eastern religious texts share this orientation
- Satapathu Brahmana: In the beginning was God with power through speech (Jolls, May I be many)
- Chinese Buddhism: Kuan-yin is referred to as the divine voice that calls forth the illusive form of the universe
- Vedas: Divine sound current called Shabda Bruhma, permeating all and key to creation
Sanskrit Mantras:
- Meaning: spiritual sound formula
- Origin: Sanskrit roots man (mind) and trai (liberation device)
- Use: protection, meditation, spiritual growth, and awakening kundalini energy cell
Mantra Scriptures:
- Four Vedas: compiled between 1000 and 500 BCE, rich in mantra commentary and instructions
- Brahmanas
- Aranyakas
- Upanishads
- The Puranas: body of Indian myth, history, and legend; source of mantras and associated teachings
The Chakra System:
- Energy centers in both physical and subtle bodies that correspond to major nerve ganglia
- Description: resembling a sunflower with varying colors indicating health or disease
- Functioning: increasing energy processing levels, allowing for higher wattage capacity.
Session Two: Seed Mantras
Seed Sounds:
- Simplest kind of mantras
- Called "anthropomorphized principles"
- Associated with Hindu and Buddhist deities
- Represent raw power made easier to relate to
Examples of Seed Sounds:
- SHRIM: Feminine principle of abundance (Lakshmi)
- KLIM: Principle of attraction
- DUM: Invokes protection from fear
- KRIM: Primordial feminine energy (Kali)
- GUM: Removes obstacles, brings success
- EIM: Associated with the feminine principle Saraswati
- GLAUM: Removes energetic obstacles between throat and base of spine
- HAUM: Transcendental consciousness (Shiva)
- HRIM: Sees through illusion of reality, manifests as "Mahamaya"
Seed Sounds by Chakra:
- Base (Muladhara): LUM - Earth principle
- Sexual (Swadhisthana): VUM - Water principle
- Navel (Manipura): RUM - Fire principle
- Heart (Anahata): YUM - Air principle
- Throat (Vishuddha): HUM - Ether principle
- Brow (Ajna): OM (silent), activates Shakti
Additional Seed Sound:
- SAUH: Spiritual principle operating through ajna chakra petal
Mantra Practice:
- Understanding mantras: energy-based sounds that create a physical vibration and affect both physical and subtle bodies (1)
- Sanskrit alphabet letters correspond to chakras, creating spiritual resonance when pronounced (2)
- Mantra focused with intent increases its effect, energizing prana (3)
- Meaning of karma: law of cause and effect; our actions influence present and future lives (4)
Mantras and Planets:
- Each planet has a presiding spirit and mantra to address negative influences on self (5-12)
- Sun: Om Suryaya Namaha
- Moon: Om Chandraya Namaha
- Mars: Om Angarakaya Namaha
- Mercury: Om Budhaya Namaha
- Jupiter: Om Gurave Namaha
- Venus: Om Shukraya Namaha
- Saturn: Om Sri Shanaishcharaya Swaha or Sri Shanaishwaraya Swaha (depending on age)
- North Node of Moon (Rahu): Om Rahuve Namaha
- South Node of Moon (Ketu): Om Ketuve Namaha
- Navagraha Pida stanzas can help soften planetary karma in general (13)
Mantra Practice Techniques:
- Forty-day approach: chant mantra one hundred and eight times twice a day for significant results (14)
- Repetition by the numbers: traditional practice to chant a mantra 125,000 times for continuing proficiency (15)
- Chanting multiple mantras at once or alternating between them as practice matures (16)
Spiritual Diary:
- Keep notes of spiritual studies and practices for focus and perspective on your path (17).
Session Four: Narayana and Brahma Mantras
Anthropomorphized Personalities in Hindu Tradition:
- Narayana: Deity representing the divine substance from which the universe was created
- Brahma: Member of the Hindu masculine trinity, a metaphor for all of creation
Mantras:
- Brahma Mantra: Given to advanced students: Sat Chid Ekam Brahma
- Translation: "Truth, Consciousness, Unity, Brahma"
- Longer version invokes Saraswati, the feminine power behind Brahma's action
- Om Eim Hrim Shrim Klim Sauh Sat Chid Ekam Brahma
- Kalachakra Mantra: Om Ha Ksa Ma La Va Ra Yam Swaha
- Purifies the entire subtle body and hastens personal and planetary evolution
Narayana:
- Transcendental divine substance from which the universe was created
- Characterized as a human-like being called Narayana
- Creation myth: Narayana lay sleeping, lotus flower grew into four-faced being Brahma
- Brahma is the Creator and exists in each of us as an integral part of Narayana
Meditation:
- Assume meditation posture
- Let attention rest with Narayana's flame burning steadily in the subtle heart center.
Sessions Five and Six: The Avatar Mantras
Avatars of Vishnu:
- Avatars are beings who descend from above to restore divine energy and balance
- There are ten avatars, with only some having associated mantras
Narasimha (Fourth Avatar):
- Legendary for protecting Prahalada, a spiritual soul born to evil parents
- Narasimha was an incarnation of Vishnu with the power to defeat seemingly indestructible negative energies
- Mantra: Om Kshraum Narasimhaya Namaha - Unseals things that need releasing and defeats negative energies
Rama (Seventh Avatar):
- Incarnated to demonstrate correct behavior in every instance of life
- Blessed and healed many people during his exile in the forest
- Mantra: Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama - Realizes the divine Self and overcomes karma
Hanuman:
- Represents egotistic, selfish desires
- Sent by Rama to find his wife Sita when she was abducted
- Mantras promote health and strength, both material and spiritual
- Om Hum Hanumate Vijayam: Invigorates the prana (life force)
Krishna (Eighth Avatar):
- An emanation of divine Love, came to liberate advanced souls
- Taught the Bhagavad Gita with fifteen ways to achieve self-realization
- Mantra: Om Sri Krishnaya Namaha - Salutes divine Love in the form of Krishna
Buddha (Ninth Avatar):
- Controversial as his teachings contradicted classical Hindu doctrine
- Some Buddhist sects practice mantras to prepare the mind for seeking higher consciousness
- Mantra: Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone beyond beyond, hail the goer - Represents the path to enlightenment
The Feminine Principle in Mantra Practice
Kundalini:
- The feminine energy that drives spiritual activity
- Lies dormant at the base of the spine
- Awakens and moves up the spine, activating chakras and glands
- Represents personal transformer for spiritual progress
Shakti:
- Represents the active energy of the divine
- Powers all forms of creation
- There are six types:
- Para Shakti: Forces of heat and light
- Jnana Shakti: Power of intellect
- Ichcha Shakti: Power of will
- Kriya Shakti: Power of manifestation
- Kundalini Shakti: Power inherent in everything
- Mantra Shakti: Power of sound
The Great Feminine Trinity:
- Lakshmi, Durga, and Saraswati represent the three primary modes of spiritual power manifestation
Lakshmi:
- The power of abundance
- Invoked by the mantra "Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha"
Durga:
- The shakti of protection and destruction
- Invoked by the mantra "Om Dum Durgayei Namaha"
Saraswati:
- The secret shakti of the Himalayas
- Ruler of speech and mantra
- Invoked by the mantra "Om Eim Saraswatyei Swaha" or "Eim Hrim Srim Klim Sauh Klim Hrim Eim Blum Strim Nilatari Saraswati Dram Drim Klim Blum Sah Eim Hrim Shrim Klim Sauh Sauh Hrim Swaha"
The Sri Chakra Mantra:
- Draws in the primordial feminine force of the universe
- Invoked by the mantra "Om SShrim Shriyei Swaha"
The Masculine Principle in Mantra Practice
Shiva's Role:
- Shiva: Infinite consciousness representing creation, maintenance, destruction, embodiment of consciousness, and emancipation
- Known as the Great Destroyer but should be called the Great Spiritualizer
- Invoked using various mantras to invoke his shakti (feminine principle) and different aspects
Shiva's Aspects:
- Pashupati: Lord of Animals, representing protection from and union with the divine Source
- Mahadeva: The Great God, bringing healing herbs and founding natural remedies
- Lingaraja: The Androgyne, symbolizing masculine and feminine conjoined
- Nataraja: The Cosmic Dancer, celebrating spiritual evolution and the end of a great cycle
- Augadha (The Uncouth): Representing consciousness-altering substances and intoxication
- Mahakala: Lord of Time, master of destiny and agent of destruction or change
- Shambhu (Giver of Happiness): Bringing welfare, health, and happiness on the earthly plane
- Mahesh (Source of All Knowledge and Power): Originator of sound and music
- Bhuteshwara (Lord of Baser Beings): Reminds that consciousness is everywhere, including inanimate objects
- Sons of Shiva and Parvati: Skanda (Shiva's son) and Ganesha (Ganesha's brother), representing strength, optimism, auspiciousness, removal of obstacles, and unitive principle in earthly affairs.
Session Nine: Mantras and Health
Mantra Healing:
- Not a substitute for sensible medical care
- Can attract healing in the form of conventional treatments
- Powerful complement to life-enhancing tools
- Reinforces overall health and well-being over time
Energy-Releasing Mantras:
- Effective in difficult cases, especially for:
- Spleen and skeletal system (Saturn rules)
- Systemic disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome
- Removes obstacles causing illness:
- Om Sri Shanaishwaraya Swaha
- Om Gum Ganapataye Namaha
- Om Sri Dhanvantre Namaha
Sun Mantras:
- Activate the solar plexus chakra, producing powerful healing vibrations
- Chanted at the sun or focused on the sun's energy:
- Om Arkaya Namaha
- Om Grinihi Suryaya Adityom
Rama Mantras:
- Repeating Rama mantras carries similar healing energy
- Most powerful freight-train mantra:
- Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam Om, Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Ramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham
Markandeya Mantra:
- Heals various conditions and postpones the aging process
- Can cure diseases like schizophrenia, viral infections, and more
Planetary Healing Mantras:
- Linked to life conditions through astrology
- Useful for dealing with conditions related to the planets:
- Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Session Ten: Mantra Attunements
Recitation of Three Powerful Mantras:
- Participants will align their consciousness with three powerful mantras
- Each mantra will be recited continuously for fifteen minutes, or meditated upon while the tape plays
Mantra 1: Om Apadamapa Hataram Dataram Sarva Sampadam Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Ramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham
- Om: Call to the most compassionate Rama, requesting healing energy and release from death's grasp
- Trayumbakam Yajamahe...: Seek shelter and blessings from Shiva, the three-eyed Lord
- Bhuh Bhuvaha Swaha Maha Janaha Tapaha Satyam Om Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat: Meditate on the self-effulgent light that has given birth to all lokas, worthy of worship and appears through the orbit of the sun, illuminating our intellect.
Mantra 2: Om Trayumbakam Yajamahe Sughandhim Pushti Vardanam Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityor Muksheeya Mamritat
- Om: Call to Shiva, the three-eyed Lord
- Shelter me, 0 three-eyed Lord Shiva: Blessings for health and immortality, release from the clutches of death
- Bhuh Bhuvaha Swaha Maha Janaha Tapaha Satyam Om Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat: Meditate on the self-effulgent light that has given birth to all lokas, worthy of worship and appears through the orbit of the sun, illuminating our intellect.
Mantra 3: Om Bhuh Bhuvaha Swaha Maha Janaha Tapaha Satyam Om Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat
- Om: Meditate on the self-effulgent light that has given birth to all lokas, worthy of worship and appears through the orbit of the sun
- Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat: Illuminating our intellect
Tibetan Buddhist Mantras
Vajrapani:
- Important protector in Tibetan Buddhism
- Initiates practitioners into mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism
- Mantra: Hung Vajra Peh Hung
- Indigo bodhisattva (saint)
- Seed sound for throat chakra
- Invokes form of dynamic peace
Vajrasattwa:
- Great purifier and facilitator of spiritual growth
- Provides skillful means of purification
- Antidote to negative karma
- Traditional, one-hundred-syllabled mantra: Om Vajra SattwaHung
- Calls on Vajrapani to send cleansing white beam
Manjushri:
- Bodhisattva of learning and wisdom
- Mantra brings energy to upper centers, invigorating spiritual awakening
- Seed sounds bring energy to the solar plexus or third chakra: Om Ah Ra Pat Sa Na Dhi Dhi Dhi
Kalachakra Mantra:
- Discussed earlier (page 11)
- Perfection of the divine vehicle
- Tibetan Buddhist sound formula
- Seed syllables invoking Kalachakra: Om Ha Ksa Ma La Va Ra Yam Swaha
The Great Mani Mantra:
- World's most often repeated mantra in Tibetan Buddhism
- Believed to be a vehicle for great personal transformation
- Essence: When mind and heart are united, anything is possible
- Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum
- Jewel of the mind has reached the heart's lotus
- Integration between heart and mind
Wesak Festival:
- Annual celebration at full moon when sun is in Taurus (usually May)
- Traditional Buddhists celebrate birth, death, and enlightenment of Buddha
- Esoteric Wesak Festival honors spiritual teachers from all paths
- Legends involve Buddha and Christ releasing charged energy to earthly realms
Mantra Ceremony:
- Chanting mantras from different religions during Wesak Festival (Jewish, Christian, Buddhist)
- Gurus and Teachers: The true guru resides in your own heart as part of divine Self.
- Upaguru: principle of the guru within
- Activates upaguru and develops divine discrimination
- Mantra: Om Gum Gurubhyo Namaha.
Gayatri Mantra
Origins and Significance:
- Considered essence of all mantras
- Supremely powerful for achieving enlightenment
- Recognized in India and Buddhism for spiritual advancement
- Vibration is the foundation of cosmos (Vedas)
- Seven lokas, or spiritual realms, can be summarized by a single vibration
Long Form of Gayatri Mantra:
- Invokes the spiritual planes and associated chakras
- Originated from sage Vishwamitra
- Appears in Rig Veda, Sama Veda, and Yejur Veda
- Two renditions: long form (provided) and short form (commonly practiced)
Short Form of Gayatri Mantra:
- Often used in Far East
Spiritual Ideal and Practice:
- Ultimate goal is self-realization and union with the Supreme Principle
- Dedicate practices towards achieving spiritual ideal
- Intermediate goals still important but secondary to ultimate destination
Love and Service:
- Love is based on unity, understanding, transcendence, and selflessness
- Expressing love through service to others
- Search for love as the ultimate meaning in life
- Love is our birthplace, final refuge, and reason for being.