Questions tagged [mantra]

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Could anyone please help me identify/translate this mantra?

It appears at the top of two different thangkas in a gompa, one representing Sakyamuni and another one with Vajrasattva in yab yum, and I am unable to find what it means.please help me clarify what ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Enlightened beings (Amitabha, Padmasambhava) created mantras so that people chanting them can gradually 'mould' their mindstream to a similar state

This is how I understand it and I'd like some clarity on where I'm right/wrong. Rebirth/the next birth happens when the mindstream, attracted to particular situations because of its mental imprints , '...
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What exactly is 'empowerment' and 'lung'?

Sometimes, gurus will perform empowerment ceremonies or give lung in-person (or more recently, online) to recite a certain mantra or practice a certain deity. Sometimes this comes with samaya vows. ...
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I have a question about mantra?

Is it bad to do my mantra backwards? I say it normally, just I have been moving the beads backwards. Should I move them forward?
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I have a question about mantra, and Vajrayana Buddhism?

My question is this is the mantra Om Ah Hum Benza Guru Padma Siddhi Hum a Vajrayana mantra? Can I chant it? I am asking because, I’m wondering why I’ve had the company of hallucinations? Will the ...
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Does the material, make, physical properties of a Mala/Rosary matter? Is there more to it than just a counting device?

I have a 108 bead mala (Rudraksh) which I use to chant a single mantra. I also have another bodhi seed mala which I use to chant a different mantra. I've always wondered what the difference was ...
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How do you know which mantra suits you the most?

I've been practicing mantra for quite a while now & received empowerments for a few. The main ones that I practice are Guru Rinpoche, White Tara, Vajrasattva 100-syllable. I take care not to go ...
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4 answers
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Should I practice a single mantra or multiple?

I've received empowerment for Seven Line Prayer & have been practicing it consistently ever since. Once in a while, a thought arises that I would like to practice other mantras for 'worldly ...
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3 answers
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Is there a point practicing mantra if I can get to samadhi with pure anapana/breath meditation?

Been meditating for some years, been doing most anapana & also a bit of Goenka-vipassana. Have had certain experiences, samadhi states and jhana (although I'm still far from being able to ...
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Transcription of Yamāntaka mantra chanting fragment

I am a total outsider not well-versed in the Buddhist tradition, and apologize in advance if some of the terms/names I'll write are placed out of context or misused. To cut the story short, I am ...
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Eating meat mantra

I heard from some brotherhood from Mahayana said Theravada also will do some chanting for eating meat. Is it true ? I have only able to find the Mahayana Mantra but not Theravada info as below https://...
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Good source of mantras with their meanings

Where can I find a reliable list of mantras with their respective translations?
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2 words/phrase like mantra chanting (Bud- dho) to strengthen contemplation

Q/.Is there any short comprising of 2 words/phrase that can be recited while inhaling & exhaling like mantra chanting (Bud- dho) in order to strengthen our contemplation.
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Is OM an imported religious term from Hinduism?

OM or AUM is used in "OM MANI PADME HUM" and some other mantras. To my knowledge, OM is found only in Mahayana and Vajrayana schools. It's not found in Theravada. The 14th Dalai Lama explained the ...
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Om - meaning and "significance" of it in Buddhism - esp. in theravada?

Many buddhist mantras have Om/Aum in starting of it. In buddhism, esp. theravada, what is the meaning and "significance" of "Om"? (note:although I am open to mahayana,vajrayana interpretations too as ...
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Do you need to be taught the nembutsu? Are some personalities better suited to it?

Do you need to be taught the nembutsu? Are some personalities better suited to it? Nianfo (Chinese: 念佛; pinyin: niànfó 念仏 (ねんぶつ? nenbutsu) Hangul: 염불; RR: yeombul Vietnamese: niệm Phật) is a term ...
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2 votes
2 answers
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How does 'Om Mani Padme Hum' protect us from danger?

'Om Mani Padme Hum' (translation: 'Hail the jewel in the lotus') is a six syllable invocation (mantra) of Avlokitesvara, one who is invoked as the Protector from danger. Does it mean protecting from ...
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Why is focusing on the breath more difficult than focusing on Mantras, and how important is it before vipassana?

I have been doing mantra meditation for years and saying "Aum" for a few minutes makes me go deeper in meditation within like 10 minutes. But focus on the breath is difficult compared to the mantras. ...
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Praying to a Buddhist deity for healing of someone

How do Buddhists look to deities such as Green Tara or the Medicine Buddha by saying prayers or mantras for another person? How do the deity and the divine operate or function for this purpose? I ...
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How to make sense of the Heart Sutra

I am very interested in the concept of emptiness and freeing myself of all attachments. Naturally I gravitated towards the heart sutra, the chant in particular is very moving. However I am completely ...
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What is the proper Vajra Guru mantra?

I see "Om ah hung vajra guru pema siddhi hung" but also "Om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi hum". I know the first is Sanskrit mixed with Tibetan and the latter is pure Sanskrit. I also am aware that ...
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Question about Nichiren Buddhism

More specifically, I am refering to the Soka Gakkai movement of Nichiren Buddhism. In one excerpt from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, it, in essence, states that every time one says "nam-myoho ...
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Different transmissions for reciting various versions of a same mantra acc. to any of Vajrayana branches

Tashi delek! My question concerns the mantra reciting in Vajrayana tradition, where some Buddhist deities (not to be confused with the mundane ones) may have several versions of a same mantra. That ...
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Should mantras always be sung in Tibetan/Pali/... or may I sing them in my native language?

I am very interested in adding mantra singing to my practices. But sometimes it feels kind of weird singing in a language I do not speak. Is it possible to sing my own prayers or will the effect ...
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Playing repetitve music as meditation practice

The way I see it, music (like everything else?) is empty of inherent existence. This is not obvious. Plato and Aristotle believed that harmonies and rythm express/represents "charachters". Contrary to ...
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3 answers
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What difference is there in reciting and listening to mantras?

When reciting or listening to mantras such as Om Mani Pade Hum, what difference does it make when either listening, reciting or both?
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1 answer
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How much merit is lost if we miss chanting for a few days?

If we stop chanting a Mahayana mantra/dharani for a few days how does this effect the gathering of merits? Is it a cumulative effect or multiplicative effect of chanting? Or worse, does missing a ...
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Practice of saying Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Some Buddhists like to say Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!, usually 3 times. There is some info here and here on this. How did this practice originate? Are there any references to the Pali Canon or other texts ...
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1 answer
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Where can I find the earliest possible version of the Mahā Karuṇā Dhāraṇī ("Great Compassion Mantra")?

I am looking for the earliest possible version of the Mahā Karuṇā Dhāraṇī ("Great Compassion Mantra") in Sanskrit or Pali as part of tracing it's origins. My hope is to find the Chinese contributions. ...
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discursive meditation

Dear Venerable and friends, Instead of anapanasati, some of us like to meditate on a subject; like contemplation. For instance; inevitability of death & uncertainty of the time of death and ...
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2 answers
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Was the Buddha known to chant during his meditation?

Did the Buddha chant some mantra or holy word throughout his meditation? Or he was just silent to realize what is coming through him to interpret?
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1 answer
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Who sings Om mani padme hum mantra?

I love the tone of this song, although not understand the meaning. Om Mani Padme Hum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FODfgCrSaw What's her name ? Why do people venerate the bow ?
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1 answer
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What does this mantra Om Ah Hum Sarba Amrita Siddhi Hum Dze mean?

This is some sort of meal gatha. ОМ А ХУМ САРБА АМРИТА СИДДХИ ХУМ ДЗА Om Ah Hum Sarba Amrita Siddhi Hum Dze I'm stumped on translating it. Source.
6 votes
1 answer
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Buddhist chant from video game

In the old game, Afterlife (Lucas Arts), there is a song that features a chant. The song is the most peaceful of the soundtrack, in my opinion, and I have always wondered what the chant was. The song ...
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3 answers
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Is chanting mantras a common practice in Theravada Buddhism?

In Mahayana Buddhism chanting mantras is one of the core practices and each mantra is associated with a certain Buddha form (yidam). Since in Theravada Buddhism there is no meditations on yidams (or ...
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