Mantra

The om mani padme hum mantra in Tibetan script.

Mantra (T. sngags སྔགས་; C. zhenyan; J. shingon; K. chinŏn 眞言). A series of syllables that are recited by a practitioner, which are said to pacify the mind and protect it from negative influences. Mantras are often recited in conjunction with various meditation practices. In Buddhist tantra, mantras are often recited within practices such as deity yoga.

"There are many famous mantras, ranging in length from one syllable to a hundred syllables or more." One of the most famous mantras is om mani padme hum, which is associated with the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

Means of protecting the mind

Lama Zopa Rinpoche states:

Mantras are effective because they help keep your mind quiet and peaceful, automatically integrating it into one-pointedness. They make your mind receptive to very subtle vibrations and thereby heighten your perception. Their recitation eradicates gross negativities and the true nature of things can then be reflected in your mind’s resulting clarity. By practising a transcendental mantra, you can in fact purify all the defiled energy of your body, speech, and mind.

The 14th Dalai Lama states:

The word “mantra” means “mind-protection.” It protects the mind from ordinary appearances and conceptions. “Mind” here refers to all six consciousnesses—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental consciousnesses—which are to be freed, or protected, from the ordinary world.

Mantras and faith

Jamgon Ju Mipham states:

If a mantra is thought to be something ordinary and not seen for what it is, it will not be able to perform its intended function. Mantras are like non-conceptual wish-fulfilling jewels. Infusing one's being with the blessings of mantra, like the form of a moon reflected on a body of water, necessitates the presence of faith and other conditions that set the stage for the spiritual attainments of mantra. Just as the moon's reflection cannot appear without water, mantras cannot function without the presence of faith and other such factors in one's being.

In Buddhist tantra

The use of mantra is a key aspect of Buddhist tantric practice.

Peter Harvey states:

The early phase of tantric Buddhism called itself the Mantra-naya or ‘way of mantras’ (the term Mantrayana was a later coining), this being seen as a complement to the Paramita-naya, or ‘way of the perfections’, as part of Mahayana practice...

From the third century, sutras contained dhāraṇī, short formulas ‘preserving’ or ‘maintaining’ the Dharma and aiding its followers. The pre-Mahayana sutras also contain parittas..., or short protective chants. Building on such a basis, the practice of using mantras, or sacred words of power, was adopted from Hinduism, where they were originally used in the Vedas. These ‘mental instruments’ were used [in Hinduism] to contact gods, or as spells to gain a good harvest, health, children or even to bewitch someone. In tantric Buddhism, they also became chanted in rites to aid visualizations, in which a particular deity is conjured up out of emptiness, as a basis for developing the spiritual qualities that the being embodies.

Invoking a deity

Peter Harvey states:

Each tantric deity is seen to have its mantra, in short and long forms, which consist of a syllable, word or string of these that are seen to express and embody its nature. The most famous mantra is that of Avalokiteshvara: om mani padme hum...

Geoffrey Samuel states:

Invoking a Tantric deity is closely connected with the idea of mantra. Mantras are formulae, usually in Sanskrit and often fairly short, which are used to summon the deity’s presence. They represent the commitment of the Tantric deity to take part in the ritual. Thus om mani padme hum represents the essence of Avalokitesvara, om tare tuttare ture svaha that of the Goddess Tara, oṃ a ra pa ca na dhīḥ that of Manjusri, om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi hum that of Guru Padmasambhava. In fact all of these deities have multiple mantras corresponding to different forms and functions; the ones quoted are the most familiar, and are very widely known in Tibet, as well as being inscribed on rocks, stones and walls all around Tibetan regions.

Shaping breath and subtle energy

In Buddhist tantra, mantra is understood as it means for shaping the inner winds (prāṇa) of the subtle body.

The Berzin Glossary states:

Mantras shape the breath, and consequently the subtle energy-winds, enabling one to bring the winds under control for use in meditation practice.

Namkhai Norbu states:

The relationship between voice, breathing, and mantra can best be demonstrated through the way mantra functions. A mantra is a series of syllables whose power resides in the sound, through the repeated pronouncing of which one can obtain control of a given form of energy. The energy of the individual is closely linked to the external energy, and each can influence the other.

Transformation through sound

Justin von Bujdoss states:

Another aspect of the intersection between speech and tantric practice is mantra. In a basic sense, mantra is the use of sound to create transformation. [...] In the case of [Avalokitesvara], the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum represents the cultivation of all the qualities of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It also represents the purification of all beings within the six realms of existence: the hot and cold hell realms, the hungry ghost realm, the animal realm, the human realm, the demigod realm, and the god realm.

When one is given the transmission of a mantra, the mantra brings together enlightened sound, carried on our breath and on the very intimate energy-wind that exists within our body, and activates our ability to realize the intention and qualities associated with said mantra. The recitation of the mantra is part of an engaged spiritual practice that can include visualization, prayer, and liturgy. Fully engaged practice like this is another way in which we’re able to harness the qualities of our being so we can effect spiritual change within ourselves and create an impactful change upon the experience of other beings and on the experience of our environment.

In Theravada

Jack Kornfield states:

The use of mantra or the repetition of certain phrases in Pali is a highly common form of meditation in the Theravada tradition. Simple mantras use repetition of the Buddha’s name, “Buddho,” [as “Buddho” is actually a title rather than a name] or use the “Dhamma,” or the “Sangha,” the community, as mantra words. Other used mantras are directed toward developing loving kindness. Some mantras direct attention to the process of change by repeating the Pali phrase that means “everything changes,” while other mantras are used to develop equanimity with phrases that would be translated, “let go.”

Very often mantra practice is combined with breathing meditation so that one recites a mantra simultaneously with in-breath and out-breath to help develop tranquility and concentration. Mantra meditation is especially popular among the lay people. Like other basic concentration exercises, it can be used simply to the mind, or it can be the basis for an insight practice where the mantra becomes the focus of observation of how life unfolds, or an aid in surrendering and letting go.

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (1996), Clemente, Adriano, ed., Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State, Snow Lion Publications 
• Harvey, Peter (2013), An Introduction to Buddhism (Second ed.), Cambridge University Press 
• Jamgon Mipham (2009), Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra, Snow Lion 
• Kornfield, Jack (2007), Modern Buddhist Masters, Buddhist Publication Society 
• Powers, John (1994), Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Snow Lion 
• Samuel, Geoffrey (2012), Introducing Tibetan Buddhism, New York: Routledge , archived at: [1]
• Tsongkhapa; Dalai Lama (2016), The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra, Volume I: Tantra in Tibet, translated by Hopkins, Jeffrey, Shambhala Publications 
• von Bujdoss, Justin (2019), Modern Tantric Buddhism, North Atlantic Books