The Medicine Buddha Mantra word for word

[Ngawang Drolma]

The Mantra word for word

1. OM: We begin with Om the under-current tone of the universe.

2. NAMO: Means yielding or full of trust also can mean to bend or bow and might mean to melt into.

3. bhagawate: means in intimate relation to the Divine and often means the entire cosmos

4. Bhaishjaye: a name for the Medicine Buddha

5. guru: Spiritual Master also means the “that” which transmutes ignorance into wisdom

6. vaidurya prabha: Divine deep blue light, like that of Lapis Lazuli.

7. Rajaya: means Great King

8. Tathagataya: means once came or once gone

9. arhate: one who has conquered the cycle of birth death

10. samyaksam buddhaya: perfectly enlightened

11. teyatha: do it like this

12. OM: Again we begin with Om the under-current tone of the universe

13. bekhajye bekhajye: do away with the pain of illness

14. maha bekhajye: do away with the pain of illness (of the darkness of Spiritual Ignorance)

14. bekhajye: do away with the pain of illness

15. Samudgate: means the supreme heights. Like this, go go go

(my prayer shall go to the highest and the widest and the deepest.

16. svaha: I offer this prayer and now relinquish it … (to you Medicine Buddha)

Source

[catmoon]

Um. I was expecting the Tibetan version, given the nature of the forum. What language is this?

confused again... most of the mantras i use, have svaha instead of soha and so on. Why? Cuz this the way Bhodipaksa does them. Why does he do them that way? No idea.

Half the time I don't know if I'm chanting in Sanskrit, Pali, or Japanese!

[Ngawang Drolma]

Mantra:
om namo bhagawate bhekandzhe - guru baidurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyasam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

Short Mantra:
tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

http://www.lamalobsang.com/MeditationPrayer.htm#longlifeprayer

If this is incorrect, anyone can feel free to correct me. Thanks!

[Ngawang Drolma]

Um. I was expecting the Tibetan version, given the nature of the forum. What language is this?

confused again... most of the mantras i use, have svaha instead of soha and so on. Why? Cuz this the way Bhodipaksa does them. Why does he do them that way? No idea.

Half the time I don't know if I'm chanting in Sanskrit, Pali, or Japanese!

Apologies, I think that was sanskrit. I don't mean to confuse

[Blue Garuda]

Um. I was expecting the Tibetan version, given the nature of the forum. What language is this?

confused again... most of the mantras i use, have svaha instead of soha and so on. Why? Cuz this the way Bhodipaksa does them. Why does he do them that way? No idea.

Half the time I don't know if I'm chanting in Sanskrit, Pali, or Japanese!

Apologies, I think that was sanskrit. I don't mean to confuse

It is indeed the original Sanskrit Medicine Buddha Dharani I believe. You shouldn't have favourites, I guess, but it seems much smoother than the Tibetan 'Bekhadze Bekhadze Maha Bekhadze Bekhadze' etc.

I believe the Tibetans have all the mantras in Sanskrit. I am unsure whether they could not pronounce some of the words, so changed them slightly, or if the Tibetan is accurate in pronunciation and we mispronounce the Tibetan when transcribed into out own alphabet. having heard Tibetans pronounce some of the mantras, I think they did change them to suit their own inability to pronounce some sounds.

'Vaidurya' is an interesting word. According to Robert Beer in his books about Tibetan symbols it is more likely to be Beryl than Lapis Lazuli, as the scriptures record it on different colours - possible in Beryl but not Lapis. To add to the confusion, some Chinses dealers use 'Lapis' to mean any blue stone, treating the word as a colour.
So maybe we have Beryl Buddha rather than Lapis Buddha.

IMHO Lapis is the natural choice for 'vaidurya' due to mentions of its preciousness in scriptures. I think the word may have been applied to other pretty 'precious' stones rather than Beer's explanation. And I like it, so there!

The spelling of 'svaha' or 'swaha' as far as I know is the depiction of the original pronunciation: More like 'soaha' rather than the Tibetan 'soha'. (There are other examples, such as 'phat' which I understand was originally pronounced like 'part' rather than the Tibetan version of 'pay', but I digress.)

This site examines the mantras and Sanskrit in some detail. I'm told it is also useful for anyone seeking a tattoo of a seed syllable or mantra:

http://www.visiblemantra.org/mantra.html

The complete Medicine Buddha Sutra is available as a .pdf file you can save. The Dharani is on page 31:
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/medbudsutra.pdf

As far as I am concerned, I seek Sanskrit for all mantras, but I have heard beautiful renditions in other languages, including this Tibetan by Lama Tashi, who I understand is the official adviser on mantras to HHDL. His CD is great! (The first bit is an intro, the mantra may be identified as it is repeated). :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr6CdDNPN0Y

Thanks for the translation, Laura!

[Ngawang Drolma]

Thanks

[some1]

Half the time I don't know if I'm chanting in Sanskrit, Pali, or Japanese!

Just to add on to what Yeshe had posted above ... Mantras are usually preserved in Sanskrit pronunciation and not translated to another language. The importance of a mantra is more with the sound resonance and the link to its originator. Its meaning is usually less significant. On the other hand, Sutras are usually translated to native languages of the followers as they convey knowledge pertaining the Buddhism doctrines.

Anyway, as not all people speaks Sanskrit, it is not unsual for a mantra to be written down or transcribed by using alphabets/characters of different languages (e.g. Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, etc). In that process, the pronunciation may be somewhat altered. When it is transcribed back to roman characters, it may again show additional differences.

[catmoon]

Half the time I don't know if I'm chanting in Sanskrit, Pali, or Japanese!

Just to add on to what Yeshe had posted above ... Mantras are usually preserved in Sanskrit pronunciation and not translated to another language. The importance of a mantra is more with the sound resonance and the link to its originator. Its meaning is usually less significant. On the other hand, Sutras are usually translated to native languages of the followers as they convey knowledge pertaining the Buddhism doctrines.

Anyway, as not all people speaks Sanskrit, it is not unsual for a mantra to be written down or transcribed by using alphabets/characters of different languages (e.g. Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, etc). In that process, the pronunciation may be somewhat altered. When it is transcribed back to roman characters, it may again show additional differences.

Exactly so. Well spoken.

so, would you go so far as to say, if there is auditory resonance, if there is a sense of connection with the source of the mantra, then it being done correctly?

[some1]

so, would you go so far as to say, if there is auditory resonance, if there is a sense of connection with the source of the mantra, then it being done correctly?

I think so. In general, it should also help you to develop concentration and get rid of unwholesome toughts. Anyway, I am not a mantra practitioner. You will need to approach a proper teacher to confirm the proper way to recite the mantra.

[eijo]

Mantra:
om namo bhagawate bhekandzhe - guru baidurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyasam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

Short Mantra:
tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

http://www.lamalobsang.com/MeditationPrayer.htm#longlifeprayer

If this is incorrect, anyone can feel free to correct me. Thanks!

That's the Tibetan pronunciation of the Sanskrit.

The dharani in Sanskrit (as transmitted in East Asian Buddhism through the Siddham script) is:

Namo bhagavate Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaidūrya-prabha-rājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā

[Ngawang Drolma]

Mantra:
om namo bhagawate bhekandzhe - guru baidurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyasam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

Short Mantra:
tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

http://www.lamalobsang.com/MeditationPrayer.htm#longlifeprayer

If this is incorrect, anyone can feel free to correct me. Thanks!

That's the Tibetan pronunciation of the Sanskrit.

The dharani in Sanskrit (as transmitted in East Asian Buddhism through the Siddham script) is:

Namo bhagavate Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaidūrya-prabha-rājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā

That really cleared it up. Thank you Eijo

[eijo]

Mantra:
om namo bhagawate bhekandzhe - guru baidurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyasam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

Short Mantra:
tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

http://www.lamalobsang.com/MeditationPrayer.htm#longlifeprayer

If this is incorrect, anyone can feel free to correct me. Thanks!

That's the Tibetan pronunciation of the Sanskrit.

The dharani in Sanskrit (as transmitted in East Asian Buddhism through the Siddham script) is:

Namo bhagavate Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaidūrya-prabha-rājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā

prabha --> prabhā

[Luke]

Short Mantra:
tayata om bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - maha bhekandzhe bhekandzhe - ranza samungate soha

I went to a Medicine Buddha retreat last summer where I learned a Medicine Buddha sadhana. During the main part of the sadhana we repeated the short Medicine Buddha mantra which you listed above. The only difference is that we say "radza" instead of "ranza."

The retreat was led by a Kagyu tulku who had been trained in Tibet, and it was a wonderful feeling to recite the mantra along with him and the other participants. The Medicine Buddha's mantra is very powerful and can purify a lot of bad karma. On the third day of the retreat, many people were breaking down in tears (including even me). Later on, when our practice stabilized, this didn't happen anymore and we simply felt the quiet joy of performing the sadhana.

I won't go into the details of the sadhana, but there is one part at which you visualize a group of Buddhas sitting around Medicine Buddha. One of these Buddhas is Shakyamuni Buddha himself. At first, I felt almost unworthy of receiving such massive blessings from such an amazing group of Buddhas. Then I felt tremendous gratitude towards all Buddhas, whom I will never be able to fully repay for their kindness.

Going deeply into the Medicine Buddha's mantra is an amazing experience, and the visualizations make you more aware of your own Buddha-nature and of the Buddha-nature which all sentient beings possess. Also, the immature part of my mind simply thinks Medicine Buddha is really cool because he's blue. I love his color!

Just reciting Medicine Buddha's mantra doesn't require any empowerment. So to anyone who feels inspired, I say go for it!
TEYATA OM BEKANDZE BEKANDZE MAHABEKANDZE RADZA SAMUGATE SOHA