Incense Offering Mantra

[Devotionary]

Hi there,

In this video, I noticed the Dharma Master was reciting a mantra to bless the incense for offering. I notice abbots and abbesses from temples also do this.

http://www.tudou.com/listplay/iLh37aOGj ... Lb7rg.html


I understand his explanation but no the mantra he is reciting. (Video is in Chinese, Mantra is in Sanskrit.)

Can anyone please tell me what the mantra is?

It goes: Om Amrita... etc. (I dont understand it.)

THanks!

[Seishin]

Sounds like Om Amrita hum Phat but I'm not sure

Gassho,
Seishin

[Devotionary]

Thank you for your response.

Perhaps there are monastics or advanced practitioners who are familiar with this? And what is it used for? What is the difference between this and the Om Ah Hum mantra?

Amitofo!

[Devotionary]

Bumping this up... Does anyone know the reason for the mantra and mudra? And the complete words for the mantra? Thanks!

[Kaji]

I have come across a number of incense offering mantra, but not this one.

[Seishin]

Most traditions that use mantras and mudras require a teacher, and usually require you to take ordination or empowerments. If you don't have a teacher I'd recommend you find one.

Gassho,
Seishin.

[gregkavarnos]

It's Om Amrita Hum Phat. It's the shortest version of the mantra to Amritakundali. It is not (specifically) an incense offering mantra but a purifying mantra that is used for purification of any/all offerings. It requires transmission for its use.

[Devotionary]

That's really strange, the nuns at the Zen temple that I go to use this mantra, but have have not taught this, perhaps it does need transmission even within the Zen order. I'll ask around. THanks!

[gregkavarnos]

Sorry, I should have added that this is according to tantric traditions. I don't know the ettiquite for Zen traditions. Because this post is in the East Asian Buddhist sub forum I did not assume that you were Zen, but that you may be practicing East Asian Vajrayana.

[Jikan]

Seishin's right. This is a great question for your teacher. It's not the sort of thing you can learn through an internet forum. Perhaps ask the nuns at the Zen temple about it?

[Seishin]

Same goes for my post. In the tradition I follow, mantras and mudras are not usually for the general public, and even those who learn them do so with a qualified teacher.

Gassho,
Seishin

[Devotionary]

Same goes for my post. In the tradition I follow, mantras and mudras are not usually for the general public, and even those who learn them do so with a qualified teacher.

Gassho,
Seishin

One of the nuns recently encouraged me to memorize a set of mantras for everyday use not usually found in books, but available to the public nevertheless. I HAVE been interested in East Asian Vajrayana, but within the context of (Chinese) Zen/Pureland practice. The incense mantra in the video is usually done by the monastics, among other mantras. Again, your responses have all made me even more curious/eager to learn. Thanks guys!

[Seishin]

I'm no expert, but I remember reading in this book http://www.amazon.com/Tantric-Buddhism- ... 0861714873 that Tantric Buddhism can be found in small amounts in the various existing schools in China & Korea. Whether the Nuns at your temple consider these practices as Tantric is another question, which might be why the the monk in the video seems to be teaching mantra and mudra.

Gassho,
Seishin.

[Jikan]

One of the nuns recently encouraged me to memorize a set of mantras for everyday use not usually found in books, but available to the public nevertheless. I HAVE been interested in East Asian Vajrayana, but within the context of (Chinese) Zen/Pureland practice. The incense mantra in the video is usually done by the monastics, among other mantras. Again, your responses have all made me even more curious/eager to learn. Thanks guys!

Excellent! I wish you all the best in your practice.

[Kaji]

From what I have learned in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, there are many mantra and dharani that are in sutra. I understand that the use of them does not require transmission by a specific kind of teacher. This practice is still called esoteric, in the board sense that most human practitioners do not know how and why they work. Just not esoteric in the sense that they are secretly taught by a teacher with a lineage.

Having said that, some of these dharani and mantra practices as contained in sutra can still be specially taught by a teacher. Common examples are the Great Compassion Dharani, the Cundi mantra, certain preta-dana practices. One can simply practise them by learning from and following the sutra. One can also learn it from a teacher, along with hand seals (mudra I think they are called), visualisation/contemplation techniques and sometimes specific vinaya rules. Now some of these have been taught publicly by monks and lay practitioners in the past, with some even having made their way onto the Internet. If these monks and lay practitioners thought the practices could be taught to the public, whether you learn from them and practise accordingly is, I think, your choice.

[jmlee369]

I suspect the use of the mantra for offering incense is a modern influence of Tibetan Buddhism on Chinese monastics. I assume this to be the case since the mandala offering mudra that the monk shows and calls by that name is only known as such in the Tibetan lineages. In Chinese Buddhism, that particular mudra is known in the context of the Flaming Mouth Yogacara ceremony as the 'Guru and Three Jewels mudra'. A well known example of Tibetan practices being introduced to Chinese Buddhism would be Master Hai Tao, who popularises a lot of Tibetan Buddhist ideas and practices in a nominally Chinese Buddhist context. In my experience, offering incense (outside of the more elaborate ceremonies such as the Water Land Ceremony, as you can see starting from 14:50 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuvGyqCkwDM which includes mantra) is simply accompanied by one of a number of incense praises, and offered in the following manner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2kX4mnn8Xw.

[Seishin]

I suspect the use of the mantra for offering incense is a modern influence of Tibetan Buddhism on Chinese monastics.

It is also very likely that it is not modern. Esoteric Buddhism was prevalent in China for a long time. People like Saicho http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saich%C5%8D & Kukai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%ABkai went to China to learn esoteric (mikkyo) Buddhism.

Gassho,
Seishin.

[icylake]

i suspect it would be modern influence too. he chants the dharani in Sanskrit, not in traditional chinese pronunciation, and that is very unsual in Taiwan..maybe Tibetan buddhism's influence to Taiwan more and more stronger, so some small groups would adapt Sanskrit pronunciation and Mudra from Tibetan buddhism.

and usually Korean buddhism(Zen+avatamsaka), Chinese buddhism(Zen+pure land)use a bunch of mandras for their ceremonies, but selom taught in secret. in fact in Korea, the laypeople are engouraged to chant together..but shurangama mantra is usually taught by monastics in person. usually chanted by zen monk before meditation.

morning ceremony(korean):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alWLI08RAaE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhy8QoPiSns
(insense offering mantra: om bara dobiya hum)

dayly noon offering(including incense offering, 30-40 manrtas) :
http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipView.do?clipid=32698271

[Kaji]

i suspect it would be modern influence too. he chants the dharani in Sanskrit, not in traditional chinese pronunciation, and that is very unsual in Taiwan..maybe Tibetan buddhism's influence to Taiwan more and more stronger, so some small groups would adapt Sanskrit pronunciation and Mudra from Tibetan buddhism.

I can see your point. Please also bear in mind that there are people who have studied Sanskrit transliterating mantra and dharani from the Chinese-translated sutra back into Sanskrit. Not all Chinese Buddhist who pronounces dharani and mantra in Sanskrit are doing it because of Tibetan Buddhism's influence. I am one example.

[icylake]

I can see your point. Please also bear in mind that there are people who have studied Sanskrit transliterating mantra and dharani from the Chinese-translated sutra back into Sanskrit. Not all Chinese Buddhist who pronounces dharani and mantra in Sanskrit are doing it because of Tibetan Buddhism's influence. I am one example.[/quote]

yes. ^^ my mistake. in fact the Tibetan mantra pronunciation itself is not the same to Sanskrit pronunciation. and i also saw Tawnese buddhists learning accurate Sanskrit pronunciations for mantras in Da-Ai TV...