Creating an aversion to the Dharma in someone

[Minobu]

So a little bit of context here. I'm a baker and I've taken to listening to the mantra of Green Tara at work. I work with a young lady whose rather sick of it (she has not expressed this sentiment to me). She does not work directly beside me and I never force anyone to listen to it if they don't wish to.

My question is should I stop listening to it at work if it is creating aversion to an aspect of the Dharma in someone?

and I never force anyone to listen to it if they don't wish to.

I work with a young lady whose rather sick of it

(she has not expressed this sentiment to me

these three quotes keep get me to thinking....what exactly are you on about.

that aside...if some person played a mantra over and over in their work station i would take it as a statement...and then i would ask myself..why?

[Mantrik]

I use to have music and mantras in my head only. So nobody bothers.

I have the same, but my chants echo.

The others in my head, like Pazuzu, haven't complained, but why are people sprinkling me with holy water and telling the people in my head to leave? Surely there's no harm in having my friends 'in mind' and chanting to them?

Seriously, though, there seems to me to be a bit of a dichotomy here.

Lamas may advise us to whisper mantras as quietly as possible, rather than in total silence, as the sound itself is part of the practice.

Yet we also sometimes see advice to let other beings, including animals, hear the mantras and receive the blessings, paving the way for more Dharma contact in future lives.

Is it because of a difference between sutric and tantric mantras, I wonder, due to the secrecy of the latter?
(There are exceptions, again, for example in 'liberation through hearing'. )

[yan kong]

these three quotes keep get me to thinking....what exactly are you on about.

[/quote]


It's a kitchen, the larger part of our communication is done by gossip. It's not a very nice reality but a reality none the less.

[boda]

The audio is listenable, in my opinion, and particularly if it's only for seconds at a time. Nevertheless if a coworker finds it irritating then common courtesy demands appropriate action.

Maybe you haven't tried in-ear headphones. You can hear outside just fine with them on and no sound playing, so you could play the audio low and it would be about the same as listening with a speaker.

[Ayu]

....

Yet we also sometimes see advice to let other beings, including animals, hear the mantras and receive the blessings, paving the way for more Dharma contact in future lives.

Is it because of a difference between sutric and tantric mantras, I wonder, due to the secrecy of the latter?
(There are exceptions, again, for example in 'liberation through hearing'. )

It depends ont time, place and persons (animals). I used to hum and collect mantras on my daily walks. Different animals react differently on it:
Birds stay sitting and sing along, cats lie down and purr, but dogs are very disturbed by a human being that moves his lips and hums nearly silently. "This is not normal," they detect. Ever since I was bitten slightly by a little dog, I was carefully closing my mouth when I passed by a dog. This is healthier.

[cky]

My original question, to be as transparent as possible, was as to whether I was doing harm to this young lady karmically/spiritually or helping her create unfortunate rebirths through an aversion to the Tara mantra.

I honestly think this is possible.

Also I think it is possible you're bringing questionable karma onto yourself. I don't know if you're associated with a proper lineage or Lama, but usually we're advised to keep our practice and mantras secret. It can become an issue of Samaya, even.

[Soma999]

How would you behave if your colleague let you hear all day long some sura, or hindu mantras to "creates good connection for you to get closer to the truth" ?

You would surely be pissed off. Well, that's the problem. Everyone has it's truth, and think he is right and the other needs to listen to it. And then we fight because we speak of the same things with 2 different langage, arguing to which one is best.

I think it's better of to share good company, good thought and leave religion for your private life.

I had a neighbour who all the time i met her, talk to me about her church, and everything which was out of her church was either the devil, or close to the devil. But when she was not talking about her religion, she was very sympathetic. When she talked about her religion, that was boring as hell.

Love unites, concepts divide. Share love. It's universal.

[Karinos]

imagine if you have to hear imam fards (prayers) from your coworker even for 10 sec every time you pass her working station. I'd probably report to HR, workplace is not place for religious activities period, unless you do it privately and quietly.

[yan kong]

How would you behave if your colleague let you hear all day long some sura, or hindu mantras to "creates good connection for you to get closer to the truth" ?

You would surely be pissed off. Well, that's the problem. Everyone has it's truth, and think he is right and the other needs to listen to it. And then we fight because we speak of the same things with 2 different langage, arguing to which one is best.

I think it's better of to share good company, good thought and leave religion for your private life.

I had a neighbour who all the time i met her, talk to me about her church, and everything which was out of her church was either the devil, or close to the devil. But when she was not talking about her religion, she was very sympathetic. When she talked about her religion, that was boring as hell.

Love unites, concepts divide. Share love. It's universal.

imagine if you have to hear imam fards (prayers) from your coworker even for 10 sec every time you pass her working station. I'd probably report to HR, workplace is not place for religious activities period, unless you do it privately and quietly.

If you're hoping to respond to my original inquiry you've missed the mark. I'm not concerned with your issues about perceived religious evangelism in public spaces. I have also laid out in previous posts that I am not playing audio for anyone but myself.

My primary question was quite simple: Am I causing harm to the subtler parts of this coworkers mind through her aversion to said mantra.

[Minobu]

My primary question was quite simple: Am I causing harm to the subtler parts of this coworkers mind through her aversion to said mantra.

It's her Karma that affords her to receive the dharma in this fashion.
reminds me of those beings that see everything as puss and vomit.

[yan kong]

My primary question was quite simple: Am I causing harm to the subtler parts of this coworkers mind through her aversion to said mantra.

It's her Karma that affords her to receive the dharma in this fashion.
reminds me of those beings that see everything as puss and vomit.

That's an interesting point. I hadn't really thought of it that way.