Mantra recitation as samatha

[Damchö_Dorje]

I have found before scattered references to mantra as samatha practice. I find this model more germane to my personal circumstances than breath meditations for example.

1) Why does mantra work for samatha?
2) What concentration does mantra render?
3) How does ati guru yoga integrate with samatha?

Please PM if necessary.

Thanks.

[climb-up]

I'm no expert but I believe

1) Anything can be the focus for shamata. Pure or impure sensory objects, mental objects or awareness
2) I don't understand this one.
3) In the same way as ati guru yoga integrates with eveything else. Any details would be inappropriate here, but I'm not being silly with the answer, we integrate (or, work on inetgrating) everything into guruyoga, shamata is one of those everythings.

[Danny]

1) Why does mantra work for samatha?
2) What concentration does mantra render?
3) How does ati guru yoga integrate with samatha?

1) because the sound of the mantra itself is an expression of the basis.
2) mantra is about activity and function, mantra in the tantras has to be worked out. Those key vocal sounds have to be extracted from the tantra, by the student.
3) guru yoga is holistic totality, khadag and lundrub without partition, not this and that separate.

[Danny]

1) Why does mantra work for samatha?
2) What concentration does mantra render?
3) How does ati guru yoga integrate with samatha?

1) because the sound of the mantra itself is a natural diffracted expression of the elements of the basis.
2) mantra is about activity and function, mantra in the tantras has to be worked out. Those key vocal sounds have to be extracted from the tantra, by the student. It means you are focused to do that.
3) guru yoga is holistic totality, khadag and lundrub without partition, not this and that separate.
At a certain point, muttering mantras stops. Caution though, if one is not ready, you kill the deity which is a massive break.

Always do as your guru instructs.
Don’t cheap skate it. Also don’t take what I say as “truth”.
Maybe true for me, but not for you...

That’s karma