Mantra

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Agent Smith
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Mantra

Post by Agent Smith »

What is a mantra?
Bristollad
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Re: Mantra

Post by Bristollad »

Oṃ muni muni mahāmuni śākyamuni svāhā

Is a mantra.
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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Re: Mantra

Post by Bristollad »

A mantra is a word, phrase, sound or series of sounds that is repeated frequently during meditation or prayer as a way of focusing the mind and achieving a sense of calm and inner peace. Mantras can be spoken aloud, whispered, or silently repeated in the mind. They are often associated with Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism but can also be found in other spiritual and philosophical traditions. The repetition of a mantra is believed to help quiet the mind, reduce stress, increase self-awareness, and connect with a deeper sense of spirituality.

That's what a mantra is, according to ChatGPT.

What does your teacher say?
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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明安 Myoan
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Re: Mantra

Post by 明安 Myoan »

A mantra is also the enlightened speech of a deity.
Bokar Rinpoche said Chenrezig's mantra is the name, the essence, of Chenrezig -- inseparable.
Namu Amida Butsu
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Konchog Thogme Jampa
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Re: Mantra

Post by Konchog Thogme Jampa »

The word Mantra translates as Mind Protection
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Konchog Thogme Jampa
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Re: Mantra

Post by Konchog Thogme Jampa »

Bristollad wrote: according to ChatGPT.

This is the beginning of the end
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justsit
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Re: Mantra

Post by justsit »

Konchog Thogme Jampa wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:53 pm
Bristollad wrote: according to ChatGPT.

This is the beginning of the end
Just what I was thinking... :thinking:
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: Mantra

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Bristollad wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:14 pm A mantra is a word, phrase, sound or series of sounds that is repeated frequently during meditation or prayer as a way of focusing the mind and achieving a sense of calm and inner peace. Mantras can be spoken aloud, whispered, or silently repeated in the mind. They are often associated with Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism but can also be found in other spiritual and philosophical traditions. The repetition of a mantra is believed to help quiet the mind, reduce stress, increase self-awareness, and connect with a deeper sense of spirituality.

That's what a mantra is, according to ChatGPT.

What does your teacher say?
Dude please no. Just ... no.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
Bristollad
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Re: Mantra

Post by Bristollad »

Interesting. Would you have been as upset if I’d said according to Google? Or if I said according to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism?
It was a tongue-in-cheek response trying to imply that the question as stated could be easily answered using any number of resources available online.
:lol:
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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justsit
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Re: Mantra

Post by justsit »

Bristollad wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:10 am Interesting. Would you have been as upset if I’d said according to Google? Or if I said according to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism?
It was a tongue-in-cheek response trying to imply that the question as stated could be easily answered using any number of resources available online.
:lol:
Not upset - disappointed.

And yes. Why not direct the poster directly to a primary Buddhist source? They're asking on a Buddhist forum, they would like a Buddhist reply. A quick glance through their posts indicates that if they wanted an easy answer they're perfectly capable of accessing a search engine.

In any case, tone of voice is next to impossible to determine online, it's sometimes better to save the tongue-in-cheek replies for posts you know are simply conversational.
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Re: Mantra

Post by Bristollad »

justsit wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:00 am
Bristollad wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:10 am Interesting. Would you have been as upset if I’d said according to Google? Or if I said according to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism?
It was a tongue-in-cheek response trying to imply that the question as stated could be easily answered using any number of resources available online.
:lol:
Not upset - disappointed.

And yes. Why not direct the poster directly to a primary Buddhist source? They're asking on a Buddhist forum, they would like a Buddhist reply. A quick glance through their posts indicates that if they wanted an easy answer they're perfectly capable of accessing a search engine.

In any case, tone of voice is next to impossible to determine online, it's sometimes better to save the tongue-in-cheek replies for posts you know are simply conversational.
Disappointed by what? A general answer to a general question? I did point him to the best Buddhist source for questions on Vajrayana:
Bristollad wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:14 pm What does your teacher say?
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
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Aryjna
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Re: Mantra

Post by Aryjna »

Bristollad wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 7:38 am Disappointed by what? A general answer to a general question? I did point him to the best Buddhist source for questions on Vajrayana:
ChatGPT is (at least in certain ways) a very negative thing for various reasons, and it is all over the place lately. I think that is why many people dislike seeing it pop up.

I'm not piling on, just providing a possible explanation.
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Aemilius
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Re: Mantra

Post by Aemilius »

Agent Smith wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:14 am What is a mantra?
The word "Dharani" is used more often than Mantra in Buddhist sutras. One explanation of a Dharani is that it holds the condenced essence of a sutra or a teaching. The saying of a dharani is said to be equal to the reading and memorizing a complete sutra. There are dharanis that are said to be the essence of Lankavatara sutra, or the essence of the Diamond sutra, or the essence other Perfection of Wisdom sutras. There are dharanis of protection at the end of the White Lotus sutra. They are given by various deities who promise to guard and protect the practitioner of the Lotus sutra.
Dharani also has the meaning of "holding in mind", as you very often tend to forget the meaning of Dharma. Dharanis are included in the Bodhisattva path as part of the Perfection of Skillful means or the Upaya Paramita.

Wisdom Library writes about Dharanis in Mahayana Buddhism https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dharani#mahayana

"Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Dhāraṇī (धारणी) refers to a set of five hundred qualities acquired by the Bodhisattvas accompanying the Buddha at Rājagṛha on the Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter X. In the Tsin language, dhāraṇī means ‘capable of holding’ (dhāraṇa) or ‘capable of preventing’ (vidhāraṇa). Dhāraṇa refers to “joining all sorts of good Dharmas (kuśaladharma)”: dharāṇī ‘holds’ them so that they are not dispersed or lost. Vidhāraṇa refers to “detesting the roots of evil (akuśalamūla)”: dhāraṇī prevents them from arising. It prevents the committing of evil by those who would want to commit it.

There are many types, eg.,

1. śrutadhara-dhāraṇī (never forgetting the words and the teachings),..."

1) Dhāraṇī (धारणी) refers to “memory”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “How then, son of good family, does the Bodhisattva who has attained memory (dhāraṇī-pratilabdha) never forget? Son of good family, the Bodhisattva attains memory (dhāraṇī) by purifying his memory. What then is the purification of memory? Son of good family, there are thirty-two purifications of memory. [...] When his body, speech, and mind are included in a state which is like the earth (dharaṇi), such are imperishable, the rain of the dharma falls, pacifies the burning pains of vices, and makes all qualities of the Buddha grow. This is way of entering the way of memory. He who has attained memory (dhāraṇī) knows the practice that is never forgetting any dharma of the Buddha. In this way, son of good family, the Bodhisattva who has attained memory practices not forgetting”
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
Abhidharmic wayfarer
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Re: Mantra

Post by Abhidharmic wayfarer »

There are many differing answers to these profound questions. I personally like the way mantra is defined by Master Kukai (Kobo Daishi) in his Himitsu mandala jujushinron. He defines the “exoteric” as “the shallow and incomplete” and the “esoteric” as “the profound and hidden.” With these definitions in mind, He writes:

“Using many words and phrases to teach a single meaning is the shallow and incomplete [i.e., the exoteric]. When each individual word possesses infinite meanings, that is mantra and the esoteric.”
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Re: Mantra

Post by Abhijñājñānābhibhu »

Agent Smith wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:14 am What is a mantra?
"Mantras (Skt.; Tib. སྔགས་, ngak, Wyl. sngags) are sacred syllables used in Vajrayana practice to protect the minds of practitioners from negativity and ordinary impure perceptions (the root Sanskrit terms are manas meaning 'mind', and trai meaning 'protect'). They also serve to invoke the yidam deities and their retinues"

Subdivisions:
1. secret mantras (guhyamantra or just mantra)
2. knowledge mantras (vidyamantra: vidya mantra (Skt. vidyā mantra; རིག་སྔགས་, rik ngak, Wyl. rig sngags): a vidya mantra is a female deity mantra that through recitation gives the reciter the ability to change or control phenomena and circumstances. One example is the Senge Dongma mantra
3. dharani mantras ( (Skt. dhāraṇī; Tib. གཟུངས་, zung, Wyl. gzungs) — long mantras, which are placed inside sacred statues and stupas. Dharanis are seen as goddesses in themselves. Gergely Hidas gives the following definition, in his excellent overview of dharanis:

Dhāraṇī is an exclusively Buddhist term, the primary literary meaning of which is not completely clear. In the extended sense, dhāraṇī has most often been interpreted as “spell.” However, its semantic range is wider than the sphere of incantations, with a further principal interpretation as “memory” or “mnemonic device.” Especially in earlier sources, dhāraṇī was a mnemonics-related term in most cases, a use that appears to have faded away with the course of time. At least synchronically speaking, dhāraṇī is decidedly polysemic and context sensitive. In the present literary context, the “spell” interpretation of dhāraṇī as used here describes a reasonably distinct scriptural body. However, dhāraṇī is often appositional or interchangeable with two other closely related words – mantra and vidyā, which also refer to a spell.[1]

The Difference between a Mantra and a Dharani
All dharanis are mantras, but not all mantras are dharanis. Often dharanis consists of a homage or invocation of the deity, followed by a request to act. Therefore, a dharani is usually longer than a mantra. Dharanis usually contain imperatives such as bandha, bandha, bind, bind: these words express the request to act. Mantras on the other hand just consist of mantric syllables and possibly the name of the deity, without words of homage or a request to act.

Example
Aparimitāyurjñānadhāraṇī:[2]

om̐ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyak saṃbuddhāya |

tadyathā | om̐ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye 'parimitapuṇye 'parimitapuṇyajñānasaṃbhāropacite |

om̐ sarvasaṃskārapariśuddhe dharmate gaganasamudgate svabhāvaviśuddhe mahānayaparivāre svāhā |

The Boundless Life and Wisdom Dhāraṇī:

om̐ homage to the blessed boundless life and wisdom, the firm king of the splendor, the tathāgata, the arhat, the fully awakened one!

It is like this: om̐ merit merit, great merit, boundless merit, you (who) perfected the accumulation of boundless merit and wisdom!

om̐ you who have purified all compounded phenomena, you the dharmatā, you have risen into the sky, you (who) are pure by nature, (you) together with the retinue of [the followers of] the great vehicle, svāhā!

Source https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dharani
https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vidya
https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Mantra
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Agent Smith
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Re: Mantra

Post by Agent Smith »

Bristollad wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 7:38 am
justsit wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 2:00 am
Bristollad wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:10 am Interesting. Would you have been as upset if I’d said according to Google? Or if I said according to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Buddhism?
It was a tongue-in-cheek response trying to imply that the question as stated could be easily answered using any number of resources available online.
:lol:
Not upset - disappointed.

And yes. Why not direct the poster directly to a primary Buddhist source? They're asking on a Buddhist forum, they would like a Buddhist reply. A quick glance through their posts indicates that if they wanted an easy answer they're perfectly capable of accessing a search engine.

In any case, tone of voice is next to impossible to determine online, it's sometimes better to save the tongue-in-cheek replies for posts you know are simply conversational.
Disappointed by what? A general answer to a general question? I did point him to the best Buddhist source for questions on Vajrayana:
Bristollad wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:14 pm What does your teacher say?
Spasibo for your guidance.
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Agent Smith
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Re: Mantra

Post by Agent Smith »

Aemilius wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 9:39 am
Agent Smith wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:14 am What is a mantra?
The word "Dharani" is used more often than Mantra in Buddhist sutras. One explanation of a Dharani is that it holds the condenced essence of a sutra or a teaching. The saying of a dharani is said to be equal to the reading and memorizing a complete sutra. There are dharanis that are said to be the essence of Lankavatara sutra, or the essence of the Diamond sutra, or the essence other Perfection of Wisdom sutras. There are dharanis of protection at the end of the White Lotus sutra. They are given by various deities who promise to guard and protect the practitioner of the Lotus sutra.
Dharani also has the meaning of "holding in mind", as you very often tend to forget the meaning of Dharma. Dharanis are included in the Bodhisattva path as part of the Perfection of Skillful means or the Upaya Paramita.

Wisdom Library writes about Dharanis in Mahayana Buddhism https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dharani#mahayana

"Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Dhāraṇī (धारणी) refers to a set of five hundred qualities acquired by the Bodhisattvas accompanying the Buddha at Rājagṛha on the Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter X. In the Tsin language, dhāraṇī means ‘capable of holding’ (dhāraṇa) or ‘capable of preventing’ (vidhāraṇa). Dhāraṇa refers to “joining all sorts of good Dharmas (kuśaladharma)”: dharāṇī ‘holds’ them so that they are not dispersed or lost. Vidhāraṇa refers to “detesting the roots of evil (akuśalamūla)”: dhāraṇī prevents them from arising. It prevents the committing of evil by those who would want to commit it.

There are many types, eg.,

1. śrutadhara-dhāraṇī (never forgetting the words and the teachings),..."

1) Dhāraṇī (धारणी) refers to “memory”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “How then, son of good family, does the Bodhisattva who has attained memory (dhāraṇī-pratilabdha) never forget? Son of good family, the Bodhisattva attains memory (dhāraṇī) by purifying his memory. What then is the purification of memory? Son of good family, there are thirty-two purifications of memory. [...] When his body, speech, and mind are included in a state which is like the earth (dharaṇi), such are imperishable, the rain of the dharma falls, pacifies the burning pains of vices, and makes all qualities of the Buddha grow. This is way of entering the way of memory. He who has attained memory (dhāraṇī) knows the practice that is never forgetting any dharma of the Buddha. In this way, son of good family, the Bodhisattva who has attained memory practices not forgetting”
:good:

Wonderful! This is exactly what I wanted to know about mantras/dharanis. I was just wondering though, is something missing? Has any scientific research been conducted on (the efficacy) of mantras?
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明安 Myoan
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Re: Mantra

Post by 明安 Myoan »

:good:

A personal example is when my cat was in the veterinary hospital for several days near death because of respiratory collapse. His lungs were full of fluid. I chanted the Medicine Buddha's mantra to comfort him and pray for his future life. Now that he's recovered, whenever he hears the mantra, he becomes so happy and relaxed.
I continue to say this mantra for him when it's time for his asthma inhaler, which no cat enjoys :smile:
I hope he's made a positive connection between the mantra and his wellbeing, which is a seed for taking refuge in future lives.

Interestingly, the sound of this mantra doesn't affect my other cat the same way at all.
She seems to prefer Green Tara's mantra, which makes her very relaxed and playful. I've used it to soothe her during environmental stress (fireworks, home renovation), which reminds me of Tara's bestowing of fearlessness, or when it's time to give her eye medicine.

Zopa Rinpoche has given great advice on benefiting animals, which mantras are well suited for.
It was through chanting mantras years ago at a cat shelter where I volunteered that I first gained faith in the Mahayana and Vajrayana, seeing the amazing impact of mantras on my state of mind and the response of animals to hearing them. I certainly didn't know enough to have a deep faith in mantras, but sincerity and instructions from trustworthy sources were enough to get me started :twothumbsup:
Namu Amida Butsu
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Aemilius
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Re: Mantra

Post by Aemilius »

Interesting study and article: "Chinese Buddhist Practice of Mantra-Dharani
Chanting During Covid-19 Pandemic: Motivations,
Activities, and Health Benefits

Ampere A Tseng*
Manufacturing Institute, Arizona State University, USA
Received Date: February 09, 2022
Published Date: March 17, 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic impacts Chinese Buddhists in various ways, including the cancellation of Sunday and sermon services,
the rescheduling of spiritual retreats and cultivation workshops, and the suspension of festivals and many others.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to study the practice of Mantra-Dharani Chanting during the pandemic with attention on the motivation
of Chinese Buddhists to practice Mantra-Dharani chanting, the associated activities, and the examination of health benefits to practitioners.

Methods: Chinese Buddhist scriptures are studied to identify the spiritual motivation for engaging in Mantra-Dharani chanting. By communicating
with major Chinese Buddhist temples, monasteries, and organizations, research is performed to analyze Chinese Buddhists’ activities for Mantra-
Dharani chanting. A wide range of medical studies are examined to identify the benefits of health improvement in performing this pratice.

Results: The background and motivations for engaging in the practice of Mantra-Dharani chanting are presented. We examine the activities of
Chinese Buddhists on Mantra-Dharani chanting during the Pandemic to explore the changes in practicing Mantra-Dharani chanting caused by the
pandemic. We also present the psychological and physiologic evidence on the health benefits by practicing Mantra-Dharani Chanting.

Conclusion: We found that the clerics of the temples have always found ways of remaining active by offering online services and ritual
performances for their followers. Through the medical evidence, we also found that, by practicing Mantra-Dharani chanting, Chinese Buddhists can
not only satisfy their religious purpose but also reduce their anxiety and increase their health and immunity during the Pandemic.

Keywords: Chinese Buddhists; COVID-19 Pandemic; Health Improvement; Mantra-Dharani Chanting; Mantra Meditation; Medical

Introduction
The global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus identified
in 2019, known as the COVID-19 pandemic, has impacted the
religious life of Chinese Buddhists in myriad ways, including the
cancellation of regular sermon services, the deferral of spiritual...
*Corresponding author: Ampere A Tseng, Manufacturing Institute,"

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 6/download

A brief excerpt: "At the beginning of the Pandemic, on February 7, 2020,
Master Shengkong, the Abbot of the Fomu Temple located in
Chaozhou, Guangdong, launched an online joint practicing activity
of Shurangama Mantra chanting thousands of times for praying
the early end of the Pandemic. Up to February 21, 2020, the
439-verse Shurangama Mantra was jointly chanted three million
four hundred twenty thousand times. Only on February 20, 2020,
the Shurangama Mantra was recited online five hundred eighty-
eight thousand eight hundred twenty-four times. Indeed, the power
of the massive online chanting the mantra is incredible. Other
temples in China, including the Xiangyin Temple in Chaohu, Anhui,
also offered help to suffering people and prayed for early ending the
Pandemic by reciting the Shurangama Mantra."
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Mantra

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Aemilius wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:57 pm Through the medical evidence, we also found that, by practicing Mantra-Dharani chanting, Chinese Buddhists can
not only satisfy their religious purpose but also reduce their anxiety and increase their health and immunity during the Pandemic.
that may very well be the case. In general, doing things which give one a sense of positivity increases the release of chemicals into the blood which improves overall health and boosts the immune system.

Whether the results shown are because the mantras and dharanis were mantras and dharanis and not some other spoken words would still need to be established. To validate this theory, that the dharani or mantra itself has healing power, one would need to give half the test subjects genuine mantras and give the other half “placebo mantras” strings of Sanskrit nonsense words, while being told their mantras had power, and then compare the results of the two subject groups. This report doesn’t specify what type of testing was done.

If regular temple services were closed, as the report indicates, that would also indicate less group exposure. If Buddhists stayed home to chant, as the report indicates, while, say, Christians gathered in churches, then of course those who stayed home to chant would have less exposure to the virus. But one could not conclude from this that Buddhism is more effective than Christianity or that chanting was the reason. The issue would be isolation vs. group exposure. Also, The Surangama sutra mantra is really really long. One would be spending a LOT of time at home and not in contact with others chanting it in a participatory online program, especially to end up with the numbers cited.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
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