Buddhist Hour
Script No. 460
Broadcast live on 3MDR 97.1FM
9 PM to 10 PM
On Friday 29 December 2006 CE 2550 Buddhist Era

This script is entitled:

"What Mantra Are You Running From?"

Each year, over the Christmas New Year period at our Temple in Upwey we run a Five Day Bhavana course for our students. Bhavana is an ancient word from the Pali language meaning mind cultivation.

On the 27 December this year, Members at our Centre commenced the Five Day Bhavana Course, to study and consider the subject "What Mantras are you running on?"

The aim of the course is to show each student what his or her current known and unknown life's agendas are, through the practice of reflective meditation. Those agendas which run opposite to or are in conflict with our efforts to practice the Buddha path to full enlightenment can then be abandoned or replaced with more wholesome agendas. As part of the examination each student considered the following key questions;

Each student then makes comparisons to what the Buddha's answers to these questions are to help them identify their level on the path to waking up. This analysis helps the student to replace old agendas and mantras with the Buddha Dhamma ones they wish to have.

Some years ago the Founder and Teacher at our Temple the late Master John D. Hughes wrote a script on the subject of mantras which was then broadcast as a radio program on community radio station Hillside Radio.

Now we will read a large section of this paper for tonight's radio program.

Printed mantras can be found in many Buddhist Temples, including our own. It is probable you would see them in the form of printed prayer flags or a Dharani blanket with a Chinese or Sanskrit mantra printed on it.

Initially, we would not go out of our way to translate these mantra because at first hearing they seem beyond all reason. And in a sense, they work because they are just that.

For such reasons, we do not introduce mantra to those beginning to inquire about Buddha Dhamma at our Centre. We do introduce many other things before we suggest mantra.

At times, the Buddha guided the person away from what appeared to be a mantra. Some of our Members of 15 years standing have not been introduced to mantra.

The proverb states:

"Without comprehension, you should not be a hermit. Without passing the 'second pass' you should not live on the mountain. Without passing the third pass, you cannot get the whole fruit".

Until you have gotten the first pass, you should not even meditate; to do so would be a waste of your time.

There is a very clever application of what looks like mantra in Buddha's day. One of Buddha's Monks was very stupid. He could not learn anything but had great faith in Buddha.

Buddha told him to sweep the Temple regularly and repeat: "cleaning the floor, cleaning the floor". Years passed and nothing seemed to happen to this dull Monk. One day, the thought occurred to the Monk - the problem is not the dirt on the floor- it is the dirt clouding my mind. Then the Monk attained nibbana and became very wise. The Buddha confirmed that this Monk had attained a high level of practice.

It was saddha (confidence or faith) and persistence that did it. As you can imagine, there are very few persons with such saddha living today, so this method would not succeed today.

Mantra that gave success in the past times were written down and regarded as valuable. Very few persons could afford writing materials. The invention of affordable paper was one of the world's great inventions. Because it became affordable, mantra could be transmitted from generation to generation in written form. The most valuable thing a family could own was a mantra passed down from their ancestors. These words were as precious as was the European equivalent of a coat of arms bearing the family motto in Western court culture.

School lemma are like mantra, passed on from generation to generation. Most would agree such traditions are valuable to train the minds of like generations.

Getting affordable paper plus printing meant that more and more mantra could be passed around a given society.

The following quote has been taken from "Japanese Paintings, From Buddhist Shrines and Temples" by Philip. S. Rawson, first printed in 1963.

"Visual Art is a language in its own right, not interested in making the same sort of assertions as verbal statements of doctrine. Art conveys other things, they go beyond the reach of words and belong to the realm of intuition or feeling".

Buddhists themselves have always realised that the forms of words used in texts can imprison the mind in a sterile idolatry of words, and that words must be regarded merely as useful devices, helping the mind towards its goal.

The meaning behind the form of words, reached by meditation, is what matters. It is exactly the same with Art.

The forms of Art are useful devices pointing to a meaning, which lies beyond the forms. The meaning of these pictures is complex, but it can be seen from two main points of view, which we shall discuss in turn; the religious, and the artistic.

In time, as persons got lazy, they became de-skilled in their own performance in chanting and they invented mechanical devices, such as prayer flags or prayer wheels to save them the fuss of doing mantra.

Such devices could be manufactured in large quantities at high profit. Would it not be ironic if the merit of such mechanical devices went to the manufacturer and not to the end-user? These are the types of questions that a clear mind can explore with profit and so become free of mere ritual.

On one occasion, a Lama who is a great Master was visiting Melbourne and during a visit to our Temple he chanted some mantra over our new Buddha Rupa.

The purpose of his traditional mantra is to wish that this magnificent image stays in its present location at 33 Brooking Street for a very long time.

We are of the firm view that the venerable Monk was successful and that will happen.

Earlier in the same week, another Monk chanted some mantra with the wish that the image would not be destroyed by bushfire. These Monks were offered dana - food for their luncheon.

We are privileged to have such Monks come to our Centre at their own expense to perform such a service for us.

For those who do not have familiarity with the use of mantra, how can we explain the desire of persons to mutter some strange sounding words believing they will get us what we want and, alternatively, that a combination of words can purify either our bodies or minds of some previously committed or supposed sins?

Suppose we had treated our mother or father badly when we were younger. Would it not be better to do kind actions towards them in fact rather than just mutter some words?

If you were to make use of mantra as a mask to avoid a definite cover up for wrong action, is it possible the mantra may re-enforce your wrong action and preserve the status quo so you do not have to change and so avoid doing decent real action?

In Buddha Dhamma, great stress is laid on action but it is specified and conditional on the action being Right Action.

It may be that the lifestyle of a person is out of balance because of work overload caused by insatiable ambition to right problems for a fee.

The anger, the insomnia, the desire to escape - those are signs of depression. A person may need to grieve for the people they have lost, their mother, their father, their son, their daughter, their spouse. They need to go off somewhere and cry.

Someone feeling like this needs help. People get help from many sources: friends or by paying a psychotherapist or by joining a program aimed at people in similar circumstances.

Oscar Wilde once said that there are two tragedies in life: one is to be unsuccessful, the other is to be successful. How can one ever be happy?

The natural response might be to want to control something - to make something permanent in a time of great change - find a life-buoy to grab onto in the wild waters.

If a mantra is taken on for any of these reasons it is most likely a slower way of coming to the first Noble Truth - that life may give us what we do not want as well as giving us what we do want.

In this sense, it is unstable.

It is suggested that some persons ought not use mantra that only blocks their recognition of the First Noble Truth. The first thing we advise for persons who ask us is that, somehow, they must see worth in the good things they do and increase the rate of doing them. This invitation to action assures you that more in your good merit store is something in deep need of affirmation.

Today, in midlife, we realise that the search for affirmations is a long and tiring process, and it becomes increasingly tiresome as time passes. You should not, therefore, use a mantra for "mere" affirmations.

In some Buddhist schools, such as Pure Land, great stress is placed on mantra. In other Buddhist schools such as Chan, mantra are not used.

We do not teach persons who have severe mental problems, take illegal drugs, or have problems with using alcohol. We advise all new Members to consult with their family Doctors before commencing a course with us. Because we do not charge for teaching religious information, we are very selective about who we teach.

Since Buddha Dhamma is based on the understanding of cause and effect, we would like to give you an idea of the outcomes of using a mantra in an improper way:

When you die, the wrong mantra you used comes to your broken memory to torment you and the result is a poor rebirth, so mantras are not just toys to joke about.

In this sense, the types of mantra we have just described is the work of Mara to cloud the minds of persons. We agree with other religious persons that such mantra use should be avoided. We should therefore not seek to take refuge in mantra or use it as a quick fix approach.

Beginners are not taught mantra unless they have been learning Buddha Dhamma for many years and they have developed a clear and unattached mind capable of penetrating the subtleties of the Buddha's Teachings. A wholesome mind is needed which takes many years of dedicated practice.

We will now chant the mantra which is called Vandana and is considered safe and suitable for all persons:

Our members will now say this mantra (SPOKEN WORD)

1. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
2. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa

3. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
4. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
5. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa

6. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
7. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
8. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa
9. Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa

The English translation of this mantra is:

Honour to him The Blessed One, The Worthy One, The Fully Awakened One
Honour to him The Blessed One, The Worthy One, The Fully Awakened One
Honour to him The Blessed One, The Worthy One, The Fully Awakened One

This mantra must be chanted 3 times, however, persons can decide how many more times they would like to chant.

Good karma can be accumulated by an individual by living a morally just life. A person can also gain merit by concentrating on sacred words and meditating. This concentration is not reserved for Monks, but can be practiced by all laypersons.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines mantra as an "instrument of thought" (Sanskrit). The Buddha taught 84,000 different ways to train and calm the mind. One of these ways is the use of mantras.

According to Sogyal Rinpoche in his book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, the word mantra means "that which protects the mind". Protection from what? Protection from negativities arising from an unwholesome (in pali: akusala) mind.

The Buddha describes the untrained mind as a rampaging elephant destroying everything in its path. It is because of these undisciplined minds that beings have the capacity to create miserable lives for themselves.

Mantras are vocal expressions of an awakened state of consciousness. They are both concise and symbolic, and are usually in a form of Sanskrit.

Although mantras have a literal meaning, which can be translated into English, their primary function is to transmit to the practitioner a particular type of consciousness through the mere sound of the syllables.

As described by Janice D Willis, in the text The Diamond Light, mantras are "a repeated mental or oral utterance of a spiritual sound. As the sound has religious meaning, it is not equivalent to the mere repetition of sounds or words. "

Willis explains that, "Mantras work on many levels: It is quite true that most mantras can, more or less, be rendered into literal translations, which are more or less meaningful according to grammatical rules; but it is certainly not true that the mantra's power has any close connection, and certainly no dependence upon, this literal meaning."

As discussed earlier great care should be exercised to ensure the correct use of mantra. For example, when the correct mantra as specified in Buddha Dhamma teachings is practised just before lying down to sleep, it is believed to have an immediate effect as well as helping the person to sleep soundly without evil dreams.

A person who sleeps in this manner awakens refreshed in the morning and their general health improves in daily life. Some Buddhist laypersons chant during the morning as a start to their day.

It is sometimes said that it is not necessary for the person using the Mantra (which may be in Pali, Sanskrit or other languages) to understand the meaning of the Mantra for some benefits to be achieved. However, for maximum benefit, it is better they do understand.

The proper use of Mantras belongs to a type of absorption of the mind which is technically known as the 3rd Arupa Jhana - "Sphere of Nothingness".

If a person is unable to maintain this 3rd Arupa Jhana, which is a transcendence of the ordinary modes of consciousness, the practice will not be very strong and effective.

The difficulty is that only people who can themselves attain 3rd Arupa Jhana level would have any knowledge that the Mantra practitioner was in fact being of great value. It is estimated that only about 1 person in 50,000 in Australia can access 3rd Arupa Jhana for any length of time.

Accordingly, most people would be unable to distinguish the difference between a true creative transformation and a person chanting Mantra as a passive pawn.

In many of our meditation courses, students were instructed to apply their minds to the visualisation method whilst chanting a Sutra.

Having recited a Sutra for one hour, circumambulation of the Centre's premises was performed followed by circumambulation inside the Meditation Hall using the Mantra 'Namo Amita Fo'.

Through the practice of turning the mind toward the Buddha, under the ideal conditions normally found at our Centre, wholesome minds are developed and vast merit is accumulated. The merit accumulated is usually dedicated to our precious Teachers so that they may have long life and good health.

Mantra Practices must be approached as a precious opportunity to accumulate Vast Merit. Furthermore, this great opportunity, being the result of lifetimes of wholesome actions, may never appear again due to impermanence.

With a mind of vast respect for the Buddha, the Dhamma and the community of Monks (Sangha), the Five Training Precepts should be applied to your every day life:

These are:

No Killing,
No Stealing,
No Sexual Misconduct
No Lying and;
No Intoxicants.

Once a certain level of moral purity permeates the mind, the Mantra can be expected to bring many benefits. Vajra Sattva Practices could be viewed as one method by which the student can come to the end of hate, greed and ignorance in this very life.

Mantras are used by many religions including Orthodox Christianity, Sufism and Hinduism, as well as Buddhism. In addition to mantras of a religious nature, many people have a mantra running on in their minds - often without being aware of it.

Certain mantras might be described as "misery mantras". Such a mantra could appear as a continual litany of self-pity or some other negative emotion running on and on flavouring the thoughts, perceptions of events and actions of that individual. This is not a healthy situation to be in. Therefore the wise thing to do would be to consciously change your mantra and stop the continual construction of a miserable future.

This long discussion on "What Mantra are you running from?" should be finished with a question. What mantra should we be running away from?

Out of ignorance, before our minds are exposed to Buddha Dhamma, we all run our lives according to all sorts of mantras, which contribute to our individual perception of reality.

We have shown you the results of improper use of mantras and the subsequent unpleasant consequences.

So stop looking for the quick fix mantra, and start making merit, which can pave the way to find the proper teachings which in turn will allow you to receive the mantra by an appropriate qualified teacher who is right for you.

May you find the proper teachings.

May you be well and happy.

This script was written and edited by John D. Hughes, Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls, Julian Bamford, Anita Carter, Frank Carter, David Halls, Lainie Smallwood and Pennie White.

References

"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche

"A Technique for Developing Enlightened Consciousness", a traditional Buddhist meditation on Avoliketishvara by the Tibetan saint Tangtong Gyalbo, trans. Janet Gyalbo, Bodhedrum Publications, Taiwan.

"The Diamond Light", an introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Meditations, compiled by Janice Dean, Willis Simon & Schuster, New York, USA.

Chan Academy Australia. The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Script 80, " What Mantra Are You Running From?", Sunday 9 April 2000.

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