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Printed mantras can be found in many Buddhist Temples, including our own.

It is probable at first meeting with us at our Temple you would see them around in the form of printed prayer flags or a Dharine blanket with Chinese and 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 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 and like generations.

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

Such things represent what we would term collage and holistic approaches to observation.
Many young professionals start out with a holistic approach, because in their early careers they are assigned to and work closely with only one person.

As they encounter a greater number of senior colleagues, many take a collage approach

Psychologist Hazel Markus coined the phrase "possible selves" to illustrate the range of identities a person can have.

Because they see more possible selves, collage observers are more likely to find behaviours that fit who they are, who they want to be, and what they can do. That becomes especially helpful as professionals begin to move from observation to experimentation.

In other words, professionals run their lives on many mantras.

We become the mantra.

The invention of paper was reported to the Emperor in China in the year A.D. 105 by Tsai Lung, a court steward in the province of Lei Yang.

The Chinese kept the secret of papermaking very successfully, and it was not until over 500 years later, in about A.D. 610, that the process was introduced into Japan, probably by Dokyo, a Buddhist Monk.

In those days, mantra printed on paper was a highly valued article of commerce and it can be imagined there was a vast international trade in the spread of mantra on paper.

In time, drawings of Deva and Devati were added to the mantra - and notes were made to the effect that this mantra is the mantra of some (named) god or goddess

Mantra bearing the names of various past Buddhas proliferated in this trade.

In time, persons learnt to read the writing and began to chant the mantra if they were too poor to buy the printed version.

Limited editions became collectors items and they still are today.

Most of us today have had the experience of seeing beautifully written old manuscripts, inspired by both the penmanship and illumination.

However beautiful these manuscripts may be, they cannot be considered a true representation of the manuscript work of that time.

Throughout the centuries, beautiful objects have been preserved, while more commonplace articles have been put to everyday use and become worn out and forgotten.

In addition to these fine volumes, there was a mass of other manuscript material, such as public records, text books, etc, of which the standard of craftsmanship was inferior.

Scribes often made mistakes, and this led to variations between different manuscripts copied from the same original.

Although we are of the opinion that an original manuscript may be beautiful, the beauty of copies made from it depended upon the skill and interest of individual scribes, and the speed at which they were expected to work.

Thus, both in content and quality, manuscripts tended to lack uniformity.

The following 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 deskilled 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.

This week, a Lama who is a great Master who was visiting Melbourne 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 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.

In many cases in history, Monks were paid in precious gifts to bless a site such as ours but we are fortunate we do not have to pay religious officials to chant for us.

This is our merit in action caused by years of our Members chanting for others at no charge.

These days, it seems that many persons are running around using mantra often accompanied with some form of bowing down to some deity or another.

Yet, some religions believe that chanting mantras is the work of the devil.

What is a balanced and reasonable view on this contentious subject?

This is what we intend to discuss today.

To begin, let us start with a frame of reference you may agree upon.

The Socratic method finds favor with many persons because it belongs in the Western European systems of culture.

The Works of Plato, written by Irwin Edmen, copyright 1928, states the following:

That Socratic method is partly one of irony. Pretending to complete ignorance, Socrates queries all and sundry concerning those traditional virtues about which for one reason or another they might be expected to know and which, indeed they prided themselves on knowing.

Thus in the Euthyphro, Socrates, meeting Euthyphro, on the verge of prosecuting his father for killing a slave, is confident that Euthyphro must be perfectly certain of the nature of Piety before undertaking such a prosecution so lightly.

He first gives an instance of Piety, "Doing as I am doing," but Socrates persists in asking for a general definition.

The Euthyphro replies that piety is what is dear to the gods, and Socrates points out that there may be disagreement among the gods.

The Euthyphro hazards two further definitions and each is wrecked on the reefs of Socrates' unyielding dialectic.

Socrates treats similarly the definitions offered of friendship in the Lysis and of courage in the Laches.

His aim is not to win a debaters victory over an opponent, but to clear the atmosphere of false or irrelevant definitions, to arrive at the essential character or essence of a virtue or idea.

How can we explain this 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 some where 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 to 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 some Buddhist schools such as Chan, mantra are not used.

Isshu Miura & Ruth Fuller Sasaki, in "The Zen Koan" write that two schools of Zen arose in China,which were the Ts'ao-tung (Soto) and the Lin-chi (Rinzai).

In the former, the use of the koan took a secondary place, first place being assigned to the practice of zazen, or meditation as practiced in Zen.

In the Lin-chi school, both zazen and the koan were considered of equal importance.

When Ts'ao-tung (Soto) and Lin-chi (Rinzai) Zen were transmitted to Japan, they brought with them these individual characteristics.

Japanese Soto Zen continues to consider the practice of zazen to be the sole means of realisation. It has never, however, discarded the koan, though employing it in its own way.

Soto masters lecture on koans, and their students study koans outside their practice of zazen.

The method of Rinzai Zen is different.

In this school, zazen is, first of all, the preliminary practice by means of which mind and body are forged into a single instrument for realization.

Only the student who has achieved some competency in zazen practice is, or should be, permitted to undertake the study of a koan. Proficiency in zazen is the basic ground for koan study.

During the practice of zazen the koan is handled. To say that it is used as a subject of meditation is to state the fact incorrectly.

The koan is taken over by the prepared instrument, and, when a fusion of instrument and device takes place, the state of consciousness is achieved which it is the intent of the koan to illumine and in this instant the koan is resolved.

This experience may take place during formal zazen practice; it may as well be under any condition and at any time of the day or night. The experienced practicer of zazen does not depend upon sitting in quietude on his cushion.

States of consciousness at first attained only in the meditation hall gradually become continuous, regardless of what other activities you may be engaged in.

The Buddhist Yogi C.M. Chen states the following:

The Second Essential of the Chan School is a distinguished comprehension beyond mind.

While living in Berkeley I have heard many advertisements from the various Buddhist business groups, talking loudly and proudly about mind and psychology, actually the final truth in Buddhism never falls within a one sided view as Mind.

But just what are these groups are referring to, many kungans (koans) say, is that Mind is the Buddha. Once a monk named Fa-Shen, having heard his guru exclaim that the Mind is the Buddha, decided to follow this teaching and to practice it as a mountain hermit.

After some time his guru wanted to test him to make sure he understood the teaching, so he sent another monk to call on the hermit.

He said, "What kind of comprehension have you got enabling you to become a hermit here?", the hermit replied, "Mind is the Buddha, I always remember this."

The visitor replied, "Oh no!, your guru said that I must bring you a new message. Nowadays he says that there is neither Mind nor Buddha."

"It does not matter to me. I know this matter quite well." The visiting monk returned and reported to his guru.

The guru replied, "Really, the plum has matured", as Fa-Shen was living on the Plum Mountain.

The following is taken from the book "The Games People Play", by Dr. Eric Berne M.D.

Life Games.

All games have an important and probably decisive influence on the destinies of the players under ordinary social conditions; but some offer more opportunities than others for lifelong careers and are more likely to involve relatively innocent bystanders.

This group may be conveniently called Life Games.

It includes 'Alcoholic', 'Debtor', 'Kick me', 'Now I have got you', 'You son of a bitch', 'See what you made me do', and their principal variants.

The game the author calls 'Corner' illustrates more clearly than most games their manipulative aspect and their function as barriers to intimacy.

Paradoxically, it consists of a disingenuous refusal to play the game of another.

The key words used to wound are played onto the hidden mantra.

Dr Eric Berne discussed a case where Mrs White suggests to her husband that they go to a movie. Mr White agrees.

Mrs White makes an 'unconscious' slip. She mentions quite naturally in the course of conversation that the house needs painting.

This is an expensive project, and White has recently told her that their finances are strained; he requested her not to embarrass or annoy him by suggesting unusual expenditures, at least until the beginning of the new month.

This is therefore an ill-chosen moment to bring up the condition of the house, and White responds rudely.

White goes to the movie (or out with the boys), leaving Mrs White at home to nurse her injured feelings.

In each of these cases the winner's position is, from a naive standpoint, irreproachable; all he or she has done is take the other literally.

The most obvious gain here is the external psychological. Both of them find movies sexually stimulating, and it is more or less anticipated that after they return from the theatre, they will make love.

The 'wronged' party can, of course, make a good case for not wanting to make love in a state of justifiable indignation, and the cornered spouse has no recourse.

Experience in treating adult schizophrenics with game analysis bears this out - that is, if the family game 'Corner' is analysed to demonstrate that the schizophrenic behavior was and is specifically undertaken to counter this game, partial or total remission occurs in a properly prepared patient.

A homely example is 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'.

This 'double-bind' may be called the Dilemma Type of 'Corner'.

So a mantra that can destroy the game of 'Corner' would be a blessing up to a point.

When one partner does not react to the form of the game, the other partner who was used to control by this game has lost control of the other person.

To be consistent with the preservation of so-called family values, and the unhappy stability of the status quo, it might be thought mantra ought be avoided.

It does not necessarily follow that the appearance of family "togetherness" is the highest good for a person.

In any case, it is unlikely we would meet as the same family in future lives.

However, the reason we stress how to be friendly and culturally adaptable should be taught first makes sense.

However, there are cases where the game of 'Corner' can be so destructive, professional help need be sought.

Patients Rights, A Self Help Guide, produced by the Mental Health Legal Centre Inc, 4th Edition, May 1999, talks about What is not a mental illness.

Under the Mental Health Act, a person cannot be considered mentally ill only because they refuse or fail to express a particular political or religious belief or opinion, or a particular philosophy, sexual preference or sexual orientation, or because they engage in, or refuse to engage in a particular political or religious activity, or because they engage in sexual promiscuity, immoral or illegal contact.

Neither can they be considered mentally ill solely because they are intellectually disabled, they drink alcohol or take drugs or have an antisocial personality.

Finally, they cannot be considered mentally ill simply because of their economic or social status or their cultural or racial grouping.

As a general rule, staff of a mental health service are obliged to keep your personal information confidential.

If they want to release some of this information they must ask for your permission.

However, there are some exceptions to this in the law.

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.

If you would like to attend our five day Bhavana meditation course, it will be held from 22 April 2000 until 26 April 2000, at our Centre at 33 Brooking Street, Upwey.

Please contact us on 9754-3334.

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:

--Do not use mantra as protection from animals as it makes them get headaches.

--Do not use mantra to seduce women or men or you will end up as a slave.

--Do not use mantra to make horses run fast as it shortens their life.

--Do not use mantra to send babies to sleep or you will get sick and paralysed.

--Do not use mantra to prevent your own sickness, it will come in future in a more severe form.

--Do not pay money to buy a mantra, it reduces your degrees of freedom and you imprison your minds, and you cheapen Dhamma or religions (the mind shrinks).

--If you use mantra to make clothing fit on your body better, you will grow up with a distorted body. Many models do this as they vibe into their clothes as do men & women who wear uniforms.

--Do not use mantra to ripen fruit, or you age prematurely.

--If you use mantra for money, be prepared to work hard and long hours for several lives, and know you will work in an underground office, mine or sewer, because money is placed in ground for safety.

When you die, the wrong mantra you used comes to your broken memory to torment you, 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 chant this mantra)

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:

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

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

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

This mantra is 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."

If Mantra 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 visualization 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 Lying,
No Stealing,
No Sexual Misconduct 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 flavoring 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.

Our Centre's underpinnings are based on a foundation of five styles of:

1. Friendliness
2. Professionalism
3. Cultural Adaptability
4. Scholarship
5. Practicality

These styles were on show a number of years ago when our members chanted aboard a float on the Yarra river for the Moomba celebrations.

The purpose of the participation of our members at the Moomba celebrations was to generate goodwill, for the benefit of all beings.

Chanting is also used for our radio program each week.

Hopefully, 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 and Leanne Eames.

References
"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
1"A Technique for Developing Enlightened Consciousness", a traditional Buddhist meditation on Avoliketishvara by the Tibetan saint Tangtong Gyalbo, trans. Janet Gyalbo, Bodhedrum Publications, Taiwan.
2"The Diamond Light", an introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Meditations, compiled by Janice Dean, Willis Simon & Schuster, New York, USA.



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