Within the Mantra school a common practice is to recite the
mantra Om mani padme hum. These Sanskrit words mean "taking refuge
in the mani jewel in the lotus." The recitation of mantras is not
so much in the understanding of what the words mean but in focusing
the mind away from deluded thoughts. While this may sound easy in
theory, it is hard in practice. According to the sutras, if we can
say this mantra with one-pointedness of mind, we can be free from
the cycles of rebirth and be reborn in the Pure Land. The
Mahayanasutra-lamkara-tika describes the merit of reciting
this mantra as follows, "The Buddha wanted it to be known to all
good men and women that this dharani is the wondrous original mind
of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. If one sees this, one knows the way
of liberation."
How well we say a mantra depends not so much on how accurately
we pronounce the words but how focused we are. We need to focus our
mind as we say one word after another. As long as we are mindful,
it does not matter even if we say it wrong inadvertently or
mispronounce some of the words. I do mean this literally, and I
have a story to illustrate my point. Many years ago in a remote
part of China lived an elderly woman. She wanted very much to
practice Buddhism, but she lived in a very inaccessible place and
had not yet had a chance to meet a teacher. One day, a lay Buddhist
passed by the village, holding a string of prayer beads in his
hands. As he walked, he kept up with his prayers. The elderly woman
was delighted to find a Buddhist in her midst. She went up to the
man and asked him how she should practice. The man was pleasantly
surprised for no one had ever asked him such a question. He told
the elderly woman, "I'll teach you a mantra."
The woman asked, "What mantra?"
The man replied, "Om mani padme niu." The Chinese
character for hum is written very similar to the character for cow
(pronounced as "niu"), and he mistakenly pronounced "hum" as
"niu."
The woman was delighted that she had finally learned a way to
practice. Every day she recited the mantra like the man had shown
her. To keep track of how many times she had recited, she kept a
pile of beans in front of her. Each time she said the mantra, she
moved a bean from one side to the other. With utmost sincerity and
singular focus, she said the mantra day in and day out. As time
passed, her practice progressed to the point that the body, mind,
and mouth were all reciting the mantra in unison. Every time she
said the mantra, a bean would automatically jump from one side to
the other. She did not have to move the beans at all.
Years passed. One day a mendicant monk passed through the village.
The woman was ecstatic to see a monastic coming through, and as it
was getting late, she invited the monk to stay for the night. When
it was time for her evening practice, she began to say the mantra,
"Om mani padme niu, …."The monk immediately realized that
she mispronounced the mantra and corrected her on the spot. Now
that the woman realized she had been mispronouncing the mantra, she
wanted to correct herself. From that point on, the beans no longer
jumped across the table on their own accord. In the past when there
was no discrimination in her mind, she was able to say the mantra
with single mindedness, so much so that even an inanimate object
like a bean was moved by her sincerity. Now that she was worried
about pronouncing the mantra correctly, she could no longer keep
her mind focused like before, and her practice actually suffered.
From this, we can see that while it is important to learn the
sutras and mantras correctly, it is even more critical to focus the
mind and do so with sincerity.
When we recite a mantra, we should not just recite it with our
speech. We should also do so with our body and mind, or else the
recitation is empty of meaning. Our hands should be in a mudra, and
our mind should focus on what we are saying. To help the mind
focus, it is a common practice in the Mantra school to contemplate
the Sanskrit symbols of mantra words. When we recite mantras with
our body, mind, and mouth, [we are in essence keeping the three
doors of karma closed to delusion] and providing the conditions for
our practice to grow. Reciting mantras in this manner can also help
us grow in wisdom, keep our mind on right thought, mollify the
effects of our unwholesome karma, attract goodness, and keep us
from harm's way. In fact, when non-Buddhists hear a recitation of a
mantra, a buddha seed is planted in their consciousness, which will
germinate given the right conditions. On a more practical note,
reciting mantras in a focused manner can help us stay calm in the
face of crises and help us view our problems in perspective.
http://www.blia.org/english/publications/booklet/pages/28.htm
/\