In past posts, we have talked about how there are many types of meditations and under that many more ways of meditating. Meditation styles will differ; from transcendental meditation to meditation on an object, for example. Under Buddhist meditation you will find many varieties as well, some are breathing based and some are matra based. Breathing meditations are where we use the tickle of air going in and out of the tip of our noses for Vipassana or “breathing” meditation, in Mantra meditation we will use the reciting of phrases to both be a focus for our minds and a sound for greater awareness.

“Om Mani Padme Hum” is one of the more well known mantas you will hear. From pop movies with Buddhist themes to how-to CD’s, this one phrase is the sound of Buddhist meditation. To recite this over and over, one is attempting to bring on the power of the mantra, or the blessing of Chenrezig, the one the mantra is really speaking with. All mantras will be speaking to a subject, some will be asking for the embodiment of one who is now enlightened for instance. Chenrezig is in Tibet one of the most recognized deities of Tibetan Buddhism, he is the embodiment of compassion.

So, when we meditate by reciting the mantra, it helps to know what the mantra is about and whom it’s speaking with; it helps to focus on those attributes as you meditate. If you are seeking greater compassion, then you recite “Om Mani Padme Hum” and you are meditating with Chenrezig, like using a key to unlock the door by which Chenrezig sits behind. To access them, you use this mantra.

One doesn’t have to sit and recite the mantra either, often we will see spinning copper wheels that look almost like lint rollers. I’m sure my analogy will make a few laugh. The wheels can be seen as the main photo of this post. The more you spin the more you send the words out and seek compassion from Chenrezig.

How to pronounce the words is important, the mantra is pronounced as follows: Om (ohm), Ma (mah), Ni (nee), Pad (pahd), Me (may), Hum (hum).

Before we begin with this meditation, I want you to read and become familiar with whom Chenrezig is; one of the best sites to explore that are www.chenrezigproject.org/chenrezig.htm.

Now to perform the meditation we need to again find our meditation spot or a comfortable spot where we will not be interrupted. Often I’m asked whether we need to be sitting in a particular way or position, and the answer is yes and no, we will try to cover that later but for now we just want to pick what is comfortable and what you might be used to. For some, that might be half lotus and for others it could mean sitting upright in a chair. So long as you keep your focus and don’t fall asleep, it’s up to you.

After we have settled, we want to think about why were are here, it’s to seek help and feel the energy of Chenrezig, using this powerful intention of compassion to help our minds focus. Now we want to take a few deep breaths and relax.

When we are ready, we want to start to recite the mantra but not in a hurried manner. Maybe at a count of two, if a measure of music is in 4/4 time we want to recite each to a count of  two. This is a nice rhythm for feeling each of the words. Try not to speed up and just get through the meditation but feel the resonance of the sound. If 2/4 time is too quick and you can’t feel the vibrations in your body, slow it down. You do not want to only hear but feel the words. As you say the mantra you want to try to get the full mantra out on one breath also a full mantra recited on an inhalation of breath:

Inhale…ommmmmm maaa neee paaaaddh huuummmm

Exhale…ommmmmm maaa neee paaaaddh huuummmm

When you go from word to word, let them blend into each other, almost like one constant sound. The only real mistake one can make in this process is to say them too quickly and not feel them int he body.

Recite for as long as you like, of course, the goal is to be able to sit for longer and longer periods of time, using the mantra as a way to keep your focus and surround yourself with vibrations. Start with 10 minutes and move further and further in time as you practice. Try to also stay with one mantra for a while, we want to focus on the principles of the mantra as we meditate on them. Let the words steep into your consciousness. This could be a year, a month, a week but know that the less time you spend the less benefits you will receive.

Meditation is a process and not a flavor of bubble gum to be picked that morning out of a box of colored bits.

Other popular mantras:

Simple English phrases such as; “I am at peace” or “I am calm.”

“Om,” or the sound created by the vibration of the creation of the Universe in Hindu thinking.

Photo By coquetboy

Books I own and love, for just the right mantras:

A koan is a simple saying that a Zen Buddhist (Zen Buddhism is a form of Mahayana Buddhism) teacher will give to a student, the answer to that saying or question is not important; rather it is the journey and intuition gained while meditation on that koan that is the key. Koan’s are key concepts in Zen Buddhism where the koan is a reflection of an enlightened mind, meant to bring a mind into awareness.  The really great part about koan, I think, is how steeped in history they are. Koan’s are usually tales or small stories from the lives of great masters in the past. Moments that they experienced that in themselves are enlightened moments. Practicing these meditations will help focus the mind. Much like focusing on breath in a Vipassana meditation.

Koan meditation is very intricate and very difficult to perform alone, meaning you really should have an experienced teacher to guide you. Not that it’s hard to ponder and focus on a saying but the role of the teacher is to help guide your mind back by asking more questions. All this is part of the process, from the Zen Buddhist perspective, of separating the self from the ego.

Two koans that give me a chuckle but also have given me insight over the years are also two very classic koans:

If you meet the Buddha, kill him.

-Linji

Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?

-Hakuin Ekaku

The first time I saw those two, they came up on a “365 Days of Buddha Calendar” I had on my desk. Yet think about those two sayings, think about them. There is no right answer but there is right thinking, and this is at the heart of Buddhism. This is the “how-to” part of this post, I want you to meditate on those two sayings and when you think you have the answer, think again.

Sit for as long as you like, preferably in a comfortable position, and work the koans in your mind until you have the answer. If you liked this exercise, you might consider buying a Zen Card Pack, much like a deck of cards, a koan for each day of meditation.

Zen Koan Card Pack (Book and Cards in Case)

*Photo by Hamed Saber

Yesterday was one of those days, you wake-up completely on the wrong side of the bed. Tripping, spilling, cursing the morning away. I thought for sure it was going to be a horrible day. To boot, I’m late and there is ice all over my car. So, after de-icing the car and cranking up the heat I feel the heat of being late. Not that I was going to get in trouble, I just really hate to be late anywhere. So, there I am in my car, driving through my neighborhood, thinking of nothing but being late and how bad of a morning it was.

Freeze……Can you see how the day is shaping? It’s going to be bad and I’m determined to make it so. Ok Go!

As I get to a corner in my neighborhood I notice my neighbor and her grandchild waiting for the bus. This woman always waves to me and I wave back but it will take a huge undertaking to remove my negative thoughts. And then it happend. Although I might have been 20 degrees and ice everywhere, her Grandchild looked up with that pom on top of her knitted cap and her stripped mittens to “smile and wave” at me. I was stuck in my tracks, unable to move.

The moment of seeing a child smile and wave changed everything. I felt that “Inner Smile” blurb up and fill my body. The last thing to hit was the smile on my face. A simple act of joy and a smile melted me, turned everything around.

I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way to work…..then it cascaded to a spring in my step and my humor…….I felt like bouncing to every meeting.

The “Inner smile”, from Lao Tzu to Buddha, a concept of love from the inside.

What I felt was a massive amount of Qi cultivation at that moment, continuing throughout the day, thinking of my Qigong instructor saying “let a smile float up to your face” only brought more Qi. My practice of “Loving-Kindness” as of late came to mind as well and I was again washed in Qi and calm.

Some call it the Buddha Nature or Loving-Kindness and some call it the “Inner Smile”, I called it unexpected.

This just goes to show how much of a quality day we create by just thinking it as well as the power of a wave and a smile from another being.

For meditation and more articles:

Meditation from Yoga Journal

Metta: The Practice of Loving Kindness by Kris Vockler