Buddha's mantra

Buddha mantras to help make life better and happier

Professor Le Tu Hy gave an overview of mantras and mantras in Buddhism. He said the mantra is derived from the Hindu Vedas in India, which appeared about 3500 years ago.

In the spirit of the Vedic scriptures, the universe is called Jagat, that is, that which is in motion, because everything that exists is due to the combination of forces and motion, and each movement produces vibrations. and has its own sound.

According to the Vedas, a mantra is the sound form of an entity that has the power to bring the entity it represents into existence. Broadly speaking, a mantra is a form of psychoactive speech that has a direct effect on the body, on emotions, on the mind of the person, and even on the processes of transforming objects. substances in nature.

According to Khanna: Mantras are written Sanskrit syllables, essentially "thought forms" representing divinity or cosmic energies, exerting their influence through tonal vibrations. bar. So. In India, in religious rites, people are very concerned with the correct pronunciation of the Sanskrit mantra.

Next, going into analysis of the Sanskrit etymology of the mantra is mantra and dhāraṇī. He thinks that the distinction between dhāraṇī and mantra is difficult to be clear. It can be said that all mantras are dhāraṇī, but not all dhāraṇī are mantras. Mantras tend to be shorter than dhāraṇī. “Both dhāraṇī and mantra contain some incomprehensible sounding parts like Om, or Hūm, which perhaps is why some people consider them essentially meaningless. Mantra is used exclusively for Buddhist rites of a secret nature while dhāranī is found used in both secret and (public) rituals. said the professor.

Talking about mantras in Buddhism, the professor said that Buddhism appeared about 500 years before the solar calendar, that is, after Hinduism with the Vedas about 1000 years. When Buddhism did not appear, mantras were used in the Vedas.

In the early days of Buddhism, the Buddhists did not accept the use of mantras because mantras are closely associated with the Vedas which are pagan to Buddhism. Moreover, in some mantras, there are also wishes for material gain, which is contrary to the Buddhadharma. But in some of the Pāli Canons such as the Ratana Sutta, the Karaṇīyamettā Sutta, and the Maṅgala Sutta are recited to protect the ascetics in the wilderness from evil delusions, evil, and attacks by wild animals. , snakes,...It is considered the first form of mantra in Buddhism.

The professor also cited, according to Edward Conze, the use of mantras in Buddhism can be divided into 3 stages:

Stage One: Like the Indians, Buddhists use mantras as protective spells to ward off harmful influences.

- Stage Two: Conze notes that later mantras were used more to protect the spiritual life of the mantra, and mantra passages began to be added in some Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra = saddharmapuṇḍarῑka sūtra), and the Lang Gia Sutra (Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra).

- Stage three: beginning around the 7th century, the mantra reaches its prime stage of development and becomes a means of salvation in its own right. Suttas that teach the practice of mantras in Tibetan Buddhism (Tantra) began to gain momentum in the 6th and 7th centuries, with distinct forms of Buddhism appearing as early as the early 7th century. around 300 AD.

According to the professor, mantras have become a major part of the practice of Esoteric Buddhism, which originated in Vajrayāna in India and later evolved into Buddhism. Tibet and Shingon in Japan.

For example, in the Mahāvarocana Sūtra of the Mantras, explains the power of mantras as follows: "Thanks to the initial vows of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, a divine power is contained in the mantra's power. mantras, so by reciting mantras, one gains immeasurable merit.”

And Vajrayāna Buddhism in present-day Tibet was originally named Mantrayāna, which means Mantra Vehicle, Mantra Path, or Mantra-Based...