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If you’re like me, with a mind that buzzes so constantly I can’t turn it off, you’ll want to start using a mantram right away. Called “the energizing word,” the mantram puts in our hands enormous energy and power to bring inner peace. Jung would say that the mantram accesses a reservoir of supercharged, divine energy in the collective unconscious. Anyone can tap it. You can put the mantram to work for you in tough situations in your life. Here are some tips on choosing one, using it to help you, and how it can bring lasting peace.
- Choice of a mantram: if your experience with your own religious tradition was positive, look for your mantram there. If, say, you come from the Jewish tradtion and select “Baruch Atta Adanoi” from the mantrams listed below, your involvement in the tradition that produced it will make it even stronger when you say it. On the other hand, if your religious upbringing was a bad experience, better to stay clear of it. You may then look, say, to the Buddha’s “Om Mani Padme Hum,” which is a phrase not addressed to any God, calling upon “the jewel in the lotus of our heart” to reveal its splendor. Don’t try to invent your own phrase; remember, the mantrams listed below contain centuries of power poured into them by devoted repeaters of them:
Christian:
Jesus, Jesus
Hail Mary (Ave Maria)
My God and my All
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me
Kyrie Eleison (“Lord, have mercy”)
Jewish:
Baruch Atah Adanoi (“You are blessed, King of the Universe”)
Muslim:
Allaho Akbar (“God is great”)
Bismillah ir-rahman rahim (“In the Name of God: most gracious, most merciful”)
Hindu:
Rama, Rama
Om Nama Shivaya (“I bow to Lord Shiva”)
Om Bhavani (“In the Name of the Mother”)
Buddhist:
Om Mani Padme Hum (“The Jewel in the Lotus of the Heart”)
Buddho
Namo Amitofo (Namo Amida Butsu) (“I bow to the Buddha of Infinite Light”)
Namo Kuan Shih Yin Pusa (I bow to the Mother, the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin”)
Once you choose a mantram, stick with it. Success comes when you put all your energy into that single one.
- When to repeat your mantram: Here are some ways to get help by repeating the mantram silently in your mind:
-while you are waiting for someone, are on hold on the phone, or are in line
-when you’re in physical pain, like in the dentist’s chair or after an injury
-at night as you go to sleep, or while lying awake
-while doing any mechanical chore, like washing dishes or folding laundry
-when you are feeling afraid, angry, jealous, or insecure—any negative state
-when walking, jogging, swimming, or on the treadmill
-you can write your mantram on a sheet of paper or in a notebook
- How peace can flood your mind with the mantram: My mother, ill with Parkinson’s for many years, chose the mantram Rama (also her grandson’s name) and repeated it during her last hours. Of all the times fear can grip you with frozen terror, the time of death has got to be the worst. The last word I remember her saying was, “Rama, Rama,” and then she lapsed into a sleep—a peaceful sleep, which was her last, but there was a smile on her face. Instead of clutching life and fearing what lay beyond, Mom surged contentedly into that realm of peace with which the mantram reverberates. I see this use of the mantram as proof of its ability to bring peace. It does so not just at the end of life, but in any spare minutes or difficult situations in which we choose to repeat it rather than letting the mind just teem with thoughts. Try it—you will be glad you heard about it.
Dr. Stephen Ruppenthal is the author of The Path of Direct Awakening: Passages for Meditation. He is also the co-author of Eknath Easwaran’s edition of The Dhammapada and the author of Keats and Zen. He has taught meditation and courses on Han Shan at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Dr. Ruppenthal is an international workshop leader in passage meditation and in courses for those looking for end of life spiritual care and for the spiritual step component of twelve step programs. Visit Stephen’s work at www.directawakenings.com.
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