The Joy of Mantra Chanting

Mantra chanting is the process of repeating a word or phrase, often taken from the Sanskrit language. Mantras are a powerful series of mystic syllables that have an esoteric meaning. In other words, they are sacred word formulas that magnetize particular aspects of God to whoever is singing or chanting them.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, disciples recite mantras to invoke the power and presence of a divine being. In some traditions, devotees use mantras in spiritual meditation to help them become one with the deity they are invoking.

Buddhist mantra chanting is perhaps best known for one particular famous mantra. The video clip below is an elaborate example of mantra chanting and a beautiful piece of music in its own right. It's Tibetan Buddhist Monks chanting the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, which means "Hail to the jewel in the lotus".

It's a mantra to Avalokiteshvara (a representation of Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion). It sounds a lot like singing a short song over and over. Some mantras are chanted to a particular tune like this one (though there are many variations in tune), while others are just chanted in monotone - every word spoken at the same pitch.

Hindu mantra chanting comes in many different forms and interpretations, just as with Buddhist mantras. The devotion of the chanting devotees comes across well in the simple unvaried tune of this Gayatri mantra. The mantra being chanted here means...

"Lord of strength, creator of the universe, destroyer of pain, embodiment of happiness: You are that which is greatest and shines like the sun; your divinity destroys sins; your inspiration guides our intellect."

Kuan Yin is the Goddess of Mercy and is greatly revered in the East. You can call to her for mercy and intercession in your life using the mantra in the video below. The words are "namo guan shih yin pusa" (hail to Kuan Yin boddhisattva).

Although Buddhism and Hinduism are the obvious religions to turn to when you want to find a few mantras to chant, there is another religion that we mustn't neglect here.

Christianity has mantras of its own, although they are not generally used as such by practising Christians. Jesus gave his disciples a mantra of their own when he said I AM the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Remembering the Old Testament explanation of the words "I AM" as one of the names of God, we can understand a universal meaning here which affirms that God in me is the way, the truth, and the life.

Looking also to New Age Spirituality, we find a newer mantra to invoke the violet flame, also known as the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Ascended Master Saint Germain tells us that...

"All problems of the economy, the ecology, and the government can be resolved if you will take only ten minutes each day to go within and to find your own God Self, to meditate and to use the science of the spoken Word whereby you chant the mantra of the free: I AM a being of violet fire - I AM the purity God desires! This is my mantra which I give to you as your initiation into the Aquarian age."
(From The Science of the Spoken Word

by Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet).

Here's another mantra that will increase your power to love and be loved: I AM the resurrection and the life of every cell and atom of my heart now made manifest! You can replace 'heart' with 'body' to support your overall health, or name other organs to facilitate their healing and wellness.

For more mantras to the violet flame, click here