What role does chanting play in our spiritual development?

Chanting can be very beneficial if done with a proper motivation such as to prepare for future lives, attain liberation from cyclic existence, or become a Buddha to benefit others most effectively. For chanting to be effective in generating positive states of mind, we must try to concentrate and reflect upon the meaning of what we chant. Chanting profound prayers with a mind distracted by thoughts of food or work or parties has little effect. A tape recorder could also chant the names of the Buddha and say prayers! But if we transform our thoughts so they correspond to what we're chanting, then chanting becomes very powerful and beneficial.

A complete spiritual practice includes more than chanting. Listening to teachings, contemplating and discussing their meaning, and integrating them into our daily life enables us to think, feel, speak, and act in beneficial ways. Chanting alone cannot liberate us from cyclic existence. Deep meditation is necessary to generate the wisdom realizing selflessness.

What is the difference between a prayer and a mantra? Is it necessary to chant them in a foreign language that we don't understand?

Mantras are prescribed syllables to protect the mind. We want to protect our minds from attachment, anger, ignorance, and so on. Sometimes we seem to have an endless flow of internal chatter, with our mind making comments about what this person is wearing and what that person said. Reciting mantras is a skillful way to transform this tendency for internal chatter so that instead of commenting on useless, trivial things, we focus our mind on reciting syllables spoken by a Buddha. When combined with the four opponent powers (explained in the chapter on karma), mantra recitation acts as a powerful antidote that purifies negative karmic imprints on our mindstreams. While reciting mantras, we train our minds to think, feel, and visualize in beneficial ways, thus building up constructive mental and emotional habits. In addition, recitation of mantras calms our mind and heightens our concentration.

Mantras are recited in Sanskrit, rather than being translated into other languages, because they are the words spoken by a Buddha while in a deep state of meditation. The sound of these syllables can induce beneficial energy or vibration. While reciting a mantra, we can concentrate on the sound of the mantra, on its meaning, or on the accompanying visualizations that our spiritual mentor has taught us.

Prayers, on the other hand, were composed by great spiritual masters to help us develop constructive attitudes. They did this because sometimes we have difficulty differentiating between which attitudes and actions to practice and which to abandon in our Dharma practice. Prayers express the essence of constructive mental states, and when we think about the meaning of the prayers, our minds are transformed into those attitudes. Because understanding the meaning of the prayers is important, they can be translated from one language to another. Although chanting prayers in Asian languages can be quite lovely and inspiring, we can also do them in our own language because this facilitates our understanding.

What does the mantra om mani padme hum mean?

Om mani padme hum is the mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin, Kannon, Chenresig). The meaning of the entire path to enlightenment is contained in the six syllables of this mantra. Om refers to the body, speech, and mind of the Buddhas which is what we want to attain by our practice. Mani means jewel and refers to all the method aspects of the path -- the determination to be free from cyclic existence, compassion, generosity, ethics, patience, joyous effort, and so on. Padme (pronounced "pay may" by the Tibetans) means lotus and refers to the wisdom aspect of the path. By uniting both method and wisdom in a combined practice, we can purify our mindstreams of all defilements and develop all of our potentials. Hum (sometimes written hung) refers to the mind of all the Buddhas.

Recitation of om mani padme hum is very effective for purifying the mind and developing compassion. We may recite it out loud or silently, and at any time. For example, if we are waiting in a queue, instead of getting impatient and angry, we can mentally recite this mantra and generate compassionate thoughts for those around us.

There is the custom of giving an oral transmission of a mantra, which means a spiritual teacher recites it and we either listen or repeat it after him or her. This transmits to us the energy of the lineage of practitioners who have used this mantra, and it makes our recitation of the mantra more powerful. However, even without receiving the oral transmission of om mani padme hum we may recite it and receive benefit from its calming energy.

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