what is mantra

• gigabyte14

  5 Feb 08, 04:33

  

• seotiblizzard

  5 Feb 08, 05:01

  ????

• LatecomerX

  5 Feb 08, 05:39

  mantra (măn'trə, mŭn'-)

  n.
  1. Hinduism. A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities.
  2. A commonly repeated word or phrase: “Today's edutainment software comes shrinkwrapped in the magic mantra: ‘makes learning fun.’” (Clifford Stoll).

  
  Source: Answers.com

   

• Hello Kitty

  5 Feb 08, 06:57

  u mean u duno???

• laurence82

  5 Feb 08, 08:21

  dictionary kum lan one?

• ^tamago^

  5 Feb 08, 13:50

  mods pls close thread

  and ban spank 鸡加白

  thanks

• gigabyte14

  6 Feb 08, 09:15

  Originally posted by ^tamago^:

  mods pls close thread

  and ban spank 鸡加白

  thanks

  

• laurence82

  6 Feb 08, 09:29

  1. na mo ho la da nu do la ye ye,
  2. na mo o li ye,
  3. po lu je di sho bo la ye,
  4. pu ti sa do po ye,
  5. mo ho sa do po ye,
  6. mo ho jia lu ni jia ye,
  7. an,
  8. sa bo la fa yi,
  9. su da nu da sia,
  10. na mo si ji li do yi mung o li ye,
  11. po lu ji di, sho fo la ling to po,
  12. na mo nu la jin cho,
  13. si li mo ho po do sha me,
  14. sa po wo to do shu pung,
  15. wo si yun,
  16. sa po sa do na mo po sa do na mo po che,
  17. mo fa to do,
  18. da dzo to,
  19. an, o po lu si,
  20. lu jia di,
  21. jia lo di,
  22. i si li,
  23. mo ho pu ti sa do,
  24. sa po sa po,
  25. mo la mo la,
  26. mo si mo si li to yun,
  27. ji lu ju lu, jie mong,
  28. du lu du lu fa she ye di,
  29. mo ho fa she ye di,
  30. to la to la,
  31. di li ni,
  32. shi fo la ye,
  33. zhe la zhe la,
  34. mo mo, fa mo la,
  35. mu di li,
  36. yi si yi si,
  37. shi nu shi nu,
  38. o la son, fo la so li,
  39. fa sha fa son,
  40. fo la she ye,
  41. hu lu hu lu mo la,
  42. hu lu hu lu si li,
  43. so la so la,
  44. si li si li,
  45. su lu su lu,
  46. pu ti ye, pu ti ye,
  47. pu to ye, pu to ye,
  48. mi di li ye,
  49. nu la jin cho,
  50. di li so ni nu,
  51. po ye mo nu,
  52. so po ho,
  53. si to ye,
  54. so po ho,
  55. mo ho si to ye,
  56. so po ho,
  57. si to yu yi,
  58. shi bo la ye,
  59. so po ho,
  60. no la jin cho,
  61. so po ho,
  62. mo la nu la,
  63. so po ho,
  64. si la son o mo chi ye,
  65. so po ho,
  66. so po mo ho o si to ye,
  67. so po ho,
  68. zhe ji la o xi to ye,
  69. so po ho,
  70. bo fo mo jie si to ye,
  71. so po ho,
  72. nu la jin cho bo che la ye,
  73. so po ho,
  74. mo po li song ji la ye,
  75. so po ho,
  76. na mo ho la ta nu do la ye ye,
  77. na mo o li ye,
  78. po lu ji di,
  79. sho bo la ye,
  80. so po ho,
  81. an si den,
  82. man do la,
  83, ba to ye,
  84. so po ho.

• MohamedF

  6 Feb 08, 14:35

  Cannot tell... OSA...

• Daisuke-kun

  6 Feb 08, 14:38

  copied from wikipedia

   

   

  Mantra

  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Jump to: navigation, search

  For other uses, see Mantra (disambiguation).

  This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

  

  

  In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of meditation.

  A mantra (Devan�garī मन�त�र) is a religious or mystical syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words or vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in the Vedic religion of India, later becoming an essential part of the Hindu tradition and a customary practice within Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The use of mantras is now widespread throughout various spiritual movements which are based on, or off-shoots of, the practices in the earlier Eastern religions.

  Mantras are interpreted to be effective as sound (vibration), to the effect that great emphasis is put on correct pronunciation (resulting in an early development of a science of phonetics in India). They are intended to deliver the mind from illusion and material inclinations. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra.

  Khanna (2003: p.21) links mantras and yantras to thoughtforms:

  Mantras, the Sanskrit syllables inscribed on yantras, are essentially 'thought forms' representing divinities or cosmic powers, which exert their influence by means of sound-vibrations.

  Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Introduction 3 Mantra in Hinduism 3.1 Mantra japa 3.2 Some Hindu mantras 3.3 Lead me from ignorance to truth 3.4 Hare Krishna Maha-mantra 3.5 The shanti mantras 3.6 Universal prayer 3.7 List of Major Hindu Mantras 4 Mantra in Zoroastrianism 5 Mantra in Buddhism 5.1 Mantra in Shingon Buddhism 5.2 Mantra in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism 5.2.1 Om mani padme hum 5.2.2 Some other mantras in Tibetan Buddhism 6 Mantra in Sikhism 7 Mantra in other traditions or contexts 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links 11.1 Buddhist mantra 11.1.1 Buddhist mantra calligraphy 11.2 Hindu mantra 11.3 Other

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  [edit] Etymology

  The Sanskrit word mantra- (m. मन�त�रः, also n. मन�त�रं) consists of the root man- "to think" (also in manas "mind") and the suffix -tra meaning, tool, hence a literal translation would be "instrument of thought".

  Another explanation is that the suffix -tra means "protection".^[1]

  The Chinese translation is zhenyan 眞言, 真言, literally "true words", the Japanese on'yomi reading of the Chinese being shingon.

  [edit] Introduction

  Part of a series on Hinduism
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  In the context of the Vedas, the term "mantra" refers to the entire portion which contains the texts called Rig, Yajus or Saman, that is, the metrical part as opposed to the prose Brahmana commentary. With the transition from ritualistic Vedic religion to mystical and egalitarian Hindu schools of Yoga, Vedanta, Tantra and Bhakti, the orthodox attitude of the elite nature of mantra knowledge gave way to spiritual interpretations of mantras as a translation of the human will or desire into a form of action, with some features in common with spells in general.^[2] For the authors of the Hindu scriptures of the Upanishads, the syllable Aum, itself constituting a mantra, represents Brahman, the godhead, as well as the whole of creation. KÅ«kai suggests that all sounds are the voice of the Dharmakaya Buddha — i.e. as in Hindu Upanishadic and Yogic thought, these sounds are manifestations of ultimate reality, in the sense of sound symbolism postulating that the vocal sounds of the mantra have inherent meaning independent of the understanding of the person uttering them. Nevertheless, such understanding of what a mantra may symbolise or how it may function differs throughout the various traditions and also depends on the context in which it is written or sounded. In some instances there are multiple layers of symbolism associated with each sound, many of which are specific to particular schools of thought. For an example of such see the syllable: Aum which is central to both Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

  While Hindu tantra eventually came to see the letters as well as the sounds as representatives of the divine, it was when Buddhism travelled to China that a major shift in emphasis towards writing came about. China lacked a unifying, ecclesiastic language like Sanskrit, and achieved its cultural unity by having a written language that was flexible in pronunciation but more precise in terms of the concepts that each character represented. The Chinese prized written language much more highly than did the Indian Buddhist missionaries, and the writing of mantras became a spiritual practice in its own right. So that whereas Brahmins had been very strict on correct pronunciation, the Chinese, and indeed other Far-Eastern Buddhists were less concerned with this than correctly writing something down. The practice of writing mantras, and copying texts as a spiritual practice, became very refined in Japan, and the writing in the Siddham script in which the Sanskrit of many Buddhist Sutras were written is only really seen in Japan nowadays. However, written mantra-repetition in Hindu practices, with Sanskrit in any number of scripts, is well-known to many sects in India as well.

  [edit] Mantra in Hinduism

  This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

  Mantras were originally conceived in the great Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. Within practically all Hindu scriptures, the writing is formed in painstakingly crafted two line "shlokas" and most mantras follow this pattern, although mantras are often found in single line or even single word combinations.

  

  

  Aum

  The most basic mantra is Aum, which in Hinduism is known as the "pranava mantra," the source of all mantras. The philosophy behind this is the Hindu idea of nama-rupa (name-form), which supposes that all things, ideas or entities in existence, within the phenomenological cosmos, have name and form of some sort. The most basic name and form is the primordial vibration of Aum, as it is the first manifested nama-rupa of Brahman, the unmanifest reality/unreality. Essentially, before existence and beyond existence is only One reality, Brahman, and the first manifestation of Brahman in existence is Aum. For this reason, Aum is considered to be the most fundamental and powerful mantra, and thus is prefixed and suffixed to all Hindu prayers. While some mantras may invoke individual Gods or principles, the most fundamental mantras, like 'Aum,' the 'Shanti Mantra,' the 'Gayatri Mantra' and others all ultimately focus on the One reality.

  In the Hindu tantra the universe is sound. The supreme (para) brings forth existence through the Word (Shabda). Creation consists of vibrations at various frequencies and amplitudes giving rise to the phenomena of the world. The purest vibrations are the var.na, the imperishable letters which are revealed to us, imperfectly as the audible sounds and visible forms.

  Var.nas are the atoms of sound. A complex symbolic association was built up between letters and the elements, gods, signs of the zodiac, parts of the body -- letters became rich in these associations. For example in the Aitrareya-aranya-Upanishad we find:

  "The mute consonants represent the earth, the sibilants the sky, the vowels heaven. The mute consonants represent fire, the sibilants air, the vowels the sun? The mute consonants represent the eye, the sibilants the ear, the vowels the mind"

  In effect each letter became a mantra and the language of the Vedas, Sanskrit, corresponds profoundly to the nature of things. Thus the Vedas come to represent reality itself. The seed syllable Aum represents the underlying unity of reality, which is Brahman.

  [edit] Mantra japa

  This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

  Mantra japa was a concept of the Vedic sages that incorporates mantras as one of the main forms of puja, or worship, whose ultimate end is seen as moksha/liberation. Essentially, Mantra Japa means repetition of mantra, and has become an established practice of all Hindu streams, from the various Yoga to Tantra. It involves repetition of a mantra over and over again, usually in cycles of auspicious numbers (in multiples of three), the most popular being 108. For this reason, Hindu malas (bead necklaces) developed, containing 108 beads and a head bead (sometimes referred to as the 'meru', or 'guru' bead). The devotee performing japa using his/her fingers counts each bead as he/she repeats the chosen mantra. Having reached 108 repetitions, if he/she wishes to continue another cycle of mantras, the devotee must turn the mala around without crossing the head bead and repeat.

  It is said that through japa the devotee attains one-pointedness, or extreme focus, on the chosen deity or principal idea of the mantra. The vibrations and sounds of the mantra are considered extremely important, and thus reverberations of the sound are supposed to awaken the prana or spiritual life force and even stimulate chakras according to many Hindu schools of thought.

  Any shloka from holy Hindu texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutra, even the Mahabharata , Ramayana, Durga saptashati or Chandi are considered powerful enough to be repeated to great effect, and have therefore the status of a mantra.

  A very common mantra is formed by taking a deity's name, called Nama japa, and saluting it in such a manner: "Aum namah ------" or "Aum Jai (Hail!) ------" or several such permutations. Common examples are "Aum namah Shivaya" (Aum I bow to Lord Shiva), "Aum Namo Narayanaya"; or "Aum Namo Bhagavate Vasudevãya," (Salutations to the Universal God Vishnu), "Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah" (Aum to Shri Ganesha) and "Aum Kalikayai Namah" and "Aum Hrim Chandikãyai Namah." (i.e., mantras to Devi.)

  Repeating an entire mantric text, such as the Durga Saptashati, in its entirety is called patha.

  [edit] Some Hindu mantras

  This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

  Arguably the most representative mantra of all the Hindu mantras is the famed Gayatri Mantra:

  � भूर�भ�वस�व: |

  तत�सवित�र�वरेण�यम� |

  भर�गो देवस�य धीमहि |

  धियो यो न: प�रचोदयात�

  Aum Bhūr Bhuva Svaha

  (Aum) Tat Savitur Varenyam

  Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi

  Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachoday�t, (Aum)

  It is considered one of the most universal of all Hindu mantras, invoking the universal Brahman as the principle of knowledge and the illumination of the primordial, Sun.

  [edit] Lead me from ignorance to truth

  असतोमा सद�गमय। तमसोमा ज�योतिर� गमया।

  मृत�योर�मामृतं गमय॥

  Aum Asato m� sad gamaya

  Tamaso m� jyotir gamaya

  Mṛtyorm� amṛtam gamaya

  Aum ś�nti ś�nti ś�ntiḥ

  (Bṛhad�raṇyaka Upaniṣad I.iii.28)

  "From ignorance, lead me to truth; From darkness, lead me to light; From death, lead me into immortality"

  [edit] Hare Krishna Maha-mantra

  

  

  Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

  For main article see Hare Krishna

  A mantra comprising of the names Hare, Krishna and Rama. It appears originally in the Kali-Saṇṭ�raṇa Upaniṣad (Kali Santarana Upanisad):

  Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

  Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

  Hare Rama Hare Rama

  Rama Rama Hare Hare

  In the 16th century, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, along with his followers, spread this mantra across India through public congregational chanting (sankirtan). Chaitanya and his followers traveled from town to town singing this mantra, claiming that it would awaken love of Krishna (bhakti) in whoever happened to hear it. It is often referred to as the 'Maha Mantra' by practitioners.

  In 1966, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness), a branch of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, and introduced the Hare Krishna mantra to the West, describing it as: "an easy yet sublime way of liberation in the Age of Kali."

  [edit] The shanti mantras

  Aum sahanaavavatu

  Sahanau bhunaktu

  Saha viiryan karavaavahai

  Tejasvi naavadhiitamastu

  Maa vidvishhaavahai

  May we be protected together.

  May we be nourished together.

  May we work together with great vigor.

  May our study be enlightening

  May no obstacle arise between us.

  � शान�तिः शान�तिः शान�तिः

  Aum shaantih shaantih shaantih

  Aum peace, peace, peace.

  -- Black[krishna] Yajurveda Taittiriya Upanishad 2.2.2

  [edit] Universal prayer

  सर�वेषां स�वस�ति भवत� । सर�वेषां शान�तिर�भवत� ।

  सर�वेषां पूर�नं भवत� । सर�वेषां मड�गलं भवत� ॥

  Sarveś�m Svastir Bhavatu

  Sarveś�m S�ntir Bhavatu

  Sarveś�m Pūrnam Bhavatu

  Sarveś�m Mangalam Bhavatu

  (May good befall all, May there be peace for all, May all be fit for perfection, and May all experience that which is auspicious.)

  सर�वे भवन�त� स�खिनः। सर�वे सन�त� निरामयाः।

  सर�वे भद�राणि पश�यन�त�। मा कश�चित� द�ःख भाग�भवेत�॥

  Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ | Sarve santu nir�may�ḥ

  sarve bhadr�ṇi paśyantu | M� kaścit duḥkha bh�gbhavet||

  (Om, May all be happy. May all be healthy. May we all experience what is good and let no one suffer. Om, Peace, Peace, Peace!)

  [edit] List of Major Hindu Mantras

  • Tryambakam
  • SÅ«rya namaskÄ�ra
  • Soham "I am He"
  • Ram Nam

  The usage of Mantras is described in various texts which constitute Mantra Shastra.

  [edit] Mantra in Zoroastrianism

  Indo-Iranian *mantra is preserved in Avestan manthra, effectively meaning "word" but with far-reaching implications: Manthras are inherently "true" (aša), and the proper recitation of them brings about (realizes) what is inherently true in them. It may then be said that manthras are both an expression of being and "right working" and the recitation of them is crucial to the maintenance of order and being. (See also: Avestan aša- and Vedic á¹›tá-)

  Indo-Iranian *sÄ�tyas mantras (Yasna 31.6: haiθÄ«m mathrem) thus "does not simply mean 'true Word' but formulated thought which is in conformity with the reality' or 'poetic (religious) formula with inherent fulfillment (realization).'"^[3]

  [edit] Mantra in Buddhism

  This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

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  While similar to practices of Vedic society, some traditions of Buddhism have developed their own distinctive understandings and practices of mantra. For example, the use of mantra in Tibetan Buddhism has evolved in dialogue with Bön and other Himalayan shamanic practice.

  [edit] Mantra in Shingon Buddhism

  Kūkai (774-835), a noted Buddhist monk, advanced a general theory of language based on his analysis of two forms of Buddhist ritual language: dharani (dh�ra.nī) and mantra. Mantra is restricted to esoteric Buddhist practice whereas dharani is found in both esoteric and exoteric ritual. Dharanis for instance are found in the Heart Sutra. The term "shingon" (lit true word) is a Japanese translation of the Chinese term for mantra, chen yen.

  The word dharani derives from

• bohiruci

  6 Feb 08, 15:35

  Originally posted by laurence82:

  1. na mo ho la da nu do la ye ye,
  2. na mo o li ye,
  3. po lu je di sho bo la ye,
  4. pu ti sa do po ye,
  5. mo ho sa do po ye,
  6. mo ho jia lu ni jia ye,
  7. an,
  8. sa bo la fa yi,
  9. su da nu da sia,
  10. na mo si ji li do yi mung o li ye,
  11. po lu ji di, sho fo la ling to po,
  12. na mo nu la jin cho,
  13. si li mo ho po do sha me,
  14. sa po wo to do shu pung,
  15. wo si yun,
  16. sa po sa do na mo po sa do na mo po che,
  17. mo fa to do,
  18. da dzo to,
  19. an, o po lu si,
  20. lu jia di,
  21. jia lo di,
  22. i si li,
  23. mo ho pu ti sa do,
  24. sa po sa po,
  25. mo la mo la,
  26. mo si mo si li to yun,
  27. ji lu ju lu, jie mong,
  28. du lu du lu fa she ye di,
  29. mo ho fa she ye di,
  30. to la to la,
  31. di li ni,
  32. shi fo la ye,
  33. zhe la zhe la,
  34. mo mo, fa mo la,
  35. mu di li,
  36. yi si yi si,
  37. shi nu shi nu,
  38. o la son, fo la so li,
  39. fa sha fa son,
  40. fo la she ye,
  41. hu lu hu lu mo la,
  42. hu lu hu lu si li,
  43. so la so la,
  44. si li si li,
  45. su lu su lu,
  46. pu ti ye, pu ti ye,
  47. pu to ye, pu to ye,
  48. mi di li ye,
  49. nu la jin cho,
  50. di li so ni nu,
  51. po ye mo nu,
  52. so po ho,
  53. si to ye,
  54. so po ho,
  55. mo ho si to ye,
  56. so po ho,
  57. si to yu yi,
  58. shi bo la ye,
  59. so po ho,
  60. no la jin cho,
  61. so po ho,
  62. mo la nu la,
  63. so po ho,
  64. si la son o mo chi ye,
  65. so po ho,
  66. so po mo ho o si to ye,
  67. so po ho,
  68. zhe ji la o xi to ye,
  69. so po ho,
  70. bo fo mo jie si to ye,
  71. so po ho,
  72. nu la jin cho bo che la ye,
  73. so po ho,
  74. mo po li song ji la ye,
  75. so po ho,
  76. na mo ho la ta nu do la ye ye,
  77. na mo o li ye,
  78. po lu ji di,
  79. sho bo la ye,
  80. so po ho,
  81. an si den,
  82. man do la,
  83, ba to ye,
  84. so po ho.

   

  Thats Great Compassion Mantra by Avalokiteshvara :)

   

   

   

• laurence82

  6 Feb 08, 16:27

  Originally posted by bohiruci:

   

  Bingo!

• seotiblizzard

  10 Feb 08, 16:44

  This is mantra.

• rlsh07

  10 Feb 08, 16:45

  Originally posted by seotiblizzard:

  This is mantra.

  
  wat's wat though?