MANTRAS
The MANTRA is used by almost every MAHAYANA group, and each tailors the practices and visualizations to fit their philosophy and requirements.
To many it would appear rather absurd that a Mantra could achieve so much, and this is understandable considering the fact that Mantras are often used with folly as a panacea for personal social problems or for other selfish reasons by those with little understanding.
Used in this way, with mindless rites and ceremony or as a rote exercise, Mantras are quite ineffective, although they continue to be used by misguided masters rather like the spells of wizards of legend. Although quite impotent when used in this manner, their use nonetheless calls legions of believers to the side of these masters.
It is, however, because Mantras can work if they are used correctly that so many ineffective Mantras have been presented by apparently wise men and are clung to by those who want easy answers. This abuse has led to the common belief that Mantras are magical, and this has urged many who refute superstition and have their feet firmly planted in this world to shy away from an important psychological tool which aids growth and development.
THE SUBSTANCE OF MANTRAS
One could, in explanation of effective Mantras, create a cloud of esoteric words and ideas which might be convincing proof of their power. Indeed this has often been done, and the sad result is the further abuse of Mantras and unfortunate misunderstanding of their real great utility and force. It is necessary, therefore, that we should take a correct course and explain, without esoteric flim-flam, the details which will make the use of a Mantra both more understandable and productive, for many Mantras can be effective and really do work if all the correct conditions of their use are met.
A Mantra is a series of sounds or syllables (you may call them words if you wish) used alone or in a simple line or phrase, as DHARANA. Each Mantra line has a certain esoteric but not complex significance which is said to be both SECRET and MYSTICAL. It may be said that if a Mantra is chanted or recited correctly, then it will certainly have a positive effect upon both the reciter and the listener. Sometimes a Mantra may be the carrier of a known concept. Sometimes it may be a sound in its own right, without cognitive meaning, with an independent resonance which, when heard, produces a particular desired effect. The variety of effects of any Mantra depend upon the contents of the Mantra, the way it is chanted or spoken, and the preparedness of the reciter or listener who is receptive to the resonance.
We have said that Mantras are considered by many to be SECRET, but the word SECRET suggests that the knowledge of a Mantra is prohibited. This is a complete misconception. The sounds or phonemes have significance which CAN be understood. That significance is not specific and is therefore sometimes DIFFICULT to comprehend, so the teachings are RESTRICTED to those who are able to benefit.
What this non-specific significance actually does is prevent the sounds from eliciting a variety of SENSATIONS, EMOTIONS, and THOUGHTS from MEMORY so that they are perceived upon the SCREEN OF CONSCIOUSNESS. When these debilitating experiences are present they are completely antagonistic to Mantras and their use. A Mantra consists of a single or series of binary sounds, each without specific significance.
To be effective, this series of sounds must not create a fixed significance when those elements are chained together. If a group of phonemes within the group, HE LA DA NWO DWO LA YE for example, were to become, through repetition, the equivalent of a cognitive phrase or concept embraced by intellect, then nothing would be achieved by using syllables. We would actually only have constructed a new language, creating a situation which would encourage a clinging to the meaning, instead of allowing the concept to rest unhindered quietly in CONSCIOUS AWARENESS.
Each Mantra line is related to a broad concept which has many shades of meaning, and to concepts which can only be really understood by a deeper internalization below the level of normal CONSCIOUS AWARENESS. Mantras are designed to be dynamic, and the apparent significance of individual sounds and series of sounds is designed to change, depending upon the context in which they are placed. We can say then that a well conceived Mantra is DYNAMIC, evading the allocation of PERMANENT MEANING sought after by intellect.
MYSTICAL? This is the other word often used in explanations of Mantras. This word is equally misleading. We might say that the ultimate TRUTH of a Mantra is incomprehensible to CONSCIOUS INTELLECT, and while this may be true with regard to its esoteric details, it is certainly not true when we look at any Mantra as a WHOLE ACTIVE PROCESS which brings about an apparent result which is both physically and psychologically correct and beneficial. Furthermore, we can see that this claim of MYSTERY is invalid, for we are able to VOLUNTARILY initiate the ACTIVE PROCESS with an apparent OBJECTIVE TARGET and PROCESS in mind. Calling a Mantra mysterious is rather like calling a chair mysterious even though we well know where, when, and how to use it. True, we may not know how to build one or know actually what it is made of, but that hardly makes it mysterious.
What is served by calling a Mantra secret and mystical? It does appear to give it a certain aura of spiritual worth. To do this, however, is to camouflage the wonderful truth. Mantras have immeasurable practical VALUE, which allows the user to make contact with his or her own TRUE NATURE which is submerged below learned ATTITUDES, INTENTIONS, and ACTIONS which are not in the best interest of any sentient being.
That this great value cannot be seen immediately does not demean that value. A Mantra does not require an aura of mystical spiritualism, attracting transcendental seekers like moths to a flame. A Mantra is a magnificent tool in its own right and it does not need to be coloured with rainbow hues to make it appear wonderful.
Liberating Mantras from their present association with superstition and magical practice allows them to be understood and used as a practical tool in the everyday world of the senses. This makes them available for the elimination of SUFFERING and STRESS for everyone. It also prevents Mantras from being a sought after HOLY GRAIL for those who search for things spiritual as a life raft, denying themselves by this attitude a real understanding of their own true nature.