at the bottom.
In Early Buddhism One of the most ancient Buddhist mantras is the famous
Pratītyasamutpāda-gāthā, also known as the
dependent origination dhāraṇī. This phrase is said to encapsulate the meaning of the
Buddha's Teaching. It was a popular Buddhist verse and was used as a mantra. This mantra is found inscribed on numerous ancient Buddhist statues,
chaityas, and images. The Sanskrit version of this mantra is:ye dharmā hetuprabhavā hetuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hyavadat, teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃvādī mahāśramaṇaḥThe phrase can be translated as follows:Of those phenomena which arise from causes: Those causes have been taught by the
Tathāgata (
Buddha), and their cessation too - thus proclaims the Great Ascetic.
Early Buddhist texts also contain various
apotropaic chants which have similar functions to Vedic mantras. These are called
parittas in Pali (Sanskrit:
paritrana) and mean "protection, safeguard". They are still chanted in
Theravada Buddhism to this day as a way to heal, protect from danger and bless. Some of these are short Buddhist texts, like the
Mangala Sutta, Ratana Sutta, and the
Metta Sutta. Theravada According to the American Buddhist teacher
Jack Kornfield: "In contemporary Theravada practice, mantra practice is often combined with breathing meditation, so that one recites a mantra simultaneously with in-breath and out-breath to help develop tranquility and concentration. Mantra meditation is especially popular among lay people. Like other basic concentration exercises, it can be used simply to the mind, or it can be the basis for an insight practice where the mantra becomes the focus of observation of how life unfolds, or an aid in surrendering and letting go." The "Buddho" mantra is widespread in the
Thai Forest Tradition and was taught by
Ajahn Chah and his students. Another popular mantra in
Thai Buddhism is
Samma-Araham, referring to the Buddha who has 'perfectly' (
samma) attained 'perfection in the Buddhist sense' (
araham), used in
Dhammakaya meditation. In the
Tantric Theravada tradition of Southeast Asia, mantras are central to their method of meditation. Popular mantras in this tradition include
Namo Buddhaya ("Homage to the Buddha") and
Araham ("Worthy One"). There are
Thai Buddhist
amulet katha: that is, mantras to be recited while holding an amulet.
Mahayana Buddhism script, the seed mantra of
Prajñaparamita in Mahayana Buddhism " in
Siddhaṃ script at
Asakusa Temple in
Tokyo. The use of mantras became very popular with the rise of
Mahayana Buddhism. Many
Mahayana sutras contain mantras,
bijamantras ("seed" mantras),
dharanis and other similar phrases which were chanted or used in meditation. According to
Edward Conze, Buddhists initially used mantras as protective spells like the
Ratana Sutta for
apotropaic reasons. Even at this early stage, there was an idea that these
spells were somehow connected with the
Dharma in a deep sense. Conze argues that in Mahayana sutras like the
White Lotus Sutra, and the
Lankavatara Sutra, mantras become more important for spiritual reasons and their power increases. For Conze, the final phase of the development of Buddhist mantras is the tantric phase of
Mantrayana. In this tantric phase, mantras are at the very center of the path to Buddhahood, acting as a part of the supreme method of meditation and spiritual practice. One popular bija (seed) mantra in Mahayana Buddhism is the Sanskrit letter A (see
A in Buddhism). This seed mantra was equated with Mahayana doctrines like
Prajñaparamita (the Perfection of Wisdom),
emptiness and
non-arising. This seed mantra remains in use in
Shingon,
Dzogchen and
Rinzai Zen. Mahayana Buddhism also adopted the
Om mantra, which is found incorporated into various Mahayana Buddhist mantras (like the popular
Om Mani Padme Hum). Another early and influential Mahayana "mantra" or
dharani is the Arapacana
alphabet (of non-Sanskrit origin, possibly
Karosthi) which is used as a contemplative tool in the
Long Prajñāpāramitā sutras. The entire alphabet runs: The
Mahayana sutras introduced various mantras into Mahayana Buddhism, such as: • Mahayana sutras or texts often begin with the mantra: Om̐ namaḥ sarvajñāya (or just: namaḥ sarvajñāya, "Homage to omniscience") • Other Mahayana texts begin with Om̐ namo ratnatrayāya (Homage to the
Three Jewels) •
Shakyamuni Buddha's Mantra: Om̐ muni muni mahāmuni śākyamuni svāhā •
Heart sutra (
Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya) mantra: Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā • The mantra of bodhisattva
Mañjuśrī: Om̐ arapacana dhīḥ •
Prajñaparamita-devi mantra from ''The Sutra of Mañjuśrī's Questions'': Nama ārya prajñā pāramitāyāi svāhā •
Kauśikaprajñāpāramitāsutra contains many Prajñaparamita mantras including: oṃ hrī śrī dhī
śruti smṛti mati gati vijaye svāhā • A protective mantra found in the Sanskrit
Lotus Sutra: agaṇe gaṇe gauri gandhāri caṇḍāli mātaṅgi pukkasi saṃkule vrūsali sisi svāhā •
Medicine Guru mantra (in the
Sutra of Medicine Guru): Om̐ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye mahābhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā •
Avalokiteshvara's mantra (the Mani mantra):
Om̐ maṇi padme hūṃ, first appearing in the
Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra (4th-5th century CE) •
Cundī dhāraṇī or mantra also first appeared in the
Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra: namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddha koṭīnāṃ tadyathā oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā •
Amitabha Sukhavati Dhāraṇī, sometimes called the
Pure Land Rebirth Mantra •
Mantra of Light of the Great Consecration (Ch: 大灌頂光真言): Om̐ Amogha
Vairocana Mahāmudrā Maṇipadma Jvalapravartāya Hūṃ
East Asian Buddhism 's "Heart Mantra" (
hṛdaya): Oṃ anale anale viśade viśade vīra vajradhare bandha bandhani vajrapāṇi phaṭ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. In
Chinese Buddhism, various mantras, including the
Great Compassion Mantra, the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī from the
Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sutra, the
Mahāmāyūrī Vidyārājñī Dhāraṇī, the
Heart Sutra and
various forms of Buddha remembrance are commonly chanted by both monastics and laymen. In China and Vietnam, a set of mantras known as the
Ten Small Mantras (
Chinese: 十小咒;
Pinyin:
Shíxiǎozhòu) was established by the monk Yulin (
Chinese: 玉琳國師;
Pinyin:
Yùlín Guóshī), a teacher of the
Qing dynasty Shunzhi Emperor (1638 – 1661), for monks, nuns, and laity to chant during morning liturgical services. This set of mantras is still chanted in modern Chinese Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism also makes use of esoteric mantras, a practice which can be traced back to the Tang dynasty. Mantras and dharanis are recited in all Zen traditions, including
Japanese Zen,
Korean Seon,
Chinese Chan and
Vietnamese Thien. One of these is the
Śūraṅgama Dharani, which has been taught by various modern Chan and Zen monks, such as Venerable
Hsuan Hua. This long dharani is associated with the protective deity
Sitatpatra. The short heart mantra of this dharani is also popular in East Asian Buddhism.
Shaolin temple monks also made use of esoteric mantras and dharani.
Chinese Mantrayana and Japanese Shingon , an important mantra of the Shingon and Kegon sects
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism also known as
Zhēnyán (
, lit. "true word", which is the translation for "mantra") draws extensively on mantras. This tradition was established during the Tang dynasty by Indian tantric masters like
Śubhakarasiṃha,
Vajrabodhi and
Amoghavajra. Chinese esoteric Buddhist practice was based on
deity yoga and the "three mysteries": mantra,
mudra and
mandala. These three mysteries allow the Buddhist yogi to tap into the body, speech and mind of the Buddhas. This tradition was transmitted to Japan by
Kūkai (774–835), who founded the Japanese Shingon (Japanese for
Zhēnyán) mantra vehicle. Kūkai saw a mantra as a manifestation of the true nature of
reality which is saturated with meaning. For Kūkai, a mantra is nothing but the speech of the Buddha
Mahavairocana, the "
ground dharmakaya" which is the ultimate source of all reality. According to Kūkai, Shingon mantras contain the entire meaning of all the scriptures and indeed the entire universe (which is itself the sermon of the Dharmakaya). Kūkai argues that mantras are effective because: "a mantra is suprarational; It eliminates ignorance when meditated upon and recited. A single word contains a thousand truths; One can realize Suchness here and now." One of Kūkai's distinctive contributions was to take this symbolic association even further by saying that there is no essential difference between the syllables of mantras and
sacred texts, and those of ordinary language. If one understood the workings of mantra, then any sounds could be a representative of ultimate reality. This emphasis on sounds was one of the drivers for Kūkai's championing of the phonetic writing system, the
kana, which was adopted in Japan around the time of Kūkai. He is generally credited with the invention of the kana, but there is apparently some doubt about this story amongst
scholars. This mantra-based theory of language had a powerful effect on Japanese thought and society which up until Kūkai's time had been dominated by imported
Chinese culture of thought, particularly in the form of the Classical Chinese language which was used in the court and amongst the literati, and
Confucianism which was the dominant political
ideology. In particular, Kūkai was able to use this new theory of
language to create links between indigenous Japanese culture and Buddhism. For instance, he made a link between the Buddha Mahavairocana and the
Shinto sun Goddess
Amaterasu. Since the emperors were thought to be descended form Amaterasu, Kūkai had found a powerful connection here that linked the emperors with the Buddha, and also in finding a way to integrate
Shinto with Buddhism, something that had not happened with Confucianism. Buddhism then became essentially an indigenous religion in a way that Confucianism had not. And it was through language and mantra that this connection was made. Kūkai helped to elucidate what mantra is in a way that had not been done before: he addresses the fundamental questions of what a text is, how signs function, and above all, what language is. In this, he covers some of the same ground as modern day
Structuralists and others scholars of language, although he comes to very different conclusions. In this system of thought, all sounds are said to originate from "a". For esoteric Buddhism "a" has a special function because it is associated with Shunyata or the idea that no thing exists in its own right, but is contingent upon causes and conditions. (See
Dependent origination) In Sanskrit "a" is a prefix which changes the meaning of a word into its opposite, so "vidya" is understanding, and "avidya" is ignorance (the same arrangement is also found in many
Greek words, like e.g. "atheism" vs. "theism" and "apathy" vs. "pathos"). The letter a is both visualised in the
Siddham script and pronounced in rituals and
meditation practices. In the
Mahavairocana Sutra which is central to
Shingon Buddhism it says: "Thanks to the original vows of the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, a
miraculous force resides in the mantras, so that by pronouncing them one acquires merit without limits". [in Conze, p. 183] A mantra is
Kuji-kiri in
Shingon as well as in
Shugendo. The practice of writing mantras, and copying texts as a spiritual practice, became very refined in Japan, and some of these are written in the Japanese script and
Siddham script of Sanskrit, recited in either language.
Main Shingon Mantras as Seed Syllables (in
Siddham Script). Visualizing deities in the form of seed mantras is a common Vajrayana meditation. In Shingon, one of the most common practices is
Ajikan (阿字觀), meditating on the mantric syllable A. There are thirteen mantras used in
Shingon Buddhism, each dedicated to a major deity (the "
thirteen Buddhas" -
jūsanbutsu - of Shingon). The mantras are drawn from the
Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra. The mantra for each deity name in Japanese, its equivalent name in Sanskrit, the Sanskrit mantra, and the Japanese version in the Shingon tradition are as follows: •
Fudōmyōō (,
Acala): Sanskrit: namaḥ samanta vajrāṇāṃ caṇḍa mahāroṣaṇa sphoṭaya hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ (Shingon transliteration: nōmaku samanda bazaratan senda makaroshada sowataya untarata kanman) •
Shaka nyorai (,
Sakyamuni): namaḥ samanta buddhānāṃ bhaḥ (nōmaku sanmanda bodanan baku) •
Monju bosatsu (,
Manjushri): oṃ a ra pa ca na (on arahashanō) •
Fugen bosatsu (,
Samantabhadra): oṃ samayas tvaṃ (on sanmaya satoban) •
Jizō bosatsu (,
Ksitigarbha): oṃ ha ha ha vismaye svāhā (on kakaka bisanmaei sowaka) •
Miroku bosatsu (,
Maitreya): oṃ maitreya svāhā (on maitareiya sowaka) •
Yakushi nyorai (,
Bhaisajyaguru): oṃ huru huru caṇḍāli mātangi svāhā (on korokoro sendari matōgi sowaka) •
Kanzeon bosatsu (,
Avalokitesvara): oṃ ārolik svāhā (on arorikya sowaka) •
Seishi bosatsu (,
Mahasthamaprapta): oṃ saṃ jaṃ jaṃ saḥ svāhā (on san zan saku sowaka) •
Amida nyorai (,
Amitabha): oṃ amṛta teje hara hūṃ (on amirita teisei kara un) •
Ashuku nyorai (,
Akshobhya): oṃ akṣobhya hūṃ (on akishubiya un) •
Dainichi nyorai (,
Vairocana): oṃ a vi ra hūṃ khaṃ vajradhātu vaṃ (on abiraunken basara datoban) •
Kokūzō bosatsu (,
Akashagarbha): namo ākāśagarbhāya oṃ ārya kāmāri mauli svāhā (nōbō akyashakyarabaya on arikya mari bori sowaka)
Other Japanese Buddhist traditions Mantras are also an important element of other Japanese Buddhist traditions. The
Tendai school includes extensive repertoire of Esoteric Buddhist practices, which include the use of mantras.
Nichiren Buddhist practice focuses on the chanting of one single mantra or phrase:
Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō (南無妙法蓮華経, which means "Homage to the
Lotus Sutra").
Japanese Zen also makes use of mantras. One example is the
Mantra of Light (
kōmyō shingon), which is common in Japanese
Soto Zen and was derived from the
Shingon sect. The use of esoteric practices (such as mantra) within Zen is sometimes termed "mixed Zen" (
kenshū zen 兼修禪).
Keizan Jōkin (1264–1325) is seen as a key figure that introduced this practice into the
Soto school. A common mantra used in Soto Zen is the
Śūraṅgama mantra (
Ryōgon shu 楞嚴呪; T. 944A).
In Northern Vajrayana Buddhism Mantrayana (Sanskrit), which may be translated as "way of the mantra", was the original self-identifying name of those that have come to be determined '
Nyingmapa'. The Nyingmapa which may be rendered as "those of the ancient way", a name constructed due to the genesis of the
Sarma "fresh", "new" traditions. Mantrayana has developed into a synonym of Vajrayana. According to the important Mantrayana Buddhist text called the
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, mantras are efficacious because they are manifestations of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. As such, a mantra is coextensive with the
bodies of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. When one recites a mantra, one's mind is coextensive with the mantras, and thus, one's mind makes a connection with the mantra's deity and their meditative power (samadhi-bala).
Om mani padme hum on the
Gangpori (photo
1938–1939 German expedition to Tibet. ) and Tibetan script. Probably the most famous mantra of Buddhism is
Om mani padme hum, the six syllable mantra of the
Bodhisattva of compassion
Avalokiteśvara (Tibetan:
Chenrezig, Chinese:
Guanyin). This mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteśvara. The
Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, and so the mantra is especially revered by his devotees. The book
Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism by
Lama Anagarika Govinda, gives a classic example of how such a mantra can contain many levels of symbolic meaning.
Other The following list of mantras is from
Kailash: A Journal of Himalayan Studies, Volume 1, Number 2, 1973. (pp. 168–169) (augmented by other contributors). The mantras used in Tibetan Buddhist practice are in
Sanskrit, to preserve the original mantras. Visualizations and other practices are usually done in the
Tibetan language. •
Om vagishvara hum This is the mantra of the Mahabodhisattva
Manjusri, Tibetan: Jampelyang (
Wylie "'jam dpal dbyangs")... The Buddha in his wisdom aspect. •
Om vajrasattva hum The short mantra for White
Vajrasattva, there is also a full 100-syllable mantra for
Vajrasattva. •
Om vajrapani namo hum The mantra of the Buddha as Protector of the Secret Teachings. i.e.: as the Mahabodhisattva
Channa Dorje (
Vajrapani). •
Om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi hum The mantra of the Vajraguru
Guru Padma Sambhava who established
Mahayana Buddhism and Tantra in Tibet. •
Om tare tuttare ture mama ayurjnana punye pushting svaha The mantra of
Dölkar or
White Tara, the emanation of Arya Tara [Chittamani Tara]. Variants:
Om tare tuttare ture mama ayurjnana punye pushting kuru swaha (
Drikung Kagyu),
Om tare tuttare ture mama ayu punye jnana puktrim kuru soha (
Karma Kagyu). •
Om tare tuttare ture svaha, mantra of Green Arya Tara—
Jetsun Dolma or
Tara, the Mother of the Buddhas: om represents Tara's sacred body, speech, and mind. Tare means liberating from all discontent. Tutare means liberating from the eight fears, the external dangers, but mainly from the internal dangers, the delusions. Ture means liberating from duality; it shows the "true" cessation of confusion. Soha means "may the meaning of the mantra take root in my mind." According to Tibetan Buddhism, this mantra (Om tare tutare ture soha) can not only eliminate disease, troubles, disasters, and karma, but will also bring believers blessings, longer life, and even the wisdom to transcend one's circle of reincarnation.
Tara representing long life and health. •
Oṃ amaraṇi jīvantaye svāhā (Tibetan version: oṃ ā ma ra ṇi dzi wan te ye svā hā) The mantra of the Buddha of limitless life: the Buddha
Amitayus (Tibetan Tsépagmed) in celestial form. •
Om dhrung svaha The purification mantra of the
mother Namgyalma. •
Om ami dhewa hri The mantra of the Buddha
Amitabha (Opagme(d) in Tibetan) of the Western Pureland, his skin the color of the setting sun. •
Om ah ra pa ca na dhih The mantra of the "sweet-voiced one",
Jampelyang (
Wylie "'jam dpal dbyangs") or
Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom. •
Om muni muni maha muniye sakyamuni swaha The mantra of
Buddha Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha •
Om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha The mantra of the Heart of the
Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (
Heart Sutra) •
Namo bhagavate Bhaishajya-guru vaidurya-praba-rajaya tathagataya arhate samyak-sambuddhaya tadyata *Tadyata OM bhaishajye bhaishajye maha bhaishajya raja-samudgate svaha The mantra of the 'Medicine Buddha',
Bhaiṣajya-guru (or Bhaishajyaguru), from Chinese translations of the Master of Healing Sutra.
In Bon There are also numerous mantras in the
Bön religion such as
Om Ma Tri Mu Ye Sa Le Du. == Zoroastrianism ==