Meditation Techniques

A meditation mantra is a special word or a phrase repeated over and over again, in order to clear the mind. It can be done silently, in a whisper or out loud. Both Hindus and Buddhists use mantras in religious practice. The vibrations of the particular words are said to resonate on a spiritual level.

Meditation Mantras are only one of the many available tools for the meditator – and not everyone feels comfortable using one. You don’t have to have one. For some people the word or phrase itself becomes an unwelcome distraction.

But if you are easily distracted during meditation, using a mantra can solve that problem. It is much easier to block out the world around you if you are repeating a mantra out loud. It’s also a good way of keeping yourself from drifting off to sleep.

If you find yourself getting sleepy as you meditate, you can repeat your mantra louder or faster. People who meditate for very long periods often adjust the speed and volume of their mantra to keep their minds from wandering.

Tibetan stupas often contain written mantras. The storage and insertion of the meditation mantras is an important part of their construction. Pilgrims to certain stupas may walk around the building in a clockwise direction reciting a mantra.

After you’ve used a mantra for a while, the words become instinctively associated with a state of tranquil meditation. So you can repeat them during your day to keep yourself calm and detached from the hurly burly – even when you are not meditating.

‘OM Mani Padme Hum’
Hail the Jewel in the Lotus is the most universally used Tibetan Buddhist mantra. The jewel is Buddha himself.

‘OM’
The last letter in the Sanskrit alphabet. (Buddhist, Hindu)

‘SHANTI’
Peace (Buddhist, Hindu}

‘Soham’
I am that I am (Hindu)

‘OM Namah Shivaya’
Prostrations to Lord Shiva (Hindu)

Certain meditation schools suggest that you must be given a specific meditation mantra by a teacher. But others insist that there is no reason why you cannot choose one yourself. You may want to try one of the common Sanskrit mantras. Anyone who has used these can vouch that the sound of the language itself does seem to have magical resonance. However, you may find it alienating to repeat a word in a language with which you are not familiar.

You could choose words that already have special meaning for you, for example ‘Beauty’, ‘Truth’, ‘Love’ or ‘Freedom’. The influential teacher Easwaran Eknath (1910-99) suggested memorizing a passage from a mystical text of your choice, for example The Prayer of Saint Francis. He uses this as the basis for all his meditative techniques, which are very effective.