Mantra as Prayer
Spinning the Prayer Wheel of our Heart
The constant repetition of mantra is like the power of the wind, slowly blowing away the
thoughts and beliefs that armour our hearts and entomb our minds. It is in this way that
mantras become the hand that spins the prayer wheels of our hearts, flinging our prayers
for peace and oneness out into the world.
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “prayer”? A pious person with head
bowed? Or perhaps a young child kneeling with hands clasped beside their bed?
What about the word “mantra”? Maybe a more exotic image or sound from eastern
traditions comes to mind. Perhaps a mala with 108 beads joined together with a tassel on
the end?
Our binary mind always wants to differentiate and divide, to put things into categories that
keeps things separate and simpler to understand so we can retrieve them when we need to.
Yet this also creates artificial boundaries and misunderstandings.
So it is with mantra and prayer. When we look beyond surface definitions and rote
repetitions, we find that together, mantra and prayer are spiritual practices that can be
fused together, to reveal the “oneness” beyond our limited thoughts and ideas.
Sadly, for a lot of people, prayer becomes just an extension of their “to do” list, things they
want to accomplish or want a distant God to do for them. Or perhaps their prayer is a
cleverly disguised version of their “just want” list, a never-ending list of things they think
they need in order to be happy.
Just like prayer, mantra can also be repeated or used in an unconscious way. What mantra are you
repeating in your mind and your life without realizing it? Is it a mantra of “not enough!” or a
constant littany of “Why me?”
Like mantra, prayers can be spoken, prayers can be whispered, prayers can be silent.
Prayer is both simple and subtle. Prayer is words spoken and unspoken poured out from
your heart’s deepest longing. Prayer is the silence that opens a place of quiet receptive
listening in the depths of your soul. Prayer is a yearning for that which hasn’t arrived yet or
been recognized. Prayer is a deep breath of letting go of all that is in the way of connecting
to the Ultimate, by whatever name you call the Divine: God, Goddess, Source, Great
Mystery, Universal Spirit, or no name at all.
Prayer is that which connects us to something greater, a mystery, a knowing, to a kind of
love that knows no bounds. Prayer connects us to each other. Prayer connects us to the
Earth. Prayer connects us to the sky. Prayer is a sense of oneness, of inter-being with all.
Prayer is not about asking for something. It is trusting in the unfolding of life as it is. It is a
felt sense of presence in every cell of our body. It is a felt experience of holding all our
experience exactly as it is: gratitude and joy, sorrow and lamentation, love and loneliness.
Everything we think, say, and do can be a prayer. We are always creating ripples of energy
all around us. So be mindful of your thoughts. “Body, mind, and speech in perfect
harmony” says Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh. That is the nature of prayer. When we are
tuned into the energy of loving kindness and compassion, we are in prayer.
Prayer is a state of being that can become part of our daily life. “Pray unceasingly” says Paul
the Apostle. How do we do that in the midst of our busy lives? Through repeating a mantra.
Mantra becomes the vessel that can carry prayer into our daily life so that even the simplest
moments become a prayer.
Mantra as Words of Spiritual Power
Mantras are said to be “words of spiritual power” invoked from the heart. Mantras can be a
single sound or collection of sounds that come together to form a kind of prayer. Repeating
a mantra out loud or silently can bring you home to your deepest self, to that quiet, still
point within, that is beyond ego.
Many mantras associated with specific religions or traditions date back thousands of years.
Aboriginal or shamanic cultures believe the spirit of oneness is revealed through primordial
sounds that act as a portal of transformation and renewal. In modern times we are
witnessing an emerging interest in sounding and chanting mantras that have a more
universal appeal. Whether mantra is ancient or modern, the intention is always to inspire a
state of oneness and connection with all. Anandamayi Ma said “A mantra is a combination
of sounds that has the power to free you from the notion of separateness by which your mind has
been held captive all along.”
Mantras are usually sung in their ancient and original languages: Latin, Sanskrit, Pali,
Aramaic, etc. depending on which tradition they have come from. Sanskrit is a language of
vibration. Each sound is said to have a specific effect on the chakras or energy centers in
the body. Author and teacher, Neil Douglas-Klotz who has translated many of the words of
Jesus (Yeshua) back to their original Aramaic says “approaching Jesus’ words in the original
Aramaic with a sense of devotion and heartfelt enquiry will tune a person to the meaning
and atmosphere behind his words” So chanting mantras in their original language seems
to have a more potent effect than trying to replicate it in another language.
Many ancient mantras were said to be handed down or transmitted orally from master to
disciple or student. Something beyond words was being transmitted. Sound is energy and
energy vibrates. Mantras are said to be vibrations of light and energy. When we chant a
mantra, the vibration is aEecting and transforming us not just emotionally and spiritually,
but at a biological and cellular level. This is how we awaken and embody the energy of Love
encoded in a mantra.
The sound of a mantra usually revolves around a single note, along with one tone above
and one tone below. This single note is a point of dynamic balance and harmony. Chloe
Goodchild calls this “the zero point of consciousness, a liberating emptiness, pure
presence.” Mantra is the sound that empties us. It frees us from the idea that we are
separate and reminds us that there is “only one song, only one singing.”
Mantras are portable. They can be chanted anytime, anywhere, spoken or sung out loud,
whispered on the breath, or repeated silently in the depths of our hearts. Mantras can be
repeated when sitting still, walking outside, driving our car, or doing the dishes. The
constant repetition is like the power of the wind, slowly blowing away the thoughts and
beliefs that armour our hearts and entomb our minds. It is in this way that mantras become
the hand that spins the prayer wheel of our hearts, flinging our prayers for peace and
oneness out into the world.
