In the beginning was the word [or the SOUND].

At Trafford House Calm Centre, we became so intrigued and curious about the positive benefits and impacts of chanting and specifically Mantra Chanting that we simply had to bring it to the notice of you, our dear readers.

Beginning June 7^th at 8.00pm one of the UK’s finest Mantra Facilitators, Mahasukha Bliss, will lead an online course, ‘The Beauty of Mantra’ as an introduction into this process experienced by so many millions of devotees worldwide.

You don’t have to become religious, or spiritual, or anything at all in order to enjoy these benefits. A gentle curiosity, open mind and a willingness to participate in the privacy of your own home – audio muted so you can’t be heard – is enough.

So why have a go?

Many people chant mantra in the hope that it will somehow bring them whatever it is they think they’re chanting about:

• Inner Peace
• Happiness & Joy
• Wealth and Abundance
• A Child
• Better Sex and More Orgasms
• A Stronger, Healthier Body
• Deeper connection with the Divine…

As an ancient spiritual tradition Mantra travels back millennia, perhaps even to the creation of the Sanskrit language itself, formed out of the perceived and received sound resonances of subtle things and beings.

Modern scientific research has explored and examined the efficacy of Mantra on the lives of those who chant and has discovered that, above all, this practice appears to confer peace and wholeness to those who chant.

It may just be that chanting to bring people, things or circumstances into your life is not necessarily the catalyst though. Perhaps the practice of connecting to the sound itself, mindfully forming the words and resonating those sounds and tones within the body helps bring such attunement that all stresses and obstacles to achieving your desires are shaken loose and dissipated.

Perhaps this joyful practice of ‘sounding’ using ancient Sanskrit sound resonance – as opposed to a language that refers to things, such as English, in order to communicate – provides frequencies that optimally ‘tune your internal strings.’

Whatever occurs, and whatever explanations are given, those who chant with intent and mindfulness seem to attain states of equanimity and peace that somehow make life feel better.

At the simplest level, isn’t that what we’re all seeking to experience?

Buddhist belief systems hold that sound is sacred and that chanting cleanses the emotions and the body, providing clearer connection to the energy body and subtle dimensions of being. Zen Buddhism also contends that the sounds benefit other sentient beings too, not just the chanter.

According to Buddhist Master, Ticht Nacht Hahn, “These words and music have been composed to serve as Dharma instruments helping us come back to the deepest place in ourselves, the place where we are most awake and alive. Chanting is often the most direct and immediate way to reconnect us with these places…”

Tenzin Wangyal suggests the seed words themselves can carry the divine, being “very effective in healing illness and emotions, strengthening your body’s vitality, or minimizing thoughts and confusion…”

Sangharakshita, British founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community states: “The relationship between the gross, external, verbal repetition and the subtle, internal, mental repetition is not unlike that between a painted picture of a Buddha or Bodhisattva and that same figure visualized during meditation. In each case the gross experience leads towards the subtle experience.” He goes on to say that Mantra can be considered, “that which protects the mind.”

Mahasukha’s 4-Part course will gently guide you to exploring some of these benefits for yourself. You are very welcome to come and join us on a Monday evening.

Sources:

Harvard Connect – Annemarie Mal;  Tenzin Wangyal –  Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind, Snow Lion Publications 2011; Thich Nhat Hanh, Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices (Parallax, 2007); Wangyal, Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind; Sangharakshita, Ritual and Devotion in Buddhism…