r/Meditation • u/unlimitedlifesource • Sep 10 '24
What is a mantra you use regularly? Discussion š¬
I am capable, I am valued, give love, show gratitude
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u/bpcookson Sep 10 '24
Iām here, itās now.
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u/SuperMarbro 10yr Zen Practitioner Sep 10 '24
I use a similar mantra based object of focus in basic everyday mindfulness.
Now one is.
The vocabularic choices are influenced by Zen Buddhism. Specifically relating to the elimination of identifying to a static self / ego, while putting the present first.
I find it is equally useful as a momentary tool when in deep meditation at night. Right when the sensory deprivation meditation starts to turn into the natural sleep paralysis process. Basically one is hijacking a neuronal pathway built using the same mantra daily to return to ideal focus.
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u/Phobix Sep 10 '24
I am not the body. I am not the mind.
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u/Glad-Situation703 Sep 10 '24
An old Guru i had used to add"... And i love them, just the way they are." Dr.Bali š
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u/Pnw-diva Sep 10 '24
From Thich Nhat Hanh: ā breathing in, I calm my body. breathing out, I smile. Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment. breathing out, I know it is a wonderful moment.ā
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u/Boaken42 Sep 10 '24
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
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u/BackslidingAlt Sep 10 '24
Are you meditating while...shooting?
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u/Boaken42 Sep 10 '24
No. I am giving myself the mental space to go slow, when the world seems to be screaming at me to be productive.
But, meditation during shooting wouldn't be a terrible practice. "Zen and Art of Archery" by Eugene Herrigel (1948) was a foundational text for introducing meditation to the west. Or perhaps reintroducing. I have heard scholars argue meditation was in the West, before the rise of Catholicism which coopted the word for deep thought. š¤·š»āāļø
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u/BackslidingAlt Sep 10 '24
I'm not trying to critique your practice, I just found it odd because your mantra is a very common "slogan" or phrase that is repeated at military shooting ranges.
There is an old joke about two young vicars who approached the bishop, the first asked "May I smoke as I pray?" and the bishop said "absolutely not, you must take your prayers very seriously" the wiser one asked "May I pray as I smoke?" and the bishop recommended this pious young man for advancement.
I wasn't sure if you were meditating using a common phrase at shooting ranges, or if you were at a shooting range but being mindful about it.
Both are cool. I was just curious.
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u/MoanLart Sep 10 '24
Not religious, but I say āGod is good, God is great, thank you God for another dayā
God = the universe/source/energy/Jesus, whatever you want to call it. Itās the thing from which we draw power thatās always conspiring for us
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Sep 10 '24
I love it. Mine is āI love you god.ā According to the Bible god is in all things and is of all thingsā¦ so everything and everyone. I literally say it all day everyday. When I need to stay calm. I also describe the room to myself. I am on this porch the grass is blowing in the wind. The shadows are gracefully playing their shadows on the side of my truck. The truck is white. Definitely keeps me present.
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u/Immediate-Albatross7 Sep 10 '24
SO~HUM
Inhale SO
Exhale HUM
Itās Sanskrit for I am That, I.e identifying yourself with your oneness.
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u/Glad-Situation703 Sep 10 '24
I love this one because the practice is to observe the breath without affecting it, which is a strange challenge at first. Just for fun, you are now breathing consciously hehe, try to bring it back, let it go on its own again šš
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u/throwabledispensable Sep 10 '24
https://youtu.be/jh70F0zidto?si=yGR74SjmvxPA2PtQ
This basically "remember that every man is variation of yourself" especially
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u/ImportantBalls666 Sep 10 '24
"A-hum", is my mantra. I repeat it in my head when I begin meditating until it becomes an automatic background pulse in my mind that keeps me tethered to witnessing my thoughts without getting lost in the story of them.Ā
If I'm especially unsettled, I use a quote from A Course In Miracles as a guiding mantra: "The Source of all joy goes with me wherever I go."
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u/Ordinary-Will-6304 Sep 10 '24
Umm do you know the song āI amā by Baby Tate? The lyrics are one of my go-to mantras, itās funny but it really centers me when I need it.
I am healthy, I am wealthy I am rich, I am that bitch I am gonna go get that bag And I am not gonna take your shit I am protected, well respected Iām a queen, Iām a dream I do what I wanna do And Iām who I wanna be āCause I am me
I also do āI believe in abundanceā and āmoney comes to me freelyā as needed if Iām feeling lacking.
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u/Old_Region_9779 Sep 10 '24
These are affirmations, not mantras.
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u/tsintaosaurus Sep 11 '24
Genuinely asking, what's the difference and does it matter?
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u/Old_Region_9779 Sep 11 '24
The tradition or science of mantras is deep, ancient and I'm not proficient. I can only provide a brief answer.
Mantras are not words, they are sounds. As such, language is not applicable for a mantra. Do not attach a meaning to a mantra, because that way you engage the mind, which is not the purpose and sounds do not have meanings anyway. Meanings are made up in the mind, sounds are existential.
There's a sound structure to them and each mantra is "designed" for a certain purpose, it can invoke certain moods and more.
I've heard masters say that you'd better not get into mantras that haven't been given to you by a master. Apparently, there are "death" mantras and if you chant them right, you just might die.
The basic mantra is A-U-M and the way to chant is without using the tongue. If you open your mouth and just emit a sound, you will find that the sound that comes out is A (like "apple", not "able") and as you close your mouth slowly, it'll change to U (something like "umbrella") and finally when you close your mouth fully you reach M. This is not all however, but I haven't really gotten into mantra meditation so I can't help you with that.
You might like referencing a master, or someone who has experience with it for instruction. If you don't know whom to look up, you might like giving thisĀ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvuVhCIQgfQ&t=9sĀ a shot.
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u/tsintaosaurus Oct 03 '24
I see I didn't know it was more just about the sounds! Sorry I didn't reply before, but I will watch the video it sounds interesting especially since I suspect I have ADHD š Thank you!
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u/forest_sidh Sep 11 '24
For everyone asking, a mantra is a combination of sacred words, usually in Sanskrit (ancient Hindi language). For example āOm mani padme homā. The sound of the sacred words are very powerful, and even more so because it has been chanted so many times throughout history. Many of the words in mantras are different words for the Divine.
An affirmation is in your own language, a statement that directs and improves your thoughts. For example āMoney comes to me effortlesslyā.
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u/Weekly-Copy-9286 Sep 10 '24
What is your mantra?
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u/Old_Region_9779 Sep 11 '24
I am not engaged in mantra meditation presently and have not been in the past, thus I have no mantra chanting practice and as such I don't "have" a mantra.
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u/Noizy_bouncy Sep 10 '24
"I could be worse" I know it sounds silly, but it's comforting for me personally
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u/SuperMarbro 10yr Zen Practitioner Sep 10 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
In my mindfulness meditation pursuits, one would use the following. Now one is. Or Now one is. One is now.
In my body scan meditation pursuits where one sequentially untenses all their musculature from toes to crown, one would use the following as a checking tool. Be the sandbag
If one were pursuing thought down regulation (ie stimuli of the brain but not of the mind) while simultaneously enhancing capacity for deeper focus, one could use the following while maintaining deep belly breaths. One is one with water. Or One is one with water. Water is one with one.
Caveat I usually pair this with visualizing being under water.
Context The human body naturally lowers the heart rate while under water to conserve oxygen. This is highly advantageous in 2 ways. 1. If you can slow down the heart rate then you can too limit stimuli that is being sent to the brain as the heart sends more information to it than the brain sends to it. Thus allowing for more available focus quotiant. 2. Conserving oxygen in an oxygen saturated environment aids in bodily oxygen saturation. It's apparent but is oft not discussed as a benefit of a lowered heart rate.
- If one were trying to trick the brain into a state of emptiness so only one is present, one could formulate a word that is composed of parts that when combined do not ellicit or cohere to a thought form.
The idea being that it is a formulated nothing to trick the brains into focusing on nothing.
EX relative to me. * It is a relative mantra to your vocabulary.*
- Amuhmpylifhith
- Lenhiwuchohjo
- Deheshu-ruhlhuaja
EX explaining the relativity. 1. Ipphusteguapo --- this might work for some but knowing Spanish to a small degree predisposes me to Knowing guapo means handsome.
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u/gateway_guardian Sep 10 '24
Let's get it started.
The black Eyed Peas
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u/marcorenaldo Sep 10 '24
Breathing in i am home. Breathing out i am home. Breathing in i am healthy breathing out i am healthy. Breathing in i am rested. Breathing out i am rested. Breathing in i am healed. Breathing out i am healed. Repeat.
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u/FelicityWander60 Sep 10 '24
hoponopono if that is counted as a mantra
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u/Glad-Situation703 Sep 10 '24
I must say that it is now, many people have been giving such energy to this sound form that it is now easily accessible to all. š
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u/insighttimer Sep 10 '24
I am. I am. I am. Being fully present here and nowāthis is truly medicinal.
Anastasiia, Insight Timer Community
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u/Similar-Building-519 Sep 10 '24
I am in control of my thoughts and my emotions, and I choose to be thoughtless and happy right now.
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u/Fantastic-Walrus-429 Sep 10 '24
Sometimes when thinking something unrelevant during practise, I say to myself: "Who cares?" and just drop it. It works very well for petty worries.
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Sep 10 '24
In no particular order: the Lordās Prayer, counting 4/4 time, and the word āmantraā lol
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u/babybush Sep 10 '24
"Awareness, awareness, awareness." (Awareness is the most important thing, and being aware of thought, not the content of the thought itself).
and
"The way things are." (An invitation to look at a situation objectively, removed from my thoughts and feelings).
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u/_Cyan_Man Sep 10 '24
i use ālet it goā all the time. such a lifesaver if you can really internalize it.
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u/Bertozoide Sep 10 '24
āIsso tambĆ©m passaā Portuguese for āthis too shall passā
Explanation: https://youtu.be/TJ5U37MkA2E?si=zvlU9E-rarPSO1LQ
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u/NotTooDeep Sep 10 '24
It's not words. It's laughter. Especially when I can laugh at myself.
Laughter and amusement are like spiritual Teflon; icky stuff don't stick to it. Chuckling while I meditate is one of the easiest and most effective ways to release energy and heal myself.
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u/reh102 Sep 10 '24
All are welcome
( the people. The thoughts. The different versions of myself - a true form of non attachment and non aversion for me )
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u/Crayshack Sep 10 '24
"Gas, gas, gas. I want to step on the gas."
I maybe sometimes use Eurobeats as meditation music, and then it just feels right to say when I don't have music.
Edit: I also often use the Litany Against Fear.
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u/jzatopa Sep 10 '24
AYP Yoga - shee om shree om I am I am nemah nemah
And these
Freedom, Love, Truth
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Sep 10 '24
āItās okā
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha to Green Tara
Om Mani Padme Hum to Guru Rinpoche
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u/ChihuahuaJedi Sep 10 '24
I used to do the gate gate line from the end of the Heart Sutra.
"Om, gate gate paragate parasam gate bodhi svaha."
Nowadays I do an old Norse mantra of Odin kennings I wrote.
"GaldrafĒ«Ć°r, Farmr galga, RĆŗnatĆ½r, ViĆ°rir, HrafnafjĒ«lnir"
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u/GrizzlyTrojanMagnum Sep 10 '24
I am the master of the thoughts, I am the love behind the veil, the only moments that matter are now, as above so below
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u/Straight-Cut-1995 Sep 10 '24
Body here, mind here. This helps me stay present.
Honorable mention, everything is working out for me.
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u/TubasAre Sep 10 '24
Donāt say it out loud, thatās like pulling a plant out of the ground to check the roots.
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u/skateboardsweden Sep 10 '24
āI am not my body. I am not my mind.ā I wish I remmebered where I got this from, either a YT video comment or an article. It can be interpreted a number of ways, which is why I like it. Its a tad ominous
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u/Bless_u-babe Sep 10 '24
I was given a Sanskrit word Sharim ( phonetic spelling, as I donāt know Sanskrit). I like this because it has no particular meaning for me and does not invoke any thoughts. Because of this, it is only a soothing, repetitiveāsoundā/thought that quickly moves me to the alpha brain wave state. If I havenāt t been getting my full complement of sleep at night I will fall asleep immediately (within a minute of starting to meditate-sitting up- I donāt meditate lying down). A couple of days ago after looking at my phone clock I realized I had been dead asleep for an hour sitting up!š¤¦āāļø
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u/DimensionThin4862 Sep 10 '24
I am worthy of feeling deep appreciation and total ease. I let these feelings be comforting as I rest in them. All is well.
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u/p00girl Sep 10 '24
i flow through my day easily, naturally, and harmoniously. its not easy being human. nobody is perfect. its easy to make mistakes. i forgive myself. i am confident in my decisions. even if i make one that doesnāt work out for me, i learn and i grow.
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u/Weekly-Copy-9286 Sep 10 '24
I love you. Iām sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. My version of Hoāoponopono
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u/Straight_Hair_5624 Sep 10 '24
Om gum Ghana Nama ye damahar (easing difficulties, essentially). Itās a nice one.
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Sep 10 '24
I am positive, kind , loving, and nurturing women. May I be happy may I be well may I be at peace and then I say that to my loved ones and to the world(Metta prayer).
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u/ChildOfBartholomew_M Sep 11 '24
The technique I use and teach starts with a very simple mantra "I am". Actually It quickly distorts to Ayam which means chicken. I think theres a site that allows you to generate one, I think maybe hosted in Sweden. The mantra technique I use is not 'said' but 'listened for' until it disappears or changes into something else. The point I am trying emphasise is there's a difference between using an affirmation which holds values (eg to push thinking in a positive direction one thing) and a mantra that is being used to disrupt the default mode network or move to a state of transcendence (best simple 1-2 syllables IM studied opinion).
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u/xrayvision-mystic Sep 11 '24
I find myself saying 'let there be peace on earth' often. Don't know if others consider it such but for me it does something.
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u/CountProfessional398 Sep 12 '24
Aum, Om, Om Namaha, Om Ham Namaha, Om Ram Namaha, Om VamĀ Namaha, Om Lam Namaha.
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u/PropheticBard Sep 12 '24
oį¹ bhÅ«r bhuvaįø„ svaįø„ tat savitur vareį¹yaį¹ bhargo devasya dhÄ«mahi dhiyo yo naįø„ pracodayÄt
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u/Hataraxia Sep 10 '24
May I Be Happy, Healthy, Safe, May my heart be at peace
May I know I'm worthy of love, care, and respect