Tashi James
Namaskar Jayarava, Hope you are well.
Are you still planning on publishing? Haven't heard anything since you put the word out.
Much kindness,
Tashi
Visible Mantra
Hi Naveed. For exoteric mantra I recommend you get hold of and read a copy of Alexander Studholm "The Origins of Oṃ Mani Padme Hum". He links mantra to Mahayana practice via nāmanusmṛti and Buddhānusmṛti -the recollection of the name (of the Buddha) and the recollection of the Buddha. The latter has very deep roots in Buddhism.
I find Kūkai very lucid on the subject of mantra. And again he seems very much rooted in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra tradition. The Mahāvairocana Sūtra which is one of his major sources shows clear signs (IMHO) of drawing heavily on the perfection of wisdom tradition, especially the Arapacana Alphabet practices - which are śūnyatā meditations.
Have you read my essay: What is Mantra? (It is full of typos, but you might appreciate the ideas). http://www.visiblemantra.org/reading.htm
Best Wishes
Jayarava
Naveed Ghannad Maybe I am looking for a more pluralistically sensitive theory of mantra.
Naveed Ghannad
I look forward to your books. They will definitely help to fill the void of bonji works available in English.
Anyway, as for the mantras, I suppose I am more interested in an explanation to suit me. So that would be from the point of view of Zen or another non-esoteric Mahayana school. It's not that I don't believe Kukai or the Tibetans, but their explanations seem a little too...loose, maybe, for me. Like I mentioned before, it doesn't seem to be based on either the sound, form, or meaning of the mantra, or else an entire group of people are getting nothing out of it. But somehow it must work, and in the absence of a mechanism of action, I am in search of a comprehensive theory to satisfy my mind.
I want to know why saying om mani padme hum is any different than saying yabba dabba do or ablanathanalba, or if there is any difference at all.
I am also interested for that course I am going to design. I may never find an answer.
Visible Mantra Thanks for the interest in the book. I'm finding learning Sanskrit is very demanding but hope to get the book out mid next year. I will form my own publishing company to do it, and rely on the site and Amazon to distribute it. Looking forward to getting it out. The good news is that the Tibetan mantras will be in a font so that my crappy Tibetan calligraphy won't mar the look. I have a couple of other book projects in mind - a Siddhaṃ primer, and a collection of my essays. Eventually my Magnum Opus which traces the entire history of mantra use in Buddhism will also come out. Finally I have a biography of Kūkai and an introduction to all of his Major Works. Should keep me busy for a few years. JR
Visible Mantra
Naveed - how mantras work? Generally the answer that people come up with depends on what they already believe. I have written a few ideas on visiblemantra.org http://www.visiblemantra.org/reading.htm
Most people seem to understand mantra from an essentially Hindu way - in terms of "vibrations". Doesn't apply to Buddhism. Buddhist mantra tends to be more related to faith in the deity in popular Tibetan Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism more generally - including Zen, Pureland, etc. In Shingon and the more Tantric end of Tibetan Buddhism mantra is like a super symbol that helps you align your speech with the Speech Mystery of the Dharmakāya and this transforms you into a Buddha - it requires the accurate pronunciation of the sound, and the correct mantras and images, in the context of the correctly performed ritual. JR
Visible Mantra
Hi Naveed. Bijas... bit of a mystery as far as I know. Oṃ dates from the Yajurveda (perhaps 800 BCE) at least. I have written a couple of speculative articles on my blog:
http://jayarava.blogspot.com/2007/11/ess
http://jayarava.blogspot.com/2008/07/non
I tend to see it as a manifestation of sound symbolism. But I don't think anyone knows for sure. JR
Basten I would definitely support the book. Please do it already! =)
Naveed Ghannad
I'd buy it twice...if I had the money.
Anyway, the stuff will be up this weekend, or my name isn't Orville Redenbacher. I have Fall Break, so I will have the time to finally prepare it.
Tashi James
I for one would buy the Visible Mantra book. It would be great to see it formatted with the initial bija including history and related mantra. Also could have seperate sections for Hindu and Buddhist Mantra, how to use mantra and the requirements of doing so.
Furthermore, a chapter showing the progression of etymology from Sanskrit to Tibetan would be great also. You could discuss the variation of type and evolution of meanings. Of course this is a book in it self.
Much kindness,
Tashi
Naveed Ghannad OK, not today. School is kicking my butt with work.
Naveed Ghannad Sorry, I forgot one. This is more about etymology. Are you aware if there are any theories as to where the bijas came from? Are they related to PIE or something similar, or are they, for all intents and purposes, merely phonosemantic?
Naveed Ghannad
The same goes for sutras. If the person doesn't understand them, how are they meant to plant seeds in the mind of the person? One might as well recite "ooga booga" for all the listener cares.
Is there an internal explanation for this apparent miracle? Presumably, any external explanation would fall short. How does one account for reciting mantras for others, even if they cannot hear them? I have Kukai's Major Works, but I haven't had time to read it. Maybe the answer is in there.
That's the gist of my question. I'm most interested in the practical aspect now, although you are welcome to bring up the philosophical issues as well. They would be helpful for my course.
One last thing: I don't know if you do this or not, but let's say someone wanted to invite you to a university in the U.S. to, I don't know, talk about Bonji/calligraphy, maybe do a workshop. How much would that cost? (Un)fortunately, I am not aware of any other English speakers that talk about Bonji, except Stevens.
Naveed Ghannad
And it cannot be the mind (which I take to be the meaning, at least the intelligible one), since few people understand the meaning of the mantras, and the bijas seem to purposefully transcend mundane meaning. If that were the case, then us English speakers reciting in other languages would have no benefit from the mantra.
So, it has to be something of a combination of these three or something above them, of which they are all manifestations. Now, that is all good and fine in terms of philosophy, but practically what does this mean? How should mantras be recited to receive the greatest benefit?
A second part to the question is how exactly mantras are supposed to work. This implies their method of action as well as the level (metaphorical, literal etc.) of action. I mean, how can simply saying or hearing some sounds, without seeing or understanding them, purify all your bad karmas, and give you cause for rebirth in Sukhavati, or something similar?
Naveed Ghannad
OK, sorry for taking so long. I'll start unloading my bonji tomorrow, the first parts at least. It's kind of hard to get good pics in a videogame.
In the meantime, I have a question about mantras in general. I'd like to know how they work. It's a tall order, I know, but it has been gnawing at me for weeks, maybe months. It is slightly related to my language and religious course idea, but it is also just personal curiosity.
I have concluded that it can't be either the body of the mantra, since different people use different scripts. If it was the body, then they should all be written in Devanagari, right? It can't be the speech of the mantra because different peoples have different vocalization capabilities, and there is nothing particularly special about Sanskrit in the first place.
Steven Making a book would be a fantastic addition to many people's lives. I highly recommend that you go ahead wit it.
Visible Mantra
Hi Eric. I was working on it a pre-publication. It is being translated into French. You can get it on French Amazon: http://www.amazon.fr/Onmy%C3%B4ji-3-harm
Eric just a question, where did y'all get the manga "onmyoji" from? like publisher and full title
Visible Mantra
Hi Naveed. Looks like a Chinese version of Lantsa - imported from Tibet probably. Have seem similar things - some examples on the website under bijas - e.g. oṃ and hūṃ
Bonji Taikan is a gold mine if you are interested in Bonji - despite not having any English. I use it at the university and would love to be able to afford one!
Tashi James http://www.omkarananda-ashram.org/Sanskr
Thought this might interest some of you.
I used it when learning Sanskrit last year and found it to be helpful.