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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: Roberto on March 23, 2011, 10:37:44 PM
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Hi there,
I was wondering if I can do a mantra retreat. I do not have a guru yet, nor a center close by to seek advice. Well not one that practices Dorje Shugden.
Is it possible do with our a teachers blessings?
Can I just specify an amount I wish to achieve?
Does it have to have timeframe for it to be counted?
I have quite a busy schedule and would like to do this in between downtime. Can i do it say while driving the car? Everyday I drive 1.5hours to my job each way. I am doing migtsema mantras at the moment for half the journey.
Can someone advise?
thanks
Roberto
p.s. The drive is also the best time for me to focus as there are no distractions... apart from the usual driving hazards.
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Yes, mantra retreats can be done without a teacher's blessings especially if it is Dorje Shugden and that also means you can come up with a number/goal. Timeframe is really up to you. Retreats can be counted within a certain timeframe like a weekend retreat or an amount retreat...like 10,000 mantras.
On top of that, you can recite mantras while driving but that cannot be counted as part of your retreat. In a retreat, you gotta be sitting on the same place throughout the retreat. However, reciting mantras while driving is a good additional practice we can do on top of our sadhanas.
That is how I was explained a long time ago. Hope this helps.
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Yes I agree with Big Uncle..very good advice re recitation of mantra as an additional practice.
Good opportunity to listen to teachings on CDs during the long drive.
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Well I always take my lunch at the same canteen everyday... could that be one of the places I always go.
Coz really, what about the high flying types, they never have the time or ability to be in one place too long. Unless they stay at the same hotel room each time they fly in the country.
Hey does thinking the mantra count? I don't want anyone to disturb me which is what my colleagues tend to do.
cheers for the support, I think I want to start a retreat very soon.
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Mantra retreat is good. I have a uncle that I know who does not know anything about Buddhism and he has no Guru. All he just do is light joystick and pray to his alter daily. One day he was fired and because he is already 55years old no one wants to hire him. He was worried as he still needs to support his children’s study. Since there was nothing much he could do, so he decide to just chant to relive his worries and stress for a few hours a day. He did that every day for about 3months and after that he have job knocking at his door. He had tear in his eye while he told me his side of the story and ask me to do the same after what he has gone trough.
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Chanting mantras will develop one' mental powers and take him/her to a higher level of consciousness and
improves memory and the power of concentration.Can protect and shield us form various form of evil spirits,misfortune,sickness and misfortune.
When the sutras are chanted .three great and powerful forces are activated,that is the Buddha,Dharma and the Sangha.It is the combination of these "THREE JEWELS" and when invoke they can bring great blessings to
mankind.
I find peace when I chant,which helps in my spiritual practice.
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Doing mantra retreat is good. It takes away our time for worldly pleasures to do something positive and beneficial. Mantras are holy words of Buddha thus it has blessings. When we chant mantras, the mind expands, deepens and widens and we feel more at peace and calm. It also improves our concentration. The word mantra literally means "to free from the mind." I love retreats as it gives me a chance to get out from the "rat race". When I come out from a retreat, I feel a sense of calmness and recharged energy in me.
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Coz really, what about the high flying types, they never have the time or ability to be in one place too long. Unless they stay at the same hotel room each time they fly in the country.
Time management Time Management Time Management !!
Does this mean 'high flyers' dont have time to anything other then their high flying jobs?
For those who are frequent flyers, I suggest they carry out short retreat - give themselves a relatively small goal, eg. 100 mantra at a time. This is more achievable and more realistic. With these small retreats, one can gather huge amount of mantra count over a period of time.
Hope this helps
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Small retreat is good for working people now a days especially for those who work long hours. We can even set a goal by ourselves by completing a certain mantra within a time frame. Say 10,000 mantra in 6 months. Plus we can develop some disciplinary, commitment, calm, memory and consciousness. By injecting spirituality in our life we will be able to achieve more in our life, be it spiritual or secular. Love the feeling after a retreat, it gave me a sense of bliss and achievement. It's definitely a win win!!!
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I like mantra retreat it's a form of meditation to me. I used to chant quite a lot, 3 malas of migtsema and 10 to 21 malas of Dorje Shugden mantras during the weekends and public holidays. I find it very energizing after reciting the mantras. As a result of my frequent recitation of mantras i find i am able to concentrate and have a clear mind to understand dharma teaching better.
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Well I always take my lunch at the same canteen everyday... could that be one of the places I always go.
Coz really, what about the high flying types, they never have the time or ability to be in one place too long. Unless they stay at the same hotel room each time they fly in the country.
Hey does thinking the mantra count? I don't want anyone to disturb me which is what my colleagues tend to do.
cheers for the support, I think I want to start a retreat very soon.
i think it is at best you do mantras for your retreats in your room where nobody can disturb you and distract you away from reciting mantras. let me share mine, i tend to do mantras while traveling through subways and we do not really need to chant out loud and let everyone hear our mantras. the end of the day when i am done with all my daily routines, i will just sit for an hour or so to recite Shugden mantras. i found some nice links in this website that helped me i.e. the short prayers of Shugden!
one of the very main reason why we chant mantras is that we can focus and calm our very own jumpy mind. i hope this help! :)
cheers
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On top of that, you can recite mantras while driving but that cannot be counted as part of your retreat. In a retreat, you gotta be sitting on the same place throughout the retreat.
I understand that for retreat we got to sit on the same spot throughout the retreat. What about reciting on the same stop while watching TV? Or it's not considered as well?
Roberto,
It is possible do a mantra retreat without a teacher. However, with the teacher's blessing, the merits you generate is more. If the teacher indicate the amount you need to do and you fulfill it, it is great blessings.
Since you don't have a teacher, you can specify the amount yourself and make a vow to the Buddhas which you can do it in front of your altar. If you specify 100,000 mantras at X amount of time, then you divide the mantras with the x amount of time so that you know you have to do a minimum of X amount each day.
You have to consistently do it everyday without missing even once. If you did, you will need to do double up the next day on top of that day's mantra. If you don't, you will need to start the retreat from start again.
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Hi there,
I was wondering if I can do a mantra retreat. I do not have a guru yet, nor a center close by to seek advice. Well not one that practices Dorje Shugden.
Is it possible do with our a teachers blessings?
Can I just specify an amount I wish to achieve?
Does it have to have timeframe for it to be counted?
I have quite a busy schedule and would like to do this in between downtime. Can i do it say while driving the car? Everyday I drive 1.5hours to my job each way. I am doing migtsema mantras at the moment for half the journey.
Can someone advise?
thanks
Roberto
p.s. The drive is also the best time for me to focus as there are no distractions... apart from the usual driving hazards.
Yes, as what Big Uncle and the others have said, mantras can be done without having a Guru... no harm will come from doing mantras!
But since this is your first time doing a mantra retreat, maybe you'll want to start off with a smaller number so that you don't get too overwhelmed with the amount. There is no specific time frame on when to finish a certain retreat (unless you've vowed to do within a certain time-frame). However, there has to be continuity, which means there cannot be a break until the number of mantras you've vowed to complete is done.
You can also state that whatever amount you're doing now, it can be accumulative to your preliminary practice of 100,000 mantras. Which means, if you've completed 5,000... then you're 5,000 mantras closer to completing your 100,000 mantras... after that continue to do small retreats of 5000 etc until you've reached the 100,000 minimum.
Also, remember that in a retreat, always add 10% on top of the amount of mantras you wish to recite. For, example, if you've made up your mind to do a 5,000 mantra retreat, you'll have to do a total of 5,500 mantras for the retreat to be valid. The 10% is to cover any mistakes that we may have accidently do during the sessions.
Wishing you all the best =)
I had a lot of support from people when I did my first prostration retreat, I hope our forum community will be equally supportive to you.
Much care
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There are a few things to bear in mind when planning a retreat:
a. motivation
b. "target" - number of mantras to complete
c. time frame
d. location
e. dedication at the end of each session
As in any virtuous action, the motivation is of course important. When setting the number of mantras to chant, you must be realistic - do not be too ambitious to set a high figure when starting out on your first retreat. Since you work and spend a lot of time commuting, you might want to set your time frame to be much longer, so that you do not rush to reach your target mantras. Engaging in and completing a mantra retreat is not about rushing to reach that final figure. Yes location is important, because you have to sit in the same place throughout for your retreat - that means, you are not even allowed to move your cushion from its initial position.
I wish you all the best.
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Hi roberto,
As you have limited of time and often travelling, instead of focus on to do a mantra retreat, may be you would like to consider to start with daily prayer (sadana) which its combine of short or long prayer, mantra and dedication first which also will bring calm, peace and focus mind to practitioner also.
And may be during a long holiday or when you have free time and stay in one place says about 3-4 days or 5-7 days then can consider to start a short retreat..which a few of my friends did this every year.
Hop these help..
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roberto, i'd like to answer a couple of your questions.
firstly, you can recite your mantras when you drive but it cannot be counted as part of your retreat. Not only because your retreat seat should not be moved throughout the duration of your retreat, but also because when you are driving, your attention is not entirely focused on your prayers.
Proper retreats involve a fair bit of visualisation, meditation, focus, concentration etc so when you are driving, either you are only partially focused on your prayers, or you are very close to having a major car accident.
My lama has also told me once, that when you recite mantras while doing another activity, the mantra count is actually halved. So if you recite 10 malas on your drive home, it only counts as 5 malas cos you're not focused on just the mantras.
2nd thing - you have got to recite audibly, not just think it. It has to be loud enough for yourself to hear at the very least. In fact, the best way to recite your mantras is loud enough for you to hear, but soft enough so that no one else can hear. That also encourages humility, as you are not showing off your practice.
hope that helps
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I understand that for retreat we got to sit on the same spot throughout the retreat. What about reciting on the same stop while watching TV? Or it's not considered as well?
Aurore, I do not think that it is counted. As to be in a retreat, it is a state of your mind going away from the daily distractions that you have. It is a way for you to focus into yourself and think what is going on and reflect about your own behaviour. Thus, a TV is something that will distract our minds and our thoughts. It might even be a factor where it does not allow us to have the concentration to be chanting the correct mantra.
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Hi roberto,
As you have limited of time and often travelling, instead of focus on to do a mantra retreat, may be you would like to consider to start with daily prayer (sadana) which its combine of short or long prayer, mantra and dedication first which also will bring calm, peace and focus mind to practitioner also.
And may be during a long holiday or when you have free time and stay in one place says about 3-4 days or 5-7 days then can consider to start a short retreat..which a few of my friends did this every year.
Hop these help..
I agree. First of all, reciting mantras daily is better than not reciting at all. But it will be very beneficial if we take a few days off to do a short retreat at least once a year. The more retreats we do with the correct motivation, the more we'll notice our mind transform. This is most important for Buddhist practitioners.
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I normally do mantra recitation according to wishfulfilling jewel ( Book ) Going to refuge - Recitation of gaden Lhagyal ma - recitation of Migtsema - Inviting Dorje shugden and his retinue - Making offering and request - than according to with this visualization paragraph :
I have the clarity of the yidam. Before me are the five lineage of Dorje Shugden , the great king of Dharma Protectors. At their hearts are sun cushions upon each of which there is a HUM( ??? ) surrounded by the mantra garland in its appropriate color. Light rays radiate from the seed-letter ( ??) at my heart and touches these. As a result their minds are automatically engage in pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful action that desire accomplishing them without obstruction.
OM VAJRA WIKI WIKTRANA SOHA