What is a Mantra?

Mantra, simply put, is a powerful phrase.

If we look around the world, we can find the existence of similar words in different traditions. Possibly the most frequently used mantras in the world include “Om,” “Amin,” and “Amen,” and occur in various traditions. According to MCKS, the mantras “Om,” “Amin,” and “Amen” are sacred and Universal and do not necessarily belong to a single tradition. For instance, consider the following: 

• In Hinduism, for example, the word “Om” is supposed to represent the primordial sound used in creation. It is also a mantra which is found in Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

• In Christianity, God is described as omnipotent (which means that God is all-powerful), omnipresent (which means God is present everywhere), and omniscient (which means God is all-knowing). Surprisingly, all these words that describe God start with “Om.”
• In the Kabbalah and in the book of Zohar, one of the 72 names of God is “Aleph Vav Mem,” where Aleph starts with A, Vav stands for U, and Mem stands for M. Therefore, another name of God by the Kabbalists is also “Aum” or “Om.”
• All Judaism, Islam, and Christian prayers end with “Amen” or “Amin.” The inner meaning of the word Amen or Amin is “In the name of God, so be it.”

You may do a simple experiment to evaluate the potency of these sacred sounds for yourself. Chant the mantra “Om”, “Amin” or “Amen” 12 times slowly and with awareness. Once you finish, just be aware of your inner state. You may notice that your anger and hatred are melting away. You will possibly not feel like criticizing other people or will not feel like hurting anyone at that moment. You may also feel a certain sense of peace in your mind. 

While it is not clearly known what gives a mantra its power, these sounds are holy and produce powerful effects when used properly. Hence, Mantra Yoga is one of the seven types of Yoga.

Application of Mantras

Mantras have multiple applications. In general, for personal use, mantras have two applications (there are other esoteric uses, which we won’t be discussing in this article). The first is that mantras enable our consciousness to shift to higher levels. The second is that mantras have specific cleansing (or purifying) and energizing effects that make them suitable for self- and spiritual development. Let’s look at both of these in detail.

1. Raising Consciousness: The human body and the mind are capable of projecting and receiving messages like electronic devices, just like a wireless radio that captures signals. We can actually feel if the person sitting next to us is happy, angry, or depressed. How does that happen? It is because we can pick up emotions from others. A happy and jolly person can make us happy. A gloomy person can make us sad. So, imagine the number of people that we come across throughout the day. How many different sorts of good and bad emotions you may pick up the entire day?

When we meditate, we can often notice a lot of thoughts and emotions coming to our minds. All these emotions or thoughts are not necessarily ours. We sometimes pick them up from the people surrounding us. The use of mantras during meditation allows us to shift our consciousness to a higher frequency so that it can register higher impressions. This is why the mantra “Om” is used during the Meditation on the Twin Hearts to facilitate the expansion of consciousness. Do note that the effect of using “Amen” or “Amin” during the Meditation on the Twin Hearts is similar to that of the mantra “Om.”Also, all the meditations taught in the MCKS Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga system leverage the power of mantras.

2. Purification and Energizing: Mantras also have purification and energizing effects. While all mantras are inherently powerful, different mantras have slightly different effects and purposes. The effects of some of the mantras taught by MCKS (and recorded in his voice) are as follows:

• The mantra Om: The Sound of Stillness or Om: The Divine Sound can be used for purification. Chanting this mantra can energetically purify a room by disintegrating negative thoughts and emotions. It also has purifying effects on the aura and chakras. The mantra Om: The Sound of Stillness was specifically recommended for healing rooms.
• The mantra Om Shanti is intended to facilitate deeper states of relaxation, create a sense of calmness and spiritual well-being, and soothe, uplift, and inspire. Played during healing sessions, it facilitates the assimilation of healing energies from the healer and the environment. This mantra invokes peaceful energies and softly and gently purifies a place. Anti-insomnia: Play softly to help relax and lull oneself to sleep. It can also help children study and focus when playing in the background.
• The Gayatri Mantra is a great tool for purifying the aura and chakras, developing intuitive intelligence, and increasing mental clarity and emotional stability.
• The Lakshmi Gayatri is a great tool for saturating your aura with Prosperity Energies. MCKS taught that like energies attract. Once you bathe your energy field with Prosperity Energies, it will attract similar vibrations.
• Om Namah Shivaya is a great tool for intensifying your connection with the Higher Soul, activating your willpower, and purifying a room or your aura of negative energies.
• The Om Mani Padme Hum mantra has purifying and healing effects. The person chanting would experience increased calmness, inner peace, and soothing healing energy. This mantra also has wish-fulfilling effects. The mantra has several other properties, which are detailed in the MCKS workshop titled Om Mani Padme Hum.
• The Om Nama Rama Om mantra brings down a lot of divine energy and can be used for self-healing. The mantra also brings down blessings for spiritual empowerment to accomplish difficult tasks.

We also encourage you to view this short interview with MCKS on the Power of Prayer, Meditation, and Mantras.

Practicing the Mantras

One of the easiest ways to practice the mantras is by being guided by MCKS himself in the chanting. In addition to the mantras listed above, there are several other recordings made by MCKS in his voice (there includes, amongst others, “Amen,” “Amin,” “The 99 Names of Allah”, and about six other variants of the mantra “Om”). CDs of the mantras chanted in MCKS’s voice are available at our Online Pranic Healing Shop. These recordings were made by Master Choa to make it easier for his students to practice the techniques. 

However, one thing to remember is that the Guru’s voice carries his energy, and hence, the recordings are very potent compared to the mantras chanted by you or me. Hence, one needs to be careful not to over-practice the chanting to avoid “energetic congestion.”

It is also recommended that practitioners exercise for a few minutes before to facilitate a smoother flow of energy through the body and look to release the excess energy after practice by blessing the planet Earth.