| Buddhist
Mantra
Buddhism, naturally following from Vedic society, also developed
its own system and understanding of mantra, which while similar
to that of Hinduism's, also took on its own particularities,
especially according to region.
Buddhist Mantra in Shingon
Buddhism
Kukai (Kukai was a Japanese monk, scholar, artist and calligrapher,
founder of the Shingon or “True Word” school of
Buddhism.) advanced a general theory of language based on
his analysis of two forms of Buddhist ritual language: dharani
and mantra. Mantra is restricted to esoteric Buddhist practice
whereas dharani is found in both esoteric and exoteric ritual.
Dharanis for instance are found in the Pali Canon (buddhist
scripture). Kukai coined the word "shingon" (lit
true word) as a Japanese translation of mantra.
The word dharani derives from
a Sanskrit root dh.r which means to hold, or maintain. Ryuichi
Abe (Professor of Japanese Religions at Harvard University)
suggests that it is generally understood as a mnemonic device
which encapsulates the meaning of a section or chapter of
a sutra. This is perhaps related to the use of verse summaries
at the end of texts as in the Udana which is generally acknowledged
as being in the oldest strata of the Pali Canon. Dharanis
are also considered to protect the one who chants them from
malign influences and calamities.
The term mantra is traditionally
said to be derived from two roots: "man", to think;
and the action oriented (k.rt) suffix "tra". Thus
a mantra can be considered to be a linguistic device for deepening
ones thought, or in the Buddhist context for developing the
enlightened mind. However it is also true that mantras have
been used as magic spells for very mundane purposes such as
attaining wealth and long life, and eliminating enemies.
The distinction between dharani
and mantra is a difficult one to make. We can say that all
mantras are dharanis but that not all dharanis are mantras.
Mantras do tend to be shorter. Both tend to contain a number
of unintelligible phonic fragments such as Om, or Hu.m which
is perhaps why some people consider them to be essentially
meaningless. Kukai made mantra a special class of dharani
which showed that every syllable of a dharani was a manifestation
of the true nature of reality -- in Buddhist terms that all
sound is a manifestation of shunyata or emptiness of self-nature.
Thus rather than being devoid of meaning, Kukai suggests that
dharanis are in fact saturated with meaning -- every syllable
is symbolic on multiple levels.
One of Kukai's distinctive
contributions was to take this symbolic association even further
by saying that there is no essential difference between the
syllables of mantras and sacred texts, and those of ordinary
language. If one understood the workings of mantra, then any
sounds could be a representative of ultimate reality. This
emphasis on sounds was one of the drivers for Kukai's championing
of the phonetic writing system, the kana, which was adopted
in Japan around the time of Kukai. He is generally credited
with the invention of the kana, but there is apparently some
doubt about this story amongst scholars.
This mantra-based theory of
language had a powerful effect on Japanese thought and society
which up until Kukai's time had been dominated by imported
Chinese culture of thought, particularly in the form of the
Classical Chinese language which was used in the court and
amongst the literati, and Confucianism which was the dominant
political ideology. In particular Kukai was able to use this
new theory of language to create links between indigenous
Japanese culture and Buddhism. For instance, he made a link
between the Buddha Mahavairocana and the Shinto sun Goddess
Amaterasu. Since the emperors were thought to be descended
form Amaterasu, Kukai had found a powerful connection here
that linked the emperors with the Buddha, and also in finding
a way to integrate Shinto with Buddhism, something that had
not happened with Confucianism. Buddhism then became essentially
an indigenous religion in a way that Confucianism had not.
And it was through language, and mantra that this connection
was made. Kukai helped to elucidate what mantra is in a way
that had not been done before: he addresses the fundamental
questions of what a text is, how signs function, and above
all, what language is. In this he covers some of the same
ground as modern day Structuralists and others scholars of
language, although he comes to very different conclusions.
In
this system of thought all sounds are said to originate from
"a" -- which is the short a sound in father. For
esoteric Buddhism "a" has a special function because
it is associated with Shunyata or the idea that no thing exists
in its own right, but is contingent upon causes and conditions.
In Sanskrit "a" is a prefix which changes the meaning
of a word into its opposite, so "vidya" is understanding,
and "avidya" is ignorance (the same arrangement
is also found in many Greek words, like e.g. "atheism"
vs. "theism" and "apathy" vs. "pathos").
The letter a is both visualised in the Siddham script, and
pronounced in rituals and meditation practices. In the Mahavairocana
Sutra which is central to Shingon Buddhism it says: Thanks
to the original vows of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, a miraculous
force resides in the mantras, so that by pronouncing them
one acquires merit without limits".
(What
is a Mantra?)
(Mantras
- How they Work)
(Hindu Mantra - Find out more here)
(The
Mantra Aum / Om)
| Authors
Details: Buddhist Mantra - Wikipedia |
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