I’ve been listening to this video/audio below for about a week and sending it to friends to enjoy as well. Listening to it has been instructive and uplifting. It’s a concert version of the 100-Syllable Mantra that I promised my wife I’d learn, one the most profound mantras in Tibetan Buddhism. Luckily, there is a short version, so I’m covered. Thought I’d share it here too.
I knew that to learn the Mantra musically was the only way I could learn the 98 out of the 100 unknown (to me) syllables. I do know two. The short version kicks in around 6:25 and I’ve already learned that. All four syllables. Progress. I liked the way the vocalist had the audience participate and recite the short version, which can be a great benefit for them when they learn about it. More about the 100 Syllable Mantra.
Sometimes I try to search for simple stuff that I know how to do but purposefully to relearn how to do it, or do it differently. I don’t like it when I assume that I should be doing everything by habit. So, I will often brush my teeth with my non-dominant hand or drink tea out of a soup bowl or wear suspenders instead of a belt. It’s so easy to get stuck and changing routines can be beneficial or just fun (most of the time). In a ridiculous sense, the NOW gets longer.
I love her versions of these mantras. She has a few albums out and does a lot of the major ones - Chenrezig, Tara, etc. Sometimes I just listen to the Tara one on repeat!
That technique of reversing brain currents or whatever by throwing your brain’s expectations off balance is total hard core Mahamudra, I think. I’ve heard it recommended in addiction medicine.
Here is one of my personal favorites—of all things a Rap Chant. Have a couple statues of him in the Shrine room and around the house. This “chant” was used in the “Chair Yoga” class I took at the local YMCA.
1st verse
Ganesh is so fresh chillin on his throne / surrounded by incense fruit and gold
with a heap of sweets piled in his bowl / he guards the gate and protects the threshold
when your blessed by Ganesh than you can travel / on a sacred journey to an inner temple
he paves the path that leads to the soul / & he’s known for removing all obstacles
now some may think it’s illogical / a myth or it’s just philosophical
but Ganesh makes everything possible / because elephant power’s unstoppable
Jaya Ganesha, Jaya Ganesha, Jaya Ganesha Om
2nd verse
To the god of all wisdom loved by all children / known for blessing homes that we live in
to the lord of all creatures with divine features / inspiring the minds of all truth seekers
to the son of Shiva and Parvati / with an elephants head and a fat belly
with a snake for a belt to hold up his pants / he rides on a mouse and he loves to dance
with a lotus unfolding inside one of his of his hands / & an axe to attack all ignorance
a broom to remove all hindrance / and a noose to reduce all selfishness
he writes the pages that the sages chant / droppin ancient vedic science so we can
comprehend / all the many ways that we can transcend
singin Jai to Ganesh he’s a yogi’s best friend
Jaya Ganesha Jaya Ganesha Jaya Ganesha Om
3rd verse
I pray to Ganesh to take away the stress / and pave the way into a place that’s blessed
centered in the chest where the breath is felt / when your blessed by Ganesh than the
stress can melt / he destroys the knots that confine your thoughts / he dissolves the walls
& he breaks the blocks / he unlocks the door to the sacred core / & he guards the gate
at the pelvic floor / the benevolent elephant who’s super intelligent / at the base of the
spine he’s the earth element / he’s the ruler of the muladhara chakra / his brother rides
a peacock and his names is Skanda / to the son of Uma and Mahadeva we offer this puja
to Shri Ganesha / to the son of Parvati and Mahesh dedicated to Ganesh cuz he’s so fresh
Do you the song from his last album, “Stuck Inside a Cloud”? Like most of his best songs, it seems to fluctuate between contemplating divine and human love – and the merging of the two.
I would say that the popular love song and its lethal promise of complete fulfillment through romantic love propelled me into dharma as much as anything!
Good Sleep Yoga course upcoming from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Just finished a two week course with him and he really is a special teacher and has helped me sleep better.