VIBRATING THE SILENCE
52 Mantras
This section of the book contains fifty-two mantras that can be used as a year’s course in mantra meditation or chosen one at a time to spontaneously enrich your inner life. To begin, let us look into the value of a mantra in the first place.
What is the best way to use silence? This question arose thousands of years ago when it was first discovered that silent mind existed. As I’ve mentioned before, silence is either useful or useless. By itself, it has no special value. The mind has simply stopped its ceaseless activity. But once silence was noticed somewhere in ancient history, a second discovery was made: Silence is more than stasis. It is a state of heightened awareness, and in this state we have special creative opportunities.
In effect, you can create anything from the invisible “stuff” of silence. You have already been using this ability in creating a lifetime of thoughts and feelings. Every idea, whether trivial or earth shattering, emerges from silence. Naturally, one wants the best to emerge. The more creative and life-supporting your thoughts, the better off you will be.
An entire science of vibrations (known in Sanskrit as shabda) arose in India specifically to enrich inner silence. The central feature of this science is the mantra, a word used in meditation for its vibrational value. Here the word vibration is not quite what we think of when sound vibrations reach the ear. The term is much closer to quantum physics, which reduces all matter and energy to vibrations or waves in the quantum field. Before a cat is a cat, it is made of atoms. The atoms are made up of subatomic particles, and those particles vanish into the quantum field as invisible waves or vibrations.
From this we can see that vibrations are creative, and that is the purpose of a mantra, to create a quality in silence that brings the values of consciousness—love, serenity, compassion, empathy, creativity, and much else—into a person’s awareness. By vibrating the silence, mantras enrich a person’s inner life, with many consequences in outer life.
HOW TO USE THE MANTRAS
Each mantra is given in two forms: as a mental sound in Sanskrit to repeat silently, and as an affirmation of what the mantra’s effect is meant to be. Some of the mantras are as simple as one syllable, like Om, which is easy to repeat silently, while others can be five or more syllables long. If you find the longer ones too difficult to remember, feel free to use the affirmation side of the mantra instead.
Since there are fifty-two mantras total, you can go through them systematically, using one for a week at a time for a year. But some people will prefer to open the mantras at random and use whatever mantra comes to light.
Using a mantra is quite simple.
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Pick the mantra you want to use.
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Close your eyes and meditate on the mantra for 5 to 10 minutes. The correct pronunciation is given in brackets.
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Look at the affirmation that goes with the mantra and reflect upon it to align yourself with the mantra’s beneficial effect.
You don’t need to chant the mantra internally to make a rhythm. Just say the mantra whenever you notice it has gone away. Don’t try to squeeze in as many repetitions as you can—it’s not effective.
The whole procedure is meant to be relaxed and easy. Just let the mantra be like any other word you bring to mind, letting it go in and out of your awareness on its own. Whatever you are comfortable with will work. There is no wrong way to do mantra meditation.
MORE ABOUT THESE MANTRAS
Mantras are basic sounds in Sanskrit that contain energy and intention to promote spiritual growth. They are a tool for waking up that supports the natural process of spiritual transformation. The inherent intelligence of pure consciousness is at work. As you’ve learned in this book, your mind naturally wants to go to its source in silent, unbounded awareness. Mantra meditation is a helpful way to add to your time spent in meditation mode.
You’ve probably heard of people being given one mantra to use as their own. There are actually thousands of different mantras, but these so-called seed, or bija, mantras that get assigned personally are a convenient place to begin. Bija is the Sanskrit word for seed, and these mantras are the most basic vibrations, or primordial sounds, of pure awareness. They exist and work at a level of the mind much more fundamental than thinking or even feeling.
Because primordial sounds are considered the basic vibrations in Nature, existing before language developed, seed mantras don’t represent anything we can think about: they have no distinct meaning. Rather, they are fundamental frequencies of consciousness associated with sound that we can meditate on in a very pure way. For that reason I am beginning with seed mantras. They align one’s life to the impulses of creativity and intelligence in Nature.
The later mantras have more specific applications that will be explained for each one. Mantra meditation has amassed the widest and most far-reaching research of any meditation practice. Reductions in anxiety, lowered blood pressure, effective stress management, and other mind-body benefits are now well established. I therefore encourage you to experiment with these mantras—they hold much promise within the larger world of total meditation.
1. OM
[Ohm]
Pure consciousness is the source of creation.
This seed mantra has no specific meaning. It is associated with all-inclusive existence, expressed as the primal vibration Om. This is the sound or vibration of consciousness through which all processes in creation are generated.
2. Hrim
[Hreem]
I am truth and joy.
This seed mantra’s sound is the energy of consciousness associated with a person’s spiritual heart. It radiates a light of truth, strength, love, expansiveness, and happiness.
3. Klim
[Kleem]
I am the power of love and fulfillment.
This seed mantra’s sound is the stream of awareness that is forever creating, nourishing, refreshing, revitalizing, attracting, and delighting. We can call it the energy that fulfills the deepest desires of the heart, not only for love but also for the ultimate fulfillment of waking up.
4. Shrim
[Shreem]
I am beauty, abundance, and joy.
This seed mantra’s sound is the energy of pure consciousness expressing the quality of abundance, nurturing generosity, devotion, enjoyment, beauty, and pleasure. It is a gentle energy that supports the nurturing and caring value in human awareness.
5. Hum
[Hoom]
I am the power of transformation.
This seed mantra’s sound expresses the transformative power of awareness. It is visualized as a spiritual fire that illuminates and affirms what is true and enduring while purifying and removing what is false, negative, and transitory.
6. Krim
[Kreem]
I am the force of evolution.
This seed mantra’s sound expresses the organizing power of consciousness. It is the energy that keeps every cell operating and makes thinking orderly. The same energy unites mind and body into one wholeness that grows and evolves.
7. Gam
[Gum]
I am wholeness and harmony.
This seed mantra mantra’s sound expands awareness as a way of resolving obstacles and attaining success. Where there is stuckness, this mantra opens awareness to the level of the solution, the level of the true self.
8. Aim
[I’m]
I am creativity and inspiration.
This seed mantra’s sound awakens the awareness within that brings success in spiritual understanding, insight, and creative inspiration. It especially helps those involved in learning, teaching, research, art, and music.
9. Dum
[Doom]
I am fearless and strong.
This seed mantra’s sound supports the energy of maternal protection, encouragement, strength, and empowerment. It represents the true self that resolves difficulties and overcomes resistance.
10. Haum
[How’m]
I am open, unlimited awareness.
This seed mantra’s sound affirms that your essential nature is not conditioned, limited, or defined by any experience, positive or negative. Your true self remains an unbounded field of possibilities at all times and under all circumstances.
11. Aim Klim Sauh]
[I’m Kleem Sow (as in a female pig)]
My heart is whole and fulfilled.
This mantra is a combination of sounds for realizing one’s heartfelt desires. By renewing the heart, it also resolves longstanding issues of stress, anxiety, pain, and grief.
12. Hrim Shrim Kleem
[Hreem Shreem Kleem]
I am wisdom, love, and generosity.
This mantra’s sound activates the energy of the spiritual heart in fulfilling your innermost desires. It draws on the quality of pure consciousness that is all-knowing.
13. Om Haum Jum Sah
[Om How’m Joom Sawh]
I am filled with the healing light of wisdom and truth.
This mantra’s sound brings healing to the bodymind, bringing relief from pain and suffering. It helps to remove the negative emotions of grief and hopelessness. It lifts the fear of change by developing awareness of the unchanging true self.
14. Om Hrim Shrim Dum
[Om Hreem Shreem Doom]
I am powerful, fearless, and wise.
This mantra brings together the sounds that engender the inner resources of strength, courage, and intelligence to meet any challenge that comes your way.
15. Lam
[Luhm]
I am settled and secure.
Lam is the first of the six chakra mantras, which focus on the spiritual energy centers, or chakras, visualized along the spine. Its seed sound enlivens the first chakra, at the base of the spine, which connects us to our source of stability and security in life. It roots us securely in the earth, which stands for physical existence.
16. Vam
[Vuhm]
I am complete and content.
This mantra’s seed sound enlivens the second chakra, located in the pelvic area. The second chakra is the energy center associated with creativity, sexuality, desire, and pleasure.
17. Ram
[Ruhm]
I am confidence and strength.
This mantra is the seed sound for the third chakra, located in the region of the solar plexus. It connects us to our source of strength and self-worth. You gain confidence and self-assurance at the level of the true self.
18. Yam
[Yuhm]
I am love and joy.
This mantra is the seed sound for enlivening the fourth, or heart, chakra, the space of feelings and emotions. When you can live in the present moment, the heart chakra is open to experience love and joy.
19. Ham
[Hum]
I am the expression of truth.
This mantra is the seed sound for enlivening the fifth, or throat, chakra, which is the center for speech and self-expression. When this chakra is open, your truth finds clear and complete expression in whatever you say and think. You are connected to the eternal truth of your true self.
20. Ksham
[K’shum]
I am the light of pure knowing.
This mantra enlivens the sixth chakra, located between the eyebrows. Its seed sound connects you to the infinite knowledge of pure consciousness. When this energy center is activated, your thoughts, feelings, and actions are guided from within in an effortless flow.
21. Prajnanam Brahma
[Pruh-gyaw-num Brah-muh]
Consciousness is the wholeness of life.
This is a longer mantra that has a meaning. It is considered one of the great truths of existence. In this case the great truth is that everything is consciousness. In Sanskrit “everything” is Brahman, the One and All. Brahman is the ultimate reality. It is your source and the source of creation as a field of pure consciousness.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
22. Ayam Atma Brahma
[Ah-yum Aht-muh Brah-muh]
My essential nature is Brahman.
This mantra declares that each person’s soul is united with everything in creation, or Brahman. Your soul, or Atman, is the most intimate part of you spiritually. There is a huge collection of separate people in the world, but every soul is actually an expression of wholeness. This gives everyone equal spiritual worth, which is infinite.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
23. Tat Tvam Asi
[Tuht Tvum Ah-see]
I see pure awareness in everyone and everything.
This mantra means “You are That,” where That refers to our spiritual essence. Call it the true self, pure consciousness, or Being, we share the same essence. The sound of this mantra enlivens your ability to see Being and essence in everyone equally. With that comes a total absence of judgment, while at the same time you see that in everyone there is boundless bliss at the level of the true self.
24. Aham Brahmasmi
[Uh-hum Brah-mah-smee]
I am Brahman.
This mantra means that the “I” (your true self) embraces everything in creation, or Brahman. In this declaration you affirm your spiritual wholeness. You bask in the light of pure awareness, which is your essence.
25. Ekam Eva Dvitiyam Brahma
[Eh-kuhm Eh-vuh Dvee-tee-yum Brah-mah]
Brahman is unity, without separation.
This mantra literally means that Brahman is the one reality, without a second. Therefore you are the one reality, too. No matter how separate, alone, or isolated you feel, wholeness has never lost sight of you. Pure consciousness awaits to support you in everything. Nothing has greater power than pure consciousness.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
26. So Ham
[So Hum]
I am.
This mantra is so simple that it is hard to see its real significance. “I am” means that your true self exists. It has never not existed. It will never cease to exist. Thus when you affirm “I am,” you express nothing less than your eternal, immortal Being.
27. Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma
[Sahr-vum Kahl-vee-dum Brah-mah]
All this in truth is Brahman.
This mantra emphasizes that everything we experience, everything we think and feel—all of this—is the activity of pure consciousness. This is our eternal connection. From the viewpoint of your true self, the diversity of creation cannot hide the fact that everything (Brahman) comes from the same source. Pure consciousness is the womb of creation.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
28. Sat Chit Ekam Brahma
[Saht Chit Eh-kum Brah-mah]
Reality is one wholeness.
This mantra affirms that reality is whole. It isn’t separated into inner and outer experiences. Rest assured that you are not separate and unseen. You are part of the wholeness, and your life is woven into the fabric of eternal existence.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
29. Om Tat Sat
[Ohm Taht Saht]
Awareness embraces eternal truth.
This mantra affirms Truth with a capital T. To find this Truth, you have only to be aware. Your true self, being totally awake, knows only the truth. Because you exist here and now, you are the vehicle of eternal truth. Your life affirms the truth, and as you wake up, your truth becomes stronger and more powerful.
30. Satyam Shivam Sundaram
[Saht-Yum Shee-vum Soon-dah-rum]
Pure existence is benevolent and beautiful.
This mantra affirms that awareness is the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. These precious values are gifts from your very being. Your true self views your life as a flow of beauty and truth. By being awake, you stay in the flow all the time.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
31. Om Gam Ganeshaya Namah
[Ohm Gum Guh-nesh-uh-yuh Nuh-mah]
I invite Nature’s infinite intelligence.
This mantra invites the support of Nature into your life. Nature abounds in the creative intelligence of pure consciousness. Your true self was created to express every gift Nature has to offer. Here the gift is intelligence, which knows everything and can solve anything.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
32. Om Sharavana Bhavaya
[Ohm Shah-rah-vuh-nah Buh-vuh-yuh]
I invite the light of transformation.
You are surrounded by transformation and change, and this mantra invites personal transformation. In the gap between the ego and the true self, negative tendencies emerge. Pure consciousness can transform them completely. This mantra invokes the power of consciousness to accomplish any and all changes.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
33. Om Dum Durgayei Namah
[Ohm Doom Dur-gah-yay Nuh-mah]
I invite the nurturing and protective power of my true self.
This mantra is about feeling safe and secure inside. By its nature, the ego is totally different from your true self. The ego feels unsafe, insecure, and defensive. In contrast, true self exists in total security, bringing you its nurturing and security. It alone can make you feel totally safe and secure.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
34. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha
[Ohm Tah-reh Too-tah-reh Too-rei Swa-ha]
I invite the support of everything necessary to me.
This mantra is about fulfilling your needs with the loving support of your true self. Where the ego struggles to fulfill a hodgepodge of needs, wishes, desires, and fantasies, your true self knows what you need to thrive and grow.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
35. Om Sat Chit Ananda
[Ohm Saht Chit Ah-nahn-dah]
I invite eternal bliss consciousness.
This mantra affirms that your existence is unbounded bliss consciousness. Any happy experience is a taste of this bliss. No happiness is possible without it. As you wake up, bliss emerges simply by your being aware. Thus three things come together that can never perish: eternity, awareness, and bliss.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
36. Om Ram Ramaya Swaha
[Ohm Rahm Rah-my-yah Swah-ha]
I invite the healing power of Nature.
This mantra activates the healing power of consciousness. The healing response is part of the design of the human body, and in meditation we extend this healing to the mind. Healing is part of Nature’s design. Here you invite it to bring you physical, mental, and emotional healing.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
37. Om Namo Narayanaya
[Ohm Nah-moh Nah-rye-yah-nah-yah]
I invite balance and wholeness.
This mantra aligns you with Nature’s power to balance mind and body. You return to your natural state of balance all the time, but some experiences can throw us into imbalances that hang on. This mantra invites consciousness to find these imbalances and correct them, whatever they are.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
38. Om Arkaya Namah
[Ohm Ark-eye-yah Nuh-mah]
I invite self-empowerment.
This mantra aligns your awareness with the infinite power of pure consciousness. Being whole, pure consciousness has nothing to fight against or protect itself from. Its power is absolute. With this mantra you invite the power and strength that only wholeness can bring.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
39. Om Mangalaya Namah
[Ohm Muhn-guh-lye-yah Nuh-mah]
I invite energy and passion.
Nature is infinitely dynamic and bursting with energy. This mantra invites energy into your life so that you can live it with passion. Passion is more than emotion. It expresses the infinite dynamism of pure consciousness coursing through you.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
40. Om Eim Saraswatiyei Swaha
[Ohm I’m Sar-uh-swa-tee-yay Swa-ha]
I invite wisdom and inspiration.
This mantra activates your inner wisdom. Wisdom is more than knowledge or long experience. It embodies truth, applying it to everyday situations from a deep place inside you. This deep place is your true self. Here you invite it to give you the benefit of its wisdom.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
41. Om Shrim Maha Lakshimiyei Namah
[Ohm Shreem Mah-ha Lahk-shmee-yay Nuh-mah]
I invite abundance and prosperity.
This mantra is about the fullness of life. Nature abounds in all good things, and your true self connects you to the infinite abundance of pure consciousness. In your true self there is no feeling of lack. With this mantra you align with that viewpoint, overcoming any sense of lack you might have.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
42. Om Hraum Mitraya Namah
[Ohm H’rouwm Mee-trah-yah Nuh-mah]
I connect myself with all of life.
Reverence of life is a perennial spiritual value. This mantra invites the energy that supports life wherever it arises. You are woven into the fabric of life, and the threads are loving and supportive. Just as pure consciousness supports you lovingly, you, too, can extend this support to life all around you.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
43. Om Gam Gurubhyo Namah
[Ohm Gum Goo-roob-yo Nuh-mah]
I invite spiritual light into my heart.
This mantra lights the way on the path of awakening. There is incredible lightness in your being. When you carry this lightness in your heart, you walk the path with joy and optimism. Then the journeying itself brings fulfillment. There is no need to await the final goal, which is complete wakefulness. There is light and life in every moment of awakening.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
44. Om Shrim Shriyei Namah
[Ohm Shreem Shree-yeh Nuh-mah]
I open my awareness to total fulfillment.
This mantra invites complete inner fulfillment. The ego cannot know complete fulfillment or lead you to it. With this mantra, you amplify the qualities of success, abundance, beauty, love, and grace in every aspect of your life. Thus you learn that complete fulfillment isn’t a far-off goal, but the very nature of your true self.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
45. Arul Karunai Daya
[Ah -ruhl Ka-roon-eye Dah-yuh]
I invite loving kindness and empathy.
This mantra creates a space of compassion and acceptance in your heart. As compassion grows in the heart, your life becomes easier, more enjoyable, and blessed with grace and kindness.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
46. Om Namah Shivaya
[Ohm Nuh-mah Shee-vah-yah]
I invite pure silence and transcendence.
Spiritual life goes beyond everyday life in the direction of pure silence, peace, and Being. To go beyond has been part of every spiritual path. What attracts us and keeps us going is the peace that passes all understanding existing deep inside of us. This mantra helps you deepen your inner silence so that transcending becomes natural and effortless.
47. Siddho Ham
[Sid-oh Hum]
I am awakened.
This mantra affirms that present awareness is always perfect, open, whole, and accepting. Nothing is missing or lacking in your Being. It asserts the truth that you are complete just as you are, right now. This truth is what gives you your value and necessary place in the universe.
48. Narasimha Tavada So Ham
[Nah-rawh-sim-ha Tah-vah-dah So Hum]
I am invincible awareness.
My consciousness transforms all negativity into its highest good. This mantra activates that aspect of our awareness that can transmute even the most intractable of problems into resolution and a useful evolutionary end.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
49. Shri Dhanvantre Namah
[Shree Don-von-trey Nuh-mah]
I ask for healing of past hurts.
This mantra helps heal wounds and trauma from the past. Such hurts are too deep for the ego to reach. It fears returning to the pain of the past. But the true self heals without pain. There is nothing to probe or even think about. The healing power of consciousness works in silence with infinite care.
(If you find long mantras difficult to say, use the centering thought as your meditation.)
50. Shivo ham
[Shee-voh Hum]
In my essential nature I am divine.
This mantra means “I am divine,” but the “I” in question isn’t the ego. It is your true self, which is composed entirely of spirit. By aligning with the divine in yourself, you come closer and closer to the level of eternal Being. There you realize who you really are, and then there is no separation between the worldly and the divine.
51. Aham Prema
[Uh-hum Preh-mah]
I am love.
This mantra brings out another aspect of your true identity: You are love. With this knowledge you no longer have to pursue love. It is in your very nature. The love you receive from outside yourself is a reflection of your love. The more aware you are that you are love, the more you will see eternal love expressed in everything.
52. Om Shanti Om
[Ohm Shahn-tee Ohm]
I radiate peace.
Shanti is the sound for peace in all its facets: peace in the mind, peace in the world, peace in existence itself. This mantra settles the emotional body and soothes the heart. It has the effect of calming any feelings of agitation and conflict. Repeating Om Shanti Om to yourself in meditation is a quiet affirmation that universal peace is your essential nature.