Do You Mantra?

I do.

As a long-time admirer of Buddhist prayer beads, I started adding mantras to my life over two years ago, almost three now.
My first experience with mantras did not actually involve mantras at all. Originally I fell head over heels in love with Japanese prayer beads. That is what really started it all.

I first saw them at a Japanese Buddhist temple when I was a child.They were so beautiful. Many were made from Swarovski crystal beads with gorgeous tassels hanging from them, and they glittered in the sun like jewels. All the refined women at the temple would have their beads in hand while they offered prayers at the temple, and I wanted to be like that. Stylish and devout. At the time I thought what could be better than that? So my quest to procure these prayer beads began. I finally bought my first mala (the Japanese call them o-juzu) a few years later while in Nagano, Japan. Sadly, they were lost in a move, and I have missed them ever since.

Nearly a decade later I went to China to study abroad, and it was there that my love of Buddhism was totally renewed, and so I bought another mala at a night market. Not as pretty or flashy as my first mala, but there is a refined elegance in wooden malas that crystal malas just can't compare to. So I had a replacement, and that is when I began using my mala for meditation and doing mantras.

To explain, a mantra is a phrase that, through repetition, can calm, motivate, or inspire specific thoughts or intentions. In Buddhism there are many mantras, and for the most part each mantra is attributed to a specific Buddha, Bodhisattva, or deity.
For example, the most famous mantra is "Om Mani Padme Hum". This is the mantra of Avalokitesvara, or his Chinese female counterpart, Guanyin. It is Sanskrit for, "all hail the jewel in the lotus". The 'jewel in the lotus' being the Buddha himself. Even the syllable "Om", which does not stand for a word, can be repeated as a mantra.
I personally do not stick to one mantra all the time during my meditation or relaxation work. I tend to choose one depending on how I feel at that moment.

You can also create your own mantras to suit your practice or meditation. For example, a few months ago I wrote my own mantra to inspire dreams about my tarot readings. I had amazing dreams each time I repeated the mantra before I fell asleep, and have used this mantra many times since.

On a daily basis, saying mantras has become my bedtime ritual. I bring my mala bracelet, or wrist mala, to bed with me and repeat my chosen mantra 108 times (an auspicious number in Buddhism) or until I fall asleep. This nightly practice helps me fall into a deep sleep almost every night, and has also warded off many nights of insomnia.
I have also used mantras during ritual meditations, and as a prayer to certain Buddhist deities.

So I urge everyone, especially those inclined to Buddhist practices, to use mantra in their spiritual practice. It can be greatly beneficial to the mind and the soul of anyone wishing to gain more peace and serenity in their life, or to strengthen their intentions for rituals and spellwork of any kind.