Mantras create brilliant counterpoint to controlled breathing

Here's a pic of the great Indian saint Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to Tibet. My question is always: What's he seeing that I'm not?


I used to be little snooty about mantras, but for the past year or so I've used a Tibetan Buddhist mantra - Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum - since attending a weekend with Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the inspiring and profound The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

The mantra is addressed directly to Padmasambhava, who introduced the Buddha's teachings to Tibet 1200 or so years ago.

According to Sogyal Rinpoche: The essential meaning of the mantra is: "I invoke you, the Vajra Guru Padmasambhava, by your blessiing may you grant us ordinary and supreme siddhis."

Again, in the words of Rinpoche: "Siddhi means real accomplishment, attainment, blessing and realisation. There are two kinds of siddhis: ordinary and supreme. Through receiving the blessing of ordinary siddhis, all obstacles in our lives, such as ill-health, are removed, all our good aspirations are fulfilled, benefits like wealth and prosperity and long life accrue to us, and all of life's various circumstances become auspicious and conducive to spiritual practice, and the realisation of enlightenment.

The blessing of the supreme siddhi brings about enlightenment itself, the state of complete realisation of Padmasambhava, that benefits both ourselves and all other sentient beings. So by remembering and praying to the body, speech, mind, qualities and activity of Padmasambhava, we will come to attain both ordinary and supreme siddhis...."

See what I mean - a good counterpoint to breathing to stabilise a weak chest and poor breathing, when there is a very real temptation to resort back to drugs that create an inevitable dependency - something that is denied by the UK medical profession, it seems.