My old (and I mean old; he died some time ago at age 103) tai chi teacher, T. T. Liang, wrote a book titled Imagination Becomes Reality. I’d say imagination IS reality; relative reality anyway. What is in mind is your reality. I wrote about that in a previous newsletter and what I want to convey here is that one has, you have, the opportunity as a relatively healthy sentient being to decide what to put in your mind.
We all have disturbing thoughts arise and there are antidotes, other thoughts, that can direct your mind. We don’t have to get carried into anger, jealousy, fear. It’s not to deny or bury or spiritually bypass but to slow down and not get swept off to unskillful actions of body, speech, or mind. Equanimity is not always easy. But the place to start is with mindfulness - remembering our intent, the path we aspire to follow and awareness of when we stray. Mind is the forerunner of it all. Habituating those negative mind states leads to negative actions of body and speech and painful karmic results. With mindfulness and awareness in meditation we can remain focused and know when we aren’t and come back. This trains the mind.
Yet there are the remaining hours of the day, aren’t there? We stand up and greet the challenges of the day and resentment, anger, jealousy, fear is sometimes our reaction to it. And all those disturbing emotions can arise in meditation, too. They can disrupt sleep and lead to harmful actions and regret. Those middle of the night spinning thoughts that can get absurd and hold us tight. What to do? Right there, you can turn to an antidote. When resentment and anger rage like fire, you can endure the disturbing emotion for patience to arise; when attachment consumes, realizing that whatever is grasped for is impermanent; when jealous, we can appreciate the other’s good fortune. Love is the supreme antidote. When Buddha’s followers were practicing in the forest, they felt disturbed and fearful of beings there so they went to the Buddha for help. He taught them metta, loving-kindness. The word metta carries the power of over 2,500 years of history. Is metta not a kind of mantra? You maybe already use it as an offering and it brings love to your mind.
As an antidote as well as a preventative, I practice a mantra. Mantra means mind protection. A mantra guards your mind. You can place in mind something that carries the energy of hundreds of years from the breath, mouths, and minds of enlightened masters. The whole body engages in making and perceiving a sound that can protect mind from ignorant action and unskillful speech and cuts through habitual karmic tendencies. A silent mantra at the start of meditation brings focus to a scattered mind and instills peace and confidence. Many of you recently took the challenge to avoid speaking ill of others and/or harsh speech. It was a learning for many of us to see how often the urge arises. When that urge arises, one can bring forth a silent chant instead of giving voice to the words about to spill forth.
When I ride my bike, I chant a mantra. As I meet people walking or biking or driving toward me, the mantra that accompanies me on the bike path brings forth a mind wrapped in the wish they be free of obscurations and habitual tendencies and I wish for them happiness and wellbeing. I imagine it does that for them and it lifts me up for sure. They usually return my smile with theirs but if not, I assume they need it and wish them more. The mantra makes those I meet appear as precious beings I have a gift to give. I feel a bit excited to see them; “Oh, here comes one!” You have a gift to give.
The practice of mantra evokes aspects that include love and instills pervading refuge in the path. It evades the karmic imprint of habitual discursive thoughts. There are many mantras that hold different meanings. Om, ah, hung is a mantra most widely practiced. It relates to a loving and virtuous body, speech, and mind respectfully. My grandchildren have been soothed by Om tare tu tare ture so ha which evokes an image of protection and safety and is one my teacher chants and bestows to all. I think it’s wise to choose one mantra and stick with it, planting it familiar in mind so it arises easily as a skillful response.
This is available to you! It’s constantly available and portable into so many arisings in life. We need all the help we can get and I feel so fortunate to have this practice and to share it as a pointer to you as there are many resources to learn more about it. In these times, as in all times, we need a practice of love and peace in order to actualize it. What we imagine can become reality.
I encourage you to bring Buddhism into your life; not fitting a little Dharma in here or there but really lifting your whole life into practice. Mantra is a way to do that by using your body, breath, and speech to absorb your life in love, compassion, and wisdom.
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Join us for an exploration of the book We Were Made For These Times; 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption by Kaira Jewel Lingo. Our first session will be September 16th, Barb Lahman leading. We will meet monthly downstairs on the third Tuesday, immediately following the dharma talk. I attempt to keep our meetings to one hour. We start as close to 7pm as possible and end by 8 pm. Please purchase your own copy of the book. I would ask that you have read the preface and the first chapter of the book so that we can begin our discussion that first evening. 
Day of Practice at Insight Meditation Fort Wayne with Susan Weir, Founding Teacher of Insight Meditation Ann Arbor, on February 28 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Join Susan as she teaches: The Map of Realization. 
