![]() So you have a whole field of intimate presence, vibratory presence. So, already in the meditative practices, you are potentizing the moment when you’re practicing awareness and mindfulness of breathing, Then the Buddha teaches us to learn to be sensitive to the whole body when breathing. Mangala is an auspicious energy that blesses, protects, transforms. “Etam mangalamuttamam” (this is a great blessing, the highest blessing). But it’s talking about what you hang out with internally, what you honor in your own mind. Then he skips from the physically external foolish people and wise people to “Puja ca pujaniyanam,” (honoring what is worthy of honor). Then, “Panditananca ‘sevana,” (associate with pundits, the wise beings). Here it has the meaning of “honoring what is worthy of honor.” So that first line is “Asevana ca balanam” (Don’t hang out with foolish people). Puja is the Pali word for honoring something, like when you chant. In the Mangala sutta, in the first major stanza, there is the word “puja”: Then a big storm came and washed it all away, freeing the town of these ills. In fact, when there was a plague, when there were malevolent spirits troubling the whole village, when there was famine, the Buddha got his beloved disciple Ananda and others to go and recite another one of these parittas - the Ratana Sutta - while they walked through the village. ![]() ![]() Some people think, “Oh, that’s just some fanciful thing.” No, we are taught that principle in the classical Theravada teachings. The Buddha taught that when you chant certain chants that are honoring the qualities of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, that there is protection. For example, we recited the Recollection of the Triple Jewel chant every day, and frequently recited other parittas, like the Metta Sutta and the Mangala Sutta, on blessings. They are called Parittas, and we used to chant them every day in the monastery. The Buddha taught protection chants right from the early days of the Buddha’s teaching career. I’m curious if you could say more about that, either if you have any insights on how that process works, or if it’s almost like a faith process that it does work? Q: You once said that the Shurangama mantra or the Great Compassion mantra potentize and give power to whatever one’s spiritual aspirations are. Q&A Session at Kalyana Tea with Kittisaro Weinberg at Sudhana Center-DRBU
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