Practicing mantra meditations

[sky]

Originally Posted by AbodhiSky

i think saying "lord have mercy on me a sinner" over and over in ones mind is a Christian mantra. i'll check on google. ah yea it's the jesus prayer used by some monks and others.

Did you use that Mantra when you were a Monk ?.
I personally prefer ' Lord give me wisdom to choose the right path '.....

[DoshinMugen]

Mantra meditation is quite powerful but at times can't really bring results unless your intention and concentration are set in the right direction.
You may use keywords that have been passed down to you by someone, or you might need initiation for it.
I don't see anything wrong with it or with reciting affirmations or prayers.
Where I'm from 96% are baptized Christians and some of the priests use rosaries for their prayers, which is very similar to mantra.

So far I have tried Buddhist mantras that had strong effects but I have to be honest with you, for me the strongest prayer I have ever recited was the "The Heart Prayer" which is a Christian Orthodox prayer to Christ which is believed to be the most powerful way of dispelling evil both within and without. It goes along the lines of: "Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy(mile-synonym) for me, thy Sinner"
or "Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy for me".
It's a type of prayer that has to be repeated hundreds of times and it can even bring you into
states of bliss, emptiness or even the quickest way to get into meditation.
It's practiced extensively and is quite popular among Christian ascetics and monks that live in the wilderness.

I prefer the latter version, the one without sinner included in it,
as I tend to be overly critical of myself on a daily basis anyway.
Once I used to practice the former version of this prayer and something told me "Christ doesn't want me to feel guilty or
ashamed or call myself a sinner as he loves me
unconditionally and can see the pure intent in my heart", hence the reason I dropped the word.
Hope this helps to clarify your understanding of mantra more.

Originally Posted by DoshinMugen

or "Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy for me".
It's a type of prayer that has to be repeated hundreds of times and it can even bring you into
states of bliss, emptiness or even the quickest way to get into meditation.
It's practiced extensively and is quite popular among Christian ascetics and monks that live in the wilderness.

yes true. it can open the heart, humble oneself, quiet the mind, help in the surrender to love and light.