Helping ghosts and others through mantras
Buddhist monk giving some food to a ghost or spirit in order to relieve him of some suffering. Spirits are the result of great miserliness and anger and they suffer from hunger, thirst, loneliness and tremendous cold and heat. There are mantras to help them be relieved of their suffering temporarily. You are are not worshipping them in any way but generating compassion to relieve them of their sufferings. Instead of fearing ghosts, we should generate compassion for their unfortunate rebirth and sufferings. Lord Buddha taught to be of benefit to beings of all dimensions and the six realms.
Helping ghosts and others through mantras
When we engage in certain bodily functions like spitting, breaking wind, urinating, passing motion and so forth, it can be an opportunity to benefit other sentient beings. There are certain types of hungry ghosts or those who have taken rebirth as spirits, who are attracted to these wastes due to their heavy negative karma. These spirits can only partake of sustenance that is composed of waste, leftovers, dirty or used items, and from items to be discarded. Otherwise they remain hungry. Their karma does not allow them to partake of clean, new or fresh items. They are not actually able to fully eat or drink urine, feces and so on but they are attracted and able to partake of their essence. When the mantras are recited, these wastes are imbued with energies that will bless the mindstream of these spirits to take rebirth in fortunate realms.
Therefore, there are certain powerful mantras that are derived from the scriptures that we can recite in order to plant seeds of enlightenment in their mindstreams. In doing so, such ordinary actions can be accompanied with the recitation of these mantras in order to implant special blessings to benefit these beings. Since we have to engage in these actions as part of the biological process of our bodies, we can take advantage of this and benefit other sentient beings while doing so daily. These mantras we implant in their mindstream will eventually arise in their future lifetimes, ripen and they will be able to practise the Dharma. They will come across the path to liberation. In this way we can benefit beings in the hungry ghost or spirit realms daily and effortlessly from our compassion in seeing their suffering existence. Spirits suffer from extreme loneliness, hungry, thirst and are trapped in reliving their feelings of miserliness. Doing this will not free them but plant the seeds that will liberate them in the future. This is based on teachings of Lord Buddha to benefit suffering beings.
Tsem Rinpoche
Miscellaneous Mantras
For washing
OM ARYAM SIRKAM BIMANASE UTSUMA MAHAKRODHA HUM PHAT
The following mantras are recited to purify one’s own negative actions or to enable spirits to benefit from those actions:
Spitting
OM AH SHALE SHAMA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Throat mucus
OM AH KHRERA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Nasal mucus
OM AH BIGHANA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Breaking wind
OM AH MARA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Excreting
OM AH BITRA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Urinating
OM AH MUTRA AH HA RE BHYA SOHA
Mantra to purify disrespecting holy objects
OM VAJRA BEGA MA AH KRA MA HUM
Mantra to offer food to pretas or hungry ghosts
OM UCCHISHTA PANDI AH SHI BHYA SOHA
Having a mantra to bless meat should not be a justification to eat meat as in order to do so, animals have to be mercilessly slaughtered and by eating meat we indirectly participate in that karma. People use it to bless meat before partaking which is allowed but it’s really for coming across animals bones and we bless them with various mantras. We can use many mantras to bless meat, among the more well-known are below and you can use any of them. Not necessary to use all.
Mantras for Blessing Meat
Recite the following mantras, then blow on the meat (cooked or uncooked), skin, bone or hair of the animal. Due to the force of the karmic connection with the being whose body this meat was, the consciousness of that being will receive blessings. One can recite the mantra to living animals to help bless them for better rebirth in the future also. We can even blow any of these mantras on bones, leather, fur of animals that are hundreds of years old like ivory.
Medicine Buddha mantra (short)
TADYATHA / OM BEKANZEY BEKANZEY MAHA BEKANZEY BEKANZEY / RANZA SAMU-GATEY SOHA
Mantra of Buddha Mitrugpa
NAMO RATNA TRAYAYA / OM KAMKANI KAMKANI ROCHANI ROCHANI TROTANI TROTANI TRASANI TRASANI PRATIHANA PRATIHANA SARVA KARMA PARAM PARA NI ME SARVA SATTVA NANCHA SOHA
Milarepa’s mantra
OM AH GURU HASA VAJRA SARVA SIDDHI PHALA HUM
Mantra to bless meat
OM AH-BIRA KHE KARA HUM (7x)
Namgyalma Mantra
Om Droom Soha
Avalokitesvara’s mantra
Om Mani Peme Hung
Any way we can benefit other sentient beings of the six realms, why not? Everyone deserves a better rebirth and if we can be the cause of this, then all the better. As these mantras are taught by the incomparable Buddha to benefit the beings of the six realms, we should utilize them to help them. Bless other suffering beings with these mantras tirelessly. Tsem Rinpoche
Many spirits are said to have very small mouths parched with tremendous thirst, thin necks and huge bloated stomachs in great pain of hunger
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Great knowledge…… there are mantras that can help wandering spirits or ghost , unseen beings of the six realms and even bless them. This is the only way we can help them . Mantra have great authority and virtue, by reciting we are able to plant seeds of enlightenment in their mind streams and benefit other sentient beings as well. Ghost or spirits, unseen beings suffered from extreme loneliness, hungry, and so forth . They are trapped in reliving their feelings of miserliness, thus recitation of mantras will definitely help them, planting the seeds that will liberate them in the near future.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this profound knowledge.
This is such great information. Thank you.
I didn’t realize there were so many ways we can benefit sentient beings who are spirits or animals. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for compassionately sharing with us these methods & mantras. ??????
Spirits in the ghost realm are living in suffering and pain. They are always in hunger, their throat is so small that the food can’t go through. When they want to eat, all the food will be burnt. Hence reciting mantra and dedicate to them is very important to plant the dharma seed in them. Hopefully, they will have swift rebirth and alleviate their suffering.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Ghost ,spirits are suffering tremendously.
Imagine they have been there for hundreds to thousand years without any help.
Great to know there are so many mantra that can help and bless them.
Most of us are very afraid or scared if we see the ghosts because we don’t know what to expect. We are afraid that they might harm us or disturb us. However, Buddha Shakyamuni taught us not to be afraid of them because being born as a ghost or spirit, it is actually a great suffering. We should generate compassion for them.
We take rebirth as a spirit or ghost due to our miserliness and anger. As a spirit, we will suffer from hunger, thirst, loneliness and tremendous cold and heat. We can also experience these when we are in human form, we should know how much pain it is to be in that state. Imagine if we have to live like this every day for hundreds or maybe thousands of years? Therefore, it is very important for us to cut the miserliness and also the anger.
We have to be very aware of our mind if we want to control and eventually get rid of the anger. Sometimes the anger is very subtle, but it shows in our action. For example, keep quiet can be a form of anger even though no harsh words are being used. To let go of anger is to take full responsibility for the consequence and realise that it is a result of our action.
I was searching for a mantra to bless meat, as someone asked during Lamrim class yesterday and it leads me to this webpage.
I didn’t know there was such mantras till Rinpoche shared it.
It is good that we can chant the mantra to the ghost and other beings for blessing and to have the Dharma seed implant in their mind for future rebirth and practice toward the liberation path.
This practice is good for us as we need to develop compassion toward all sentient beings.
Wonderful knowledge for us at least to help those hungry ghost or whatever exist unseen by our naked eyes. I have not heard and know any of these mantras till I read this wonderful blog. Wow there are so many different Mantras to recite for different other sentient beings of the six realms and ghost. I have book marked so that I could refer from time to time. It will be wonderful all these Mantras can benefit them.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing
It’s good to know that there are mantras to let us benefit other sentient beings and also ghosts
Thank you Rinpoche for this. I didn’t know that there are so many different mantras to benefit others effortlessly. Will try to memorise and chant them when it’s appropriate. It’s a way for us to be more aware. Aware of our daily actions and in whatever we do.
By the way, I wonder who is Buddha Mitrugpa?
Found it.
AKSHOBHYA
अक्षोभ्य (Sanskrit: Akṣobhya)
མི་བསྐྱོད་པ་ (Tibetan: Mitrugpa)
Thank you, Rinpoche for sharing this blog post. I didn’t realize there were so many ways we can benefit sentient beings who are spirits or animals. Thank you for compassionately sharing with us these methods & mantras.
Dear Rinpoche,
This is a wonderful teaching laden with knowledge. I didn’t know that Akshobya’s mantra can be used for blessing meat!!!
Thank you Rinpoche for this amazing one-minute story, so much I’ve learned in 60 seconds!!
_/\_ _/\_ _/\_
Kenneth