Question asked by Tommy
Sorry my last question didn't go through. I wanted to ask how do crystals and mantras affect the winds of the body and what mantras and crystals go together and work in conjunction? ex. I heard quartz crystal is good with Om mani padme hum. Is there certain ones that go well with Medicine Buddha or Amitabha / Setrap practice?
Dear Tommy,
Thank you for the interesting question. Mantras are powerful because they are the essence of the Buddha (and therefore their body, speech, mind, qualities and activities) in the form of sound. Whereas a statue, thangka or representation of the Buddha is a physical form, mantras are the essence of the Buddhas in the form of sound. When we recite mantras, the winds in the body are moved in such a way that facilities the benefit of the particular mantra. For example when we recite the mantra of Chenresig, it effects the winds in the body in order to lessen anger and to promote compassion. When we are counting our mantras, we use malas. Now, malas can be made of any sort of materials, but some are particularly suited to certain practices for energetic reasons, as they can help in the practice.
For example, as you rightly said, quartz crystal is good with Chenresig’s practice, as it is with all peaceful practices. For Medicine Buddha, it would be good to use a mala made of Lapis Lazuli. For wrathful practices, rudraksha or bone malas are used. Other materials that are generally useful for all practices are Bodhi seed or lotus seed. Therefore there are certain types of malas made from crystals or other materials that support certain types of practices. For advanced practitioners, the use of certain materials during mantra recitation may have benefit that the practitioner wants to develop.
However one should remember that a mala is a counting device, which becomes precious and important to our practice, because it is imbued with the energy of the mantras we recite. Whatever material a mala is made out of, if we do our practice with devotion, sincerity and diligence, the benefits will be tremendous.
His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has an excellent teaching on mantras, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srI1vH6bGXg. In the teaching, His Eminence mentions that certain types of mantras, if combined with certain materials, it helps to facilitate the result of that mantra. You can watch the teaching to find out more about malas and the materials they can be made from. I hope this helps.
Thank you.