Cosmic Loti

<(((º>

Manjushri Statue

I’m studying for an exam this weekend on Buddhist scriptures *
I’m also nursing a flu-ey headache, my brain feels like dough, and the dogs are restless with the fireworks.
(Are the sonic booms really necessary?)
=(lots to transform)

What to do?!
Playing about in the world wide web of distraction probably isn’t recommended. But I do like sharing Dharma when I get the chance, and I thought this might help…

Manjushri’s mantra

is good for clearing the clouds of confusion from our minds
OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI

Manjushri is the Buddha of Wisdom.
Reciting his mantra with faith definitely helps, especially when you’re thinking things through.
Especially when you’ve thought things through a lot, and are only getting more and more confused, even perhaps a little perturbed.

 Sad but true. Any anxious thought swimming round your head, if unchecked, will rapidly grow to an alarming size. <((((º>

So stop worrying about it!

Put the problem aside for awhile.
Take some time out. Sit / lie in a quiet place, or go for a walk.
Take a deep breath in and sigh out. Several times.
We can imagine we’re blowing the problem out. Visualise breathing out the clouds of confusion.
With them gone, breathe in clean, fresh minds.
Then after doing as many Manjushri mantras as you want (at least 7 or 21 is recommended), we can imagine wisdom light shining down from the Buddhas and into our heart, blessing our mind.
Pause then, for awhile, and really feel our mind being illuminated and lightened.

Blessings are like mental fog lights, guiding the way to clarity and peace.
They also promote positive minds, so it’s quite likely that we’ll come back from our break not only feeling refreshed, with a clearer head; but with a better angle on the problem than we had previously.

Also, seeing it all from this elevated angle tends to transform the situation we’re in, making it a little more do-able than it was before.

This works because bad things don’t exist from their own side. They depend upon our perception of them. We all know that an arachnophobe sees a very different spider to a biologist. In the same way, our problem may be a solution if just looked at in another way.

Manjushri Buddha

.

<(((º>

OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI

etc.
Also on here: Mantra means Protection

Picture Credits:
Manjushri Statue by Jas
Buddha Manjushri from Tharpa Publications