Mantra Retreat

[thor]

roberto, i'd like to answer a couple of your questions.

firstly, you can recite your mantras when you drive but it cannot be counted as part of your retreat. Not only because your retreat seat should not be moved throughout the duration of your retreat, but also because when you are driving, your attention is not entirely focused on your prayers.

Proper retreats involve a fair bit of visualisation, meditation, focus, concentration etc so when you are driving, either you are only partially focused on your prayers, or you are very close to having a major car accident.

My lama has also told me once, that when you recite mantras while doing another activity, the mantra count is actually halved. So if you recite 10 malas on your drive home, it only counts as 5 malas cos you're not focused on just the mantras.

2nd thing - you have got to recite audibly, not just think it. It has to be loud enough for yourself to hear at the very least. In fact, the best way to recite your mantras is loud enough for you to hear, but soft enough so that no one else can hear. That also encourages humility, as you are not showing off your practice.

hope that helps

[Rinchen]

I understand that for retreat we got to sit on the same spot throughout the retreat. What about reciting on the same stop while watching TV? Or it's not considered as well?

Aurore, I do not think that it is counted. As to be in a retreat, it is a state of your mind going away from the daily distractions that you have. It is a way for you to focus into yourself and think what is going on and reflect about your own behaviour. Thus, a TV is something that will distract our minds and our thoughts. It might even be a factor where it does not allow us to have the concentration to be chanting the correct mantra.

[Klein]

Hi roberto,
As you have limited of time and often travelling,  instead of focus on to do a mantra retreat, may be you would like to consider to start with daily prayer (sadana) which its combine of short or long prayer, mantra and dedication first which also will bring calm, peace and focus mind to practitioner also.
And may be during a long holiday or when you have free time and stay in one place says about 3-4 days or 5-7 days then can consider to start a short retreat..which a few of my friends did this every year.

Hop these help..
 

I agree. First of all, reciting mantras daily is better than not reciting at all. But it will be very beneficial if we take a few days off to do a short retreat at least once a year. The more retreats we do with the correct motivation, the more we'll notice our mind transform. This is most important for Buddhist practitioners.

[kalsanggg]

I normally do mantra recitation according to wishfulfilling jewel ( Book ) Going to refuge - Recitation of gaden Lhagyal ma - recitation of Migtsema - Inviting Dorje shugden and his retinue - Making offering and request - than according to with this visualization paragraph :

I have the clarity of the yidam. Before me are the five lineage of Dorje Shugden , the great king of Dharma Protectors. At their hearts are sun cushions upon each of which there is a HUM(   ) surrounded by the mantra garland in its appropriate color. Light rays radiate from the seed-letter ( ??) at my heart and touches these. As a result their minds are automatically engage in pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful action that desire accomplishing them without obstruction.
OM VAJRA WIKI WIKTRANA SOHA