Reciting the Names of Buddhas Especially Helpful in Neutralizing Misdeeds

[icy]

Can we not purify our misdeeds by praying to all Buddhas? Indeed we can cleanse ourself of countless misdeeds by invoking all the Buddhas.  However, in the present sutra Lord Buddha made special mention of thirty-five Buddhas who, when they first realized bodhicitta, formulated prayers such as, "When I become buddha, if living beings recite my name, may misdeeds accumulated during 10,000 aeons be neutralized" or, "May misdeeds accumulated during 10,000 aeons be neutralized" or "May misdeeds committed under the influence of attachment, be neutralized" etc.  their special effectiveness in neutralizing negative karma comes from the way they initially generated the spirit of enlightenment.

The sutra requested by Nyewar "Khor says it will be difficult for many people to believe these benefits. However, you should be convinced of them, since the prayers were made and all the Buddhas prayers are fulfilled.  When it says for example that reciting the name of a certain buddha will purify the misdeeds of ten thousand aeons, you should be fully persuaded as you recite the name that it will happen.  If you have doubts, it will not Trust is very important.

[biggyboy]

In the Lam-Rim teachings there are six methods given to purify karma:
* reading the profound sutra texts
* meditating on emptiness
* reciting powerful special mantras
* making holy objects such as statues, stupas and scriptures
* making offerings to the Guru-Triple Gem
* reciting the powerful Buddhas - holy names

Reciting The Sutra of the Bodhisattvas - Confession of Downfalls is an extremely powerful purification practice in which one recites the names of the 35 Buddhas of Confession. By reciting the names of the different Buddhas, one purifies specific various negative karmas. By reciting the name of just one Buddha, such as that of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, one purifies the negative karma of 80,000 eons. This is an extremely powerful practice, especially if one recites the names of the Buddhas while prostrating. Thus, through the practice of these purification practices, one can experience the positive results in this life.  Reciting this mantra it purifies today's and past lives' negative karma.

http://www.blia.org/english/publications/booklet/pages/37.htm
Reciting the Buddha’s Name:
Many people are distressed by anxiety, agitation, improper desires, and delusional thought.  These torments not only disturb our psychological well-being and eventually take a toll on our physical health, they also hinder our ability to perceive the truth of life and attain enlightenment.  When we recite the name of the Buddha, the torment of improper and delusional thoughts will cease and our mental anguish will evaporate.  The heart calms down, the mind is awakened and purified, and no greed, anger, ignorance, or other toxins will arise, thus giving us greater protection from illness and delivering us from our ignorance.  Reciting the Buddha’s name also helps us to reduce our bad karma, eliminating as many misdeeds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. 

A Buddhist saying tells us, “Reciting the Buddha’s name once can diminish one’s bad karma, and bowing to the Buddha can increase one’s good karma.”  Thus, reciting the Buddha’s name is an effective practice for healing the distress of our minds and bodies, as well as benefiting our cultivation and awakening us to the truth of life.

[Midakpa]

Reciting the names of Buddhas has many benefits. Many mantras are actually the recitation of the deity's name, for example OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI in which "Arapacana" is actually one of the many names of the Buddha Manjushri. Arapacana is the "Embodied Knowledge of Insight, Cutter of Suffering, Sharp as a vajra and the Lord of Speech". By propitiating Arapacana, we develop wisdom to overcome our ignorance which causes suffering. In fact, the whole prayer "Chanting the Names of Manjushri" is a puja which one can do to develop intelligence, memory power and wisdom to deal with mundane problems as well as to develop the wisdom to understand the Dharma.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the worship of Amitabha  and Kuan Yin includes the recitation of their names. It is believed that Kuan Yin Bodhisattva of Compassion comes to our aid when we recite with a sincere heart "Namo Kuan Yin Pu Sa" and "Namo Amitabha Buddha". Chanting the names of these Buddhas has many benefits such as: (1) to gain peace and happiness and good fortune; (2) to free us from affliction, suffering and hardship; (3) to end birth and death; (4) to discard material concerns; and (6) to renounce affections.

The mind is always thinking. Reciting the names of Buddhas will prevent our mind from indulging in false thinking and keep out the three poisons. The effect is mental calmness and concentration which gives rise to wisdom to discriminate clearly between the good and the bad.

[hope rainbow]

I have found this on http://www.ymba.org/BWF/bwf52.htm.



Buddha Recitation does not consist of oral recitation alone, but also includes contemplation and meditation. Therefore, within the Pure Land School, there are, in addition to Oral Recitation, three other methods, namely:
-Real Mark, Contemplation by Thought and Contemplation of an Image.
1. Real Mark [Self-Nature] Buddha Recitation

This entails penetrating the Mind's foremost meaning -- reciting our own original Buddha Nature. It is to contemplate the Real Mark Dharma Body of the Buddhas, resulting in attainment of True Thusness Samadhi.[41]
This method is really a Zen practice; however, since the realm revealed by the meditational mind is the Pure Land, it also qualifies as a Pure Land practice. This method is not for those of limited or moderate capacities -- if the practitioner is not of the highest capacity, he cannot "become enlightened and enter" into it. For this reason, few Pure Land teachers promote it and the proponents of the method are found chiefly within the Zen tradition.

Incidentally, I would venture to say here that while we are still treading the path of Practice, not having reached the stage of Perfect Enlightenment, all Dharma methods are expedients; Buddha Recitation is an expedient and so is Zen. According to the Three Pure Land sutras, Buddha Sakyamuni provided the expedient teaching of the Western Pure Land, and urged sentient beings to recite Amitabha Buddha's name seeking rebirth there. With this method, they can escape Birth and Death, avail themselves of that wonderful, lofty realm to pursue cultivation, and swiftly attain Buddhahood. Diligent Buddha Recitation also leads to Awakening, as in Zen; however, the principal goal of the Pure Land School is rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, while the degree of Awakening achieved is a secondary consideration.

Thus, the goal of Real Mark Buddha Recitation falls within Pure Land teachings. However, from the standpoint of an expedient leading to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, it does not truly qualify as a Pure Land method within the meaning of the Three Pure Land sutras taught by Buddha Sakyamuni. This is, perhaps, the reason why Pure Land Patriarchs merely referred to it to broaden the meaning of Buddha Recitation, but did not expound it widely.

2. Contemplation by Thought Recitation

This entails meditation on the features of Buddha Amitabha and His Land of Ultimate Bliss, in accordance with the Meditation Sutra. (The Sutra teaches a total of sixteen contemplations.) If this practice is perfected, the cultivator will always visualize the Pure Land before him. Whether his eyes are open or closed, his mind and thoughts are always coursing through the Pure Land. At the time of death, he is assured of rebirth there.
The virtues obtained through this method are immense and beyond imagination, but since the object of meditation is too profound and subtle, few practitioners can achieve it. This is because, in general, the method presents five difficulties: i) with dull capacities, one cannot easily succeed; ii) with a crude mind, one cannot easily succeed; iii) without knowing how to use expedients skillfully and flexibly during actual practice, one cannot easily succeed; iv) without the ability to remember images clearly, one cannot easily succeed; v) with low energy, one cannot easily succeed.

Very few can avoid all five pitfalls. Thus, upon reflection, this method also belongs to the category of difficult Dharma doors.

3. Contemplation of an Image Recitation

In this method, the practitioner faces a statue of Amitabha Buddha and impresses all the features of that statue in his memory -- contemplating to the point where, even in the absence of a statue, and whether his eyes are open or closed, he clearly sees the image of Amitabha Buddha.
This method is also difficult, because it requires a great deal of energy, a faithful memory and skillful use of expedients. There are cases of individuals who have practiced it in an inflexible way and have developed headaches difficult to cure. Moreover, upon examination, this method of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land is not mentioned in the sutras. It is merely a technique to assist in the practice of Buddha Recitation, so that the practitioner can harness his mind and achieve right thought. Still, if we practice this method in a pure, devoted frame of mind, we can obtain a response, eradicate our bad karma, develop virtue and wisdom, and, through an "illusory" statue of Amitabha Buddha, awaken to His True Marks and achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.

[RedLantern]

Reciting Lord Buddha's name has many benefits in this life cycle.Chanting causes certain phenomena to happen interfering with certain energy that manifests as purple and green light is only one.
There are many more that you may see for yourself if you manage a human rebirth.When reciting Buddha's name,one should also work on taming one's attachment and desires.Because one's mind is divided between desires and Buddha,one may have a hard time deciding upon one's deathbed on where one wish to go.As the mind and heart is filled with nothing but Buddha,thus the heart and mind is purified.
This is just like how meditators reach a level of existence and bliss in the heavens-leading to rebirth in the heavens.I have no doubts that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas employ all sorts of expedients to lead every living being to the right path.