One way of relating to mantra is as the casting of a spell. When we chant the names and qualities of a particular Buddha or Bodhisattva figure, we bring them into a mysterious sense of being. We cast a spell with our voices, and Tara, or Shakyamuni, or Padmasambhava, ‘appears’ – in the vibrations of the air, in the ripples of our breath.

The root of the word ‘enchantment’ comes from the French verb en chanter, ‘to sing’ or ‘to chant’. By making these figures present, who are themselves mythic embodiments of qualities of the awakened mind, mantra has the power to enchant – to connect us with our own potential for radical, magical transformation.

In this session, we’ll explore mantra, sound and silence as routes into presence and transformation. We’ll listen, we’ll chant, we’ll explore sound in our bodies. We’ll learn a mantra in harmony and we’ll chant it together in alternating periods of sound and silence. We’ll cast our spell together and we’ll bring the qualities of the awakened mind a little bit closer.

Newcomers welcome. With Jo Spence.

Bio

Jo Spence is a Going for Refuge Mitra and coordinator of the Dharma Parlour at Buddhafield festival. She is also a singer, musician and Natural Voice practitioner, and leads a Balkan and Eastern European folk singing group.

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