Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Advises on How to Meditate With Mantras During Covid-19

Tenzin Chemey and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, TibetTV April 18, 2020.

TibetTV, the official media outlet of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, India, is producing a series of short advice videos during Covid-19 to help viewers.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

On April 18, 2020, Tenzin Chemey from TibetTV interviewed Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche for the YouTube video "In Conversation with Kyabje Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on Power of Meditation during COVID-19 Pandemic."

Tenzin Chemey previously interviewed Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on February 1 for the YouTube video "(Ep. 256) Exclusive Interview: Kyabje Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on Meditation and Transformation." (They recorded that February 1 interview twice: once in Tibetan and once in English. You will see the Tibetan version has had many more views.)

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on Tibet TV YouTube channel.

At the end of that February 1 interview Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche recommended three kinds of meditation for beginners: meditation on the breath, meditation with sound, and meditation while reciting a mantra silently in your head. They revisited this topic in April.

Meditation With Mantra Recitation

On April 18, Tenzin Chemey asked Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, "We have to take special care of elderly people. In our community going to koras, visiting monasteries, and attending religious gatherings play a huge part in the routine of the elderly. Now that they have to stay home away from all these visitations their routine has been disrupted too. What do you suggest the elderly members of our community to practice? What kind of meditation?"

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche answered, "I think the elderly normally practice a lot of mantras like OM MANI PADME HUM, OM AH HUM BENZA GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUM, OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA—so a lot of the mantra recitations. So I think it's really important when you do this mantra recitation you have to know how to meditate with that.

"So normally we say to do at the beginning refuge and Bodhchitta. So let's say if you recite 'OM MANI PADME HUM' (the mantra of Chenrezig, Avalokiteshvara) you imagine Chenrezig in front of you. Take refuge. You don't need to worry about the form, color, shape, what Chenrezig looks like exactly. That's not so important, most important is feel the presence of Chenrezig. So what we say is the moment you think of Buddha in front of you Buddha is just there. So Chenrezig is looking at you, Chenrezig is thinking about you. So feel the presence of Chenrezig and take refuge.

"After that, Bodhichitta: 'I want to practice the Chenrezig mantra, the Chenrezig practice to benefit all beings, and especially the beings who are affected right now by the coronavirus, and for world peace, and help all beings to achieve enlightenment. Therefore I'm going to practice Chenrezig today.' So that's Bodhichitta, so beginning with refuge and Bodhichitta.

"Then continue to recite OM MANI PADME HUM. So when you recite OM MANI PADME HUM pray to Chenrezig. Pray for whatever you want: good health, to remove obstacles, for world peace, and especially if you want to pray for people you know who are in problems, obstacles, pray for them. And then all beings. And while you pray 'OM MANI PADME HUM' there's a lot of light that comes from Chenrezig's body, normally what we call the five colors special with whatever Buddha. So Chenrezig is white, so white light radiates and touches you and all beings. And through that light heal all the diseases and purify all of the negativity, bad karma, everything.

Four-armed Chenrezig painted by His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Devotees of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje Facebook.

"In the end all beings, all sentient beings, become Chenrezig. The realm becomes a pure realm. The beings become Chenrezig, you and all beings. So now you and all beings are reciting the mantra together 'OM MANI PADME HUNG.' Everybody becomes Chenrezig. So that's the main practice.

"Then in the end conclude dedication. So now you ask Chenrezig as witness of your dedication 'I want to dedicate this virtue to all beings' and in particular if you want to dedicate to whoever is sick or whatever your family members or whatever, and all beings free from suffering of samsara, achieve full enlightenment. 'So I'm going to do this dedication just like Chenrezig. What your dedication is, I'm going to follow your dedication.' So you can dedicate in the end.

"So if you do that (Rinpoche holds up three fingers to signify refuge, Bodhichitta, and dedication) then this is really kind of like an important practice. The essence of Lord Budda's teachings, many many essences of Lord Buddha's teachings are together. You can do this with OM AH HUM BENZA GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUM, you can do this with Tara. If you do this with Tara (OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA) you can imagine Tara. So any other Buddha practice, I think when we do that, this is really beneficial."

Watch the April 18 interview on the Tibet TV YouTube channel or below.



Advised Mantras
Several mantras have been advised to stop the spread of Covid-19:

Two Mantras to Help Stop the Spread of Covid-19 advised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Eminence Kyabje Ling Rinpoche

Three Mantras to Recite During Covid-19 advised by Khadro-la

Three Mantras and Prayers to Stop the Spread of Covid-19 advised by Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration

Learn Meditation from Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche During Covid-19 advised by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche

Never Give Up Bodhichitta Including During Covid-19 advised by Jamyang Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Parnashavari the Leaf-Clad Goddess Protects Against Covid-19 advised by His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trichen

The Verses that Saved Sakya from Sickness: A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of Disease advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Additional Covid-19 Practice Advice from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Tergar International
For more advice from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche during covid-19 see the April 1, 2020 blog post "Practicing with the Tergar Meditation Community During Covid-19."

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