Many people ask me – Can I chant for others? And my answer is a resounding “Yes”. Chanting for others is the best way to chant. It benefits the person(s) you are chanting for and also benefits you.
There are a few ways you can go about chanting for others. Maybe you have a particular someone in mind who needs some help – a friend maybe or partner, or maybe someone you just met that is in some difficulty or a family member. Sit quietly where you like to practice and hold them in your mind’s eye. See them as best you can sitting in front of you.
Say a prayer to whomever it is that you pray to; maybe it’s Buddha, Tara , Jesus, Lakshmi or Siva. Whomever it is, ask them that they might help you send the merit of your Mantra practice to this person you have in front of you. Then also ask that you do not take on the karma of this person. It’s best to be clear about that – we all have all we can handle – karma-wise.
Once you feel you have sent your prayer and it has been received, you can begin your practice. If you wish you can keep holding the person in front of you, present with you, or you can let them go.
If on the other hand, you wish to do practice for a group of people – maybe a group of people who have just suffered great loss or a natural disaster. Or maybe you want to send the fruits of your Mantra practice to everyone on the planet who is hungry, suffering pain, thirsty, or children all across the globe who suffer from neglect and abuse.
You can bring the group into your mind’s eye and again visualize as best as you can all the group in front of you. There might be millions of them – but that is fine – your imagination has no boundaries – and go through the same prayer and begin your practice.
A lovely Mantra for relieving someone else pain would be:
OM SARVA DUKHA HARAYA NAMAHA
SALUTATIONS TO THE RELIEVER OF ALL AGONIES
Another Mantra more suited to a large group would be:
OM EIM HRIM KLIM CHAMUNDAYEI VICCHE NAMAHA
OM AND SALUTATIONS TO CHAMUNDI WHO IS RADIANT WITH POWER AND WISDOM. I REJOICE AT HER INVINCIBILITY AND VICTORY OVER EVIL.
You can do as many repetitions as you like – but a good starting place would be a mala (108 repetitions). If you feel like you want to make it into a practice for that person(s), you could do that for 40 days without a break. (See blog: How to set up a 40 Day Chanting Discipline – Jan 10th 2012)
Chanting for others is what this world really needs.
With love,
Aly
