Mantras and Mudras: Meditations for the Hands and Voice to Bring Peace and Inner Calm

by Lillian Too

The author of the Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui provides an introduction to mantras, or Buddhist chants, and mudras--hand gestures--identifying their physical and spiritual benefits, from increased energy levels to deep inner calm.

Genres: Spirituality

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Lillian Too is the world's bestselling feng shui author, selling millions of copies of her books worldwide. She is in constant demand as a consultant and lecturer; she possesses a Harvard MBA, and in her corporate days she was the first woman in Asia to head a bank. She was also the Chairman of a chain of department stores and boutique in Hong Kong until she retired to be a full-time writer. Presently, she runs her own publishing and investment companies.


[taken from book cover]

Reviews

[Tommy]

This book is clearly organized and takes you through the meaning behind and potential power of a series of chants, most in the Buddhist lineage.

My first thought, as it was a source of frustration throughout my reading experience: I found Mantras and Mudras at a used book store, so I can't say how it might have been originally packaged but assuming it does NOT come with an accompanying CD. If this is the case, it really could've benefitted from some sort of audio guide or phonetics appendix. The book is full of chants and, I presume, for them to be effective, one must pronounce the Sanskrit words and syllables properly. I stumble over some of the longer mantras, unsure of how to pronounce certain words, with no guidance. I think this is a big hindrance for many readers like myself who are only vaguely familiar with mantra language (Om mani padme hum is in my wheelhouse, and some Tibetan phrases, but little else).

Beyond that, I confess that there's a quality attributed to the mantras that, even as a Buddhist, feel a bit too magical to me. To me, mantras aren't about a Buddhist deity (as I hold fast to the ideal that there are no true deities in Buddhism, only symbols) answering prayers, but instead the mantras changing the way we think, the way we approach situations, the same way I believe that prayer changes the person who prays, not that prayers are answered in the traditional sense. Of course, this is assuming the prayer is "give me patience" not "give me my dream life". Likewise, mantras are to give us comfort, steel us in our aspirations, and remind us to stay the course with our spiritual path. In that regard, Mantras are very helpful. As far as a mantra actually keeping one safe or solving our problems, well...the Buddhism I prescribe to tells me that this is up to me. Mantras merely point the way.

I have a hard time parsing this in books such as this one sometimes, but I appreciate the work done here by Too to lay out the intent of each mantra, the history, and the accompanying mudras that support them. I just imagine - without guidance on how to smoothly pronounce them - I will defer to my short mantras rather than 100+ syllable ones.

If anyone is aware of an accompanying guide of some sort, feel free to comment. The book itself is lovely, well-organized, researched, and expressed.

[Rajendra Heartking]

Good