The Mantram Handbook describes methods of using a mantram — sometimes called a Holy Name — in daily living. Benefits are also described. Written by Eknath Easwaran, the book was originally published in the United States in 1977. Several subsequent editions have been published, sometimes under different titles, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. Foreign (non-English) editions have also been published in several languages.Foreign editions of Nilgiri Press Books, http://www.easwaran.org/page/150 , accessed 1 August 2010. The book has been reviewed in newspapers, magazines, and websites, and discussed in professional journals. It has also been a focus of scientific research. The subtitle of the fifth (2008) US edition is: a practical guide to choosing your mantram & calming your mind.
Topics covered
Recommended Mantrams from Diverse Traditions*Easwaran writes that "I wouldn't suggest making up your own mantram.... Choose a mantram of proven power, one which has enabled many men and women before you to realize for themselves the unity of life. The roots of such a mantram are far deeper than we can know when we first begin to use it, and this is what enables it to grow in our consciousness.... All of the mantrams which I recommend are mantrams of proven power, bequeathed to us by the great spiritual teachers of many traditions." (pp. 28-29, Mantram Handbook, 2008 edition, ).(discussed: Mantram Handbook, chapter 3)Christianity Jesus, Ave Maria, the Jesus Prayer (from Eastern Orthodoxy), and Gospodi pomilui (Russian, "Lord, have mercy")Hinduism Rama ('joy', used by Mahatma Gandhi), Om Sri Ram jai Ram jai jai Ram (used by Swami Ramdas), Om namah Shivaya, Hare Rama, Hare Krishna...Buddhism Namu Amidabutsu, Om mani padme humJudaism Barukh attah Adonai, Ribono shel olam ("Lord of the universe," Hassidic)Islam Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, Allah.*"mantrams of proven power, bequeathed to us by the great spiritual teachers of many traditions"Easwaran's Mantram Handbook provides an introduction to the practice of repeating mantrams and/or holy names, terms the author uses interchangeably.Furthermore, "Mantram and mantra are different forms of the same Sanskrit word. Both are correct." (p. 12, Mantram Handbook, 2008 edition, ). The book offers the author's practical guidance for choosing a mantram and using it for personal centering and spiritual growth. In the opening chapters, the author recommends selecting a single mantram (such as those in the table at right), and suggests that the reader "take your time choosing a mantram..... then, once you have chosen a mantram, do not change it."Mantram Handbook, 2008 edition, . Most of the remainder of the book discusses how to integrate the mantram into daily living to improve skills and solve various types of problems. Late in the book, Easwaran describes how the mantram can be combined with other spiritual practices, such as meditation. Easwaran's approach is distinctive, in that he recommends a method of sitting meditation that does not focus on the mantram. Accordingly, the entire concern of the Mantram Handbook is in how to use a mantram throughout the day, at times apart from sitting meditation.
With only slight variation,The first two editions (1977, 1985) lacked §1 ("Initiation into the mantram"), §2 ("Choosing a mantram"), and §6 ("Overcoming likes & dislikes") that were included in third and subsequent editions. The first two editions also included two sections that were omitted from later editions: an initial section ("What the mantram is"), and a final section ("Suggestions for further reading"). each edition of the Mantram Handbook has contained the same 12 major parts:
1. Initiation into the MantramDescribes author's own experience of benefit from a mantram. Explains the mantram's power generally, and the value of using a mantram from tradition: "All the great religions have produced powerful spiritual formulas which are.... the living symbol of the profoundest reality that the human being can conceive of."2.Choosing a Mantram Discusses various tips for choosing a mantram. For example, "it is important to take into account your own background, your response to the meaning, and the practical significance of the words.... Take your time.... once you have chosen a mantram, do not change it."3.Some Great Mantrams Gives conceptual and devotional background for mantrams/holy names from various traditions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam (see table above).4. Making the Mantram Part of Your Day. Explains that "when you begin to look for opportunities to say the mantram, you find them everywhere." Twelve subsections include 'while waiting', 'while walking', 'when sick', 'while doing mechanical tasks', 'chanting the mantram', 'with children', 'boredom', 'while going to sleep', and 'when not to say the mantram'.5. Keeping the Mind Steady. Explains the value of a "well-trained mind" that is free from unnecessary vacillation. Six subsections include 'below the surface of consciousness', 'a still mind', 'the mantram is a transformer', and 'the elephant and the bamboo'.The Hindu tradition "will often compare the mind to the trunk of an elephant - restless, inquisitive, and always straying.... But the wise majout, if he knows his elephant well, will just give that trunk a short bamboo stick to hold on to before the procession starts. Then... The mind is very much like this. Most of the time it has nothing to hold on to, but we can keep it from straying into all kinds of absurd situations if we just give it the mantram" (pp. 75-76, Mantram Handbook, 2008 edition, ).6. Overcoming Likes & Dislikes. One can become "mature... not conditioned by compulsive likes and dislikes, habits and opinions.... through repetition of the mantram and exercising the will," thereby conserving "a tremendous amount of our vital energy." Nine subsections include 'tackling jobs we dislike', 'learning to drop a job at will', and 'freedom in personal relationships'.7. Excitement & Depression. Using the mantram to avoid cycles of excitement followed by depression. Five subsections include 'different faces of excitement', 'the pendulum', and 'guarding against depression'.8. Harnessing Fear, Anger, & Greed. Negative emotions are "power going to waste.... the mantram... can harness all this destructive power... and transform it: fear into fearlessness, anger into compassion, and greed into the desire to be of service" Sixteen subsections include 'when anger, fear, or greed is sweeping you away', 'worry', 'anxiety', 'harnessing anger's power'.9. The Mantram at the Time of Death. At death, major religious traditions say that our individual consciousness merges into a divine reality "if we have been repeating the mantram... until it has become an integral part of our consciousness" Five subsections include 'the significance of death', 'the mantram at the moment of death', 'the process of death'.10. The Goal of Life. All people have "an aching need for a goal worthy of our complete dedication", the "highest goal of life... though different religions call it by different names." Six subsections include 'the world of separateness', 'ego', and 'effort and grace'.11. The Mantram and Other Spiritual Disciplines. Briefly describes Easwaran's eight point program of Passage Meditation (see article), in which Point 1 is meditating on an inspirational passage, and Point 2 is mantram repetition.The 8 points of the Passage Meditation program are: 1. Meditation (on a memorized passage), 2. The Mantram, 3. Slowing down, 4. One-pointed attention, 5. Training the senses, 6. Putting others first, 7. Spiritual fellowship, 8. Spiritual reading.12. Becoming Established in the Mantram. "Over a period of many years.... the mantram [can] become an integral part of your being, permeating your consciousness... [which corresponds to] what Saint Paul means by 'pray without ceasing'." This "transforms our entire vision of life", and "the joy of this state has to be experienced to be described"
The most recent (5th) US edition contains a foreword by Daniel H. Lowenstein.The first US edition also contained a foreword by Richard B. Applegate. Offering perspectives as a neurologist and medical educator, Lowenstein states that
The book also contains an index.
Reviews and influence Reviews of the Mantram Handbook have appeared in The Hindu, ISSN 0971-751X Business Standard (India), ISSN 0019-5812, The Economic Times (India), The B.C. Catholic, the Pacific Sun, Cosmos (Australia), Medical Self-Care, (edited by Thomas William Ferguson) Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, and Booklist. The Mantram Handbook has also been discussed in books authored by Andrew Weil, in books edited by Thomas G. Plante and J. Harold Ellens, and on websites such as Spirituality and Health.Review of Easwaran's Mantram Handbook at www.spiritualityandpractice.com (accessed 19 June 2010).
Andrew Weil stated that the Mantram Handbook "is the only book I have seen on the use of mantram as a centering technique."
In the Business Standard, Apratim Barua wrote that Mantram Handbook... is concise, simple and practical.... Where Easwaran scores over other books of a similar type is in his non-sectarian approach and his appeal to common-sense.... Second, Easwaran's account is deeply personal and, therefore, all the more convincing. He has traversed the same path himself and is aware of all the snares and pitfalls. The tone of the book is cheerful, optimistic and positive.... The book is not merely about mantrams. Its aim is the cultivation of a more wholesome and positive approach to life.
In the Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Doug Oman and Joseph Driskill wrote that For people of any religious faith or none, Easwaran offers a highly practical yet consistently spiritual discussion of integrating a holy name into daily modern living. Presenting the most comprehensive practical discussion of how to draw upon a holy name throughout the day in a variety of ordinary and challenging situations, this book is also uniquely universal as a resource for professionals working with diverse populations.
In The Hindu, Anita Joshua wrote that Knowing full well the potential of the mantram in releasing new and positive energy that can help chase away seemingly incurable problems, Eknath Easwaran took upon himself the task of explaining it in the most simplest of terms and the way it works on the human system. And, at the outset itself, he explains that mantram is not exclusive to the Hindu religion.... He signs off by explaining how the mantram relates to a large body of spiritual disciplines ... [and] is particularly careful to differentiate such spiritual disciplines from dogmas.
Also in The Hindu, M. P. Pandit wrote that as an exponent of Eastern spiritual disciplines in the university circles in the West, Eknath Easwaran has evolved a style that makes abstruse concepts simple and appealing.... The author refutes the charge that the practice of mantra is self-hypnosis. It is not that any word repeated for a length of time will have the same results.... he explains mantra as 'that which enables us to cross the sea of the mind.' Actually the traditional derivation is mananat trayate, helps to cross the ocean of samsara.
The Economic Times (India) wrote that "Easwaran strips the mystery off the mantram and explains how it can help us gain the will and insight to refashion our lives":