Question asked by Anonymous
Are there any specific aspiration prayers to become ordained/a part of the Sangha? Plus what are aspirational prayers anyway? I'm assuming it's kind of like a goal-setting prayer-??
Anyway, I usually do Ucchusma practice done in the bathroom, I usually chant her mantra out loud, but I'm starting to wonder if it's even okay to say it out loud! If it's okay, does that also apply to Tantric deities with the visualisation and chanting their mantra??
Hello.
In regards to becoming sangha, this article by Tsem Rinpoche should help you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/why-we-become-sangha-a-reply-to-an-online-friend.html
Yes, an aspirational prayer is a prayer to achieve something. So yes it’s like a prayer setting goals you want to achieve.
When chanting mantras, they should be chanted out loud, but very softly. Think of it like this, if there was someone sitting near you, they wouldn’t be able to hear the actual mantra you are chanting, they would just hear that you are saying something, but they wouldn’t know what. This is the same with any mantra during personal practice. The higher tantric deities are different. But in general, unless you have received initiation, this is how to chant mantras. They should be chanted softly so you are actually making the sound of the mantra but not so that it disturbs others. I hope this helps. Thanks.