When I was in the early weeks of developing the “Restoring Tibet” project whose working title was “The Dalai Lama Is Home Again,” I knew that I could use all the support I could find, particularly since I was working on the project in solitude and utmost secrecy, and would be for many months before the public announcement on 7/6/16 (the Dalai Lama’s birthday). I created meditation audios and videos for my own use – which I began using twice a day and still use at least twice daily.
I bought a rose quartz bracelet that had 21 small beads strung on pink knotted threads, and meant to be used as prayer beads. I was raised Catholic and still have a favorite wooden rosary, so the use of beads for easily counting prayers was nothing new to me. I decided a mantra would be nice, but I didn’t know which one to use. I did a quick online search and found various selections, but none of them resonated with me. I felt this prayer needed to be specific to help me envision HHDL (His Holiness the Dalai Lama) already living at home in Tibet, after nearly 60 years in exile, after having fled the Red Army to live in safety in India all these many years.
I wanted a prayer that would inspire me to love, peace, and happiness, with the concepts of freedom and joy for all. There’s no room in a true prayer for pointing fingers or feeling resentment toward a government or other people. Even the prayers that would mention wishing your enemies are free of suffering didn’t sit well with me vibrationally—that word “enemies” immediately caused a sense of resistance inside me.
And so, I sat down at my computer and wrote my own prayer, patterning it after mantras I had seen at meditation and mindfulness websites. As I worked on it, and edited a word here or there, I felt the rightness of it. We can always tell when the vibrational “hum” is right, because we feel uplifted and lighter in our hearts.
I heard once that the Dalai Lama substitutes a phrase for “enemy” in his own life—and that upgraded phrase is “sacred friend.” Our sacred friends are people, groups, organizations, etc. who challenge us to still be loving. They aren’t doing that on purpose, it’s that our unguarded reaction to their behavior and actions can prompt anger, fear, resentment—thus giving that sacred friend control over our own lives and emotions. True freedom means we are the ones in control of our thoughts and how we respond to conditions and circumstances.
Here’s the prayer I created. As you read and repeat the mantra, you may find yourself wishing to edit or change a phrase in the prayer so it better fits your own “hum” –but be sure to always keep the energy fine and bright and inspiring.
21-Beads Prayer or Mantra
I am grateful the Dalai Lama is home in Tibet
May I be happy
May I be peaceful
May I be free
May I be loving
May I radiate joy
May my friends be happy
May my friends be peaceful
May my friends be free
May my friends be loving
May my friends radiate joy
May my sacred friends be happy
May my sacred friends be peaceful
May my sacred friends be free
May my sacred friends be loving
May my sacred friends radiate joy
May all events be happy
May all events be peaceful
May all events be free
May all events be loving
May all events radiate joy
Evelyn Brooks
https://evelynbrooks.com
The 21-beads bracelet in the photo is from the Hands of Tibet store on eBay. http://stores.ebay.com/handsoftibet/