Jesus’ Name As A Great Mantram

For every Christian, the very name of Jesus is a great mantram, in which we are asking Jesus the Christ to help us to become more like him — full of wisdom, full of mercy, full of love. In my old state of Kerala — where, according to tradition, the Christian community was founded by the apostle Thomas himself — Indian Christians call on the Lord as Yesu Christu. In keeping with their Hindu surroundings, they may even add Om and use OmYesu Christu as their mantram. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a Christian mantram known as the Prayer of Jesus has long been practiced: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. This holy name is sometimes shortened to Lord Jesus Christ. The Desert Fathers, holy men living in the deserts of Egypt in the third and fourth centuries, bequeathed us the Prayer of Jesus along with detailed instructions on how to use it....In the Catholic tradition, Hail Mary may be used as a very powerful mantram, full of the infinite love of Mother Mary. In India we say that as long as a child is playing contentedly with its toys beside the back door, the mother keeps busy inside. But eventually the child gets tired of the toys, throws them away, and gives one full-throated cry for its mother. Then she drops everything, rushes to the door, picks up the child tenderly, and comforts it. In just the same way, when you and I stop playing with our toys of pleasure and profit, power and prestige, and call for Mother Mary with all our heart, she will reveal herself to us in the depths of our consciousness.Russian TraditionThe Way of a Pilgrim is the story of an anonymous Russian pilgrim of the nineteenth century whose primary spiritual practice was repeating the Russian version of the Jesus Prayer: Gospodi pomilui, “Lord, have mercy.” It kept him company through many adventures as he wandered along the roads of the vast land of Russia. Though possessing little more than the clothes he wore, and often facing real hardship, he says: “The prayer of the heart gave me such consolation that I felt there was no happier person on earth than I, and I doubted if there could be greater and fuller happiness in the kingdom of heaven....”Greek PrayersThe Prayer of Jesus is also used in the Greek Orthodox tradition. The full form of this prayer, used by the monks of Mount Athos, is Kyrie emon, Yesou Christe, Yie Theou, eleison emas: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.”Repetition of the Jesus Prayer has been an important spiritual exercise in the Eastern Orthodox church for centuries. Saint John of the Ladder, from this tradition, says: “Prayer by reason of its nature is the converse and union of man with God, and by reason of its action upholds the world and brings about conciliation with God; it is the mother and also the daughter of tears, the propitiation for sins, a bridge over temptations...and a sign of glory.”The Mantram Handbook, Jaico Publishing House