How to find your mantra

I am going to start my post today with a quote from the greatest TV show of all time, The Simpsons. Although to the uninitiated it may appear to be a silly cartoon show full of wacky characters and fun but meaningless catchphrases, those of us who have been enlightened understand that it is actually a study of the human condition as well as a time capsule showing us the good and bad of every aspect of pop culture from the past 30 years. 

Anyway, back in 2001 the show broadcast an episode called 'She of Little Faith', which focused on the search for the meaning of life that Lisa Simpson, the daughter of the family, was going through. As part of her journey she spoke to other residents of Springfield, and I want to share with you a short excerpt from a conversation she had with two of them, colleagues of her father named Lenny and Carl.

Lisa: Lenny and Carl? You guys are Buddhist?

Carl: Oh, yeah. If I didn't have inner peace, I'd go completely psycho on all you guys all the time.

I'll admit that this is an oversimplification of the religion of a religion that is older than Christianity, but it gets the point across, doesn't it? 

Anyway, watching this show made me think about my own spirituality and how it affects my life, personal and professional. I would describe myself as an agnostic as I neither believe nor disbelieve in the existence of god or gods, but I definitely believe in the power of the universe, so Buddhism was definitely something I wanted to know more about.

After reading around the subject, I came across the Buddhist concept of mantra. I found out that the intention of a mantra is to focus ones mind and help you connect with your spiritual side. Buddhists believe in the power of sound and that certain sounds help to protect the mind from negativity and increase ones focus. I wouldn't perhaps go quite as far as Carl does in his reply to Lisa, but I am sure that I am not alone in feeling like I need some help at times to avoid responding to situations in a negative way!

I checked, and we can have a go at this without it becoming cultural appropriation or having to become Buddhists ourselves. That's one of the very cool things about this religion, it's openness and acceptance of others.

It is easy to find a Buddhist mantra online, so the challenge is to find one that fits what you want to achieve. If you want to try one that might be appropriate for a headteacher, I would suggest

"Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo Nam"

This is called the Lotus Sutra mantra. The Lotus Sutra teaches Buddhists that everyone has the potential to become enlightened, which is something I regularly wished for as a head teacher! It is recommended that you repeat a mantra 108 times, but I would suggest starting with ten and seeing if it has a soothing effect.

You can also find your mantra in English, and there are lots of websites out there which will guide you through the process. I used one and after answering several questions about my priorities and beliefs, the mantra it gave me was

"I believe people need more loving-kindness."

Once you have found your mantra I would strongly suggest using it on your drive home from work, or after a particularly challenging meeting. You might feel that your staff would engage with the idea of finding a Buddhist mantra too, and if that is the case I would suggest using this as a staff meeting activity. If you feel it would not work with your team then I would definitely suggest doing the English version and asking if people feel comfortable to share.

I would also ask your teachers to consider ways that mantras could be used with their classes. Having a 'class mantra', perhaps linked to your school values, can be a particularly powerful way of reinforcing and refocusing the children on something that is often challenging for them. They could be recited at the start of the day, before playtimes, or whenever they are most relevant. Here are some examples of classroom mantras to start them off:

"We can do hard things"

"Choose kindness"

"Mistakes are how we learn"

"We will control what we can and let go of what we can't."

Mantras can be used with older children as great jumping off points for discussions too. You could introduce a mantra, ask the children what they think it means and then whether they agree with it. Some great SMSC potential, or historical discussions could come from mantras such as:

"Be the change you wish to see"

"Be the flame, not the moth"

Finally, how about a mantra display in the classroom? What a great way to use create a working wall, which are all the rage at the moment, but for something other than maths or writing!