The Six Word Chant is an SFQ meditation that combines elements of ritualistic Buddhism with ancient Qigong, creating a practice that can connect you to the universe and help you to absorb some of the wisdom of the Buddha.
The Basics and the Benefits
The Six Word Chant is not tied to any level, so it doesn’t need to be taken at a specific time, unlike many other courses at the SFQ Centre. This is a great course regardless of your experience, but it is one that you should look to take before you progress onto the advanced levels, and even before you make it to the intermediate stage.
Six Word Chant, as its name suggests, is a chant that contains 6 words. These words feature prominently in Buddhism and have been adapted for their healing purposes in this chant. These words and their benefits are as follows:
- Ong; The first word refers to the heart of wisdom and the universe. This word helps with issues of the head and face.
- Ma Lee: This refers to your heart, which is filled with the potential to change and to transform. After all, Qigong is all about energy and while there is no such thing as good, bad, new or old energy, there is such a thing as transformed energy and if you know how, then you can make your energy what you want it to be. these words can help with problems in your throat, shoulders and other issues round those areas.
- Bae Mae: These words also relate to you heart, but this time they refer to the purity of it, as well as the void that lies inside it. A pure heart can be achieved through practice and proper chanting, an empty heart lies within us all but can be filled. These words can help with problems of the back and spine, as well as the kidneys.
- Hong: This is all about enlightenment and wisdom and this word can help with your legs and your joints.
How to Perform It
The Six Word Chant guide contains ambient backing music, over which the words of the chant are spoken by Master Lin. Unlike the Heart Sutra Chant, which you can simply listen to in order to get the benefits, the Six Word Chant was designed for you to chant along with it.
You should be in a meditative state for this. Simply get comfortable (you can lie down or sit down, whatever feels best), take a few deep breaths and then play the recording. You may struggle to get to grips with the chant at first, but just read the words above in order and try to follow Master Lin as he speaks them. As soon as you are in that state and reciting those words, then you should begin to feel the benefits, which will be even more evident after thirty minutes or more of chanting.
If you want, you can also chant these words softly throughout the day. They can help you to get to sleep on a nighttime or they can help you to get more out of your usual exercises or meditations. There is no limit to the good that these words can do for you, and the more you practice reciting them, the more you can get out of them.
Where to Find It?
The Six Word Chant can be purchased as a standalone guide on the Spring Forest Qigong website. You can purchase it on CD, which will be delivered to your address, or you can download it as an audio file, which is recommended. If you choose this latter option then you will be given the option of downloading the guide as an MP3, or simply playing it through the SFQ Digital Library when you want to listen to it.
Unlike many other meditation guides at the SFQ Centre, including the likes of Small Universe and Sun Meditation, Six Word Chant is not available on any of the main courses, so downloading the standalone version may be your only chance of accessing it.
Six Word Chant does feature in some of the SFQ seminars and retreats though, and these are well worth the experience if you can make it. It rarely features on its own and is often included with other chants, spread out over a few days in which you will be taught a variety of meditations. Such was the case with the 3 Day Sacred Chanting course that was held in the spring of 2016, an event that may appear again in 2017. Just keep your eyes on the SFQ calendar to discover when such seminars become available.