| Tae eul ju | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 태을주 |
| Hanja | 太乙呪 |
| Revised Romanization | Tae Eul Ju |
| McCune–Reischauer | T'ae Ŭl Chu |
Tae Eul Ju is a sacred mantra used throughout the world by practitioners of Jeung San Do. This mantra consists of twenty-three holy sounds. Jeung San Sangjenim, on whose teachings and spiritual work Jeung San Do is based, shared a meditative and spiritual practice aimed to transform within ourselves and society.[1]
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The cornerstone of this practice is Tae Eul Mantra (太乙呪) meditation. Chanting the Tae Eul Mantra (Tae-eul-ju) allows the practitioner to tap into the healing and enlightening energy coming from the life-giving womb of the universe, awakens the practitioner to the spirit world, and attracts protective energy and spirits that can protect the practitioner from misfortune.
A mantra is a series of sacred sounds. Any mantra chanted with proper breathing, posture of body and mind, and a degree of faith in both the mantra and one's own ability will produce positive effects. Each mantra has its own purpose and power. Some mantras can be translated into simple words, but invariably the deeper meaning can only be understood through regular practice.
The sacred sounds of the Tae Eul Mantra are:
Ahn Gyung-jun, the sabunim of Jeung San Do, explains some of the sounds of the mantra as follows:
According to Buddhism, hum (hoom) is "The mind of the Buddha." Hum (hoom) is the mind of all enlightened beings. When you are immersed in the peaceful hum (hoom) sound, you can attain Buddha-mind.
In Sanskrit, chi (chee) means "To become one with all brilliant spirits existing in the whole universe." Sangjenim was the first to join the sounds hum (hoom) and chi (chee) together. Once they were joined, a new more fantastic meaning took shape. Sangjenim said, "Hum (Hoom) Chi (Chee) is the sound calling the parents of all things in heaven and earth."
Whenever you chant Hum (Hoom) - chi (chee) - hum (hoom) - chi (chee), you should chant with the mind of calling out to your original parents. Some people mistakenly chant it with a sad and depressing voice, as if crying, causing such sad and depressive energy to respond. You should call out to your parents with bright energy.
The next part of Tae-eul-ju is Tae-eul-cheon-sang-wun-gun. Tae-eul-cheon means "Tae-eul Heaven." All the mysteries in the universe are contained in these three syllables. Tae means "ultimate." Eul signifies the womb of the universe, which gives birth to all things including humanity. Tae Eul Cheon is the ultimate place from which all humans are born. Sang means "heavenly" or "supreme." Wun means "fundamental" or "ultimate." Gun (pronounce Goon) means "king." Sang Wun Gun is the entity in charge of Tae Eul Heaven, the place in the universe from which life-giving energy comes. What does sa-pa-ha, the last three syllables, mean? It is a beautiful prayer asking that all of our wishes and desires be fulfilled.
Whenever Jeung San Do practitioners do Tae Eul Ju meditation, there are three steps before meditation, offering, bowing and prayer. After above three steps, they start to meditate. During meditation, your body should be relaxed with good posture and set your focal point and breathe from the lower abdomen.
To get the optimal spiritual experience from meditation, prepare a bowl of water and perform four bows and a prayer. The bowl of water symbolizes the purification of body, mind, and spirit and is an offering of life essence (jeong : 精) to the spirits. Sangjenim taught that when we meditate we should direct our gaze upon the bowl of water with our "inner eyes open and outer eyes closed." By bowing we show respect to Sangjenim, Taemonim, and other spirits as we unite our human virtue with the virtue of heaven and earth. By doing a personal prayer before meditation, we can reflect upon and ask forgiveness for shortcomings and express intentions to heaven and earth. Personal prayer is a time of self-reflection and clearing the mind.
It does not have to be a lotus posture and relaxing posture is the most important. Kneeling or sitting cross-legged, keep your back straight (most important), your chin slightly tucked in, and your shoulders slightly back. If your legs get tired, change from a kneeling to sitting position or vice versa, but try to keep your back straight while doing so. The spine is the main channel for the flow of qi within the body, and is a conduit for receiving the qi of heaven and earth. If the back is crooked, this qi does not flow well. Also, because the body and mind are one, there is a direct relationship between mental and physical posture. If you find that your mind is wandering during meditation, check your posture. When the back is not straight, the mind tends to lose focus.
Different schools of meditation advocate various focal points. In Jeung San Do it is recommended that you direct your consciousness inward toward the lower danjeon (dantien), a central energy point located below the navel. While doing this imagine the sound of the mantra permeating your entire body.
Breathe from the lower abdomen. As you exhale, the lower abdomen goes in; as you inhale the lower abdomen goes out. This breathing technique is almost the same throughout all different meditations with few exception. It is important to do this in a natural way, not tensing or forcing the stomach muscles. Before long, you will feel any stress related tension in your chest fall away as the fire energy descends and the water energy rises. This process is called suseunghwagang (水昇火降).
There are three basic methods of chanting: chanting aloud with a resonating voice, chanting softly such that only you can hear, and chanting silently within your mind. Chanting aloud is the most effective way to experience the vibration of the mantra's sound, but it may be necessary to practice soft or silent chanting when the sound may disturb those around you. In daily practice you can use all three methods.
While chanting, keep your mind positive and sound bright. Your mindset and the manner in which you chant determine the kind of energy and spirit that responds to you. Taesabunim (Supreme Dao Master) teaches that when meditating, "Do not think of goodness. Do not think of badness." This is the nondiscriminating mind that allows a practitioner to become one with the universe. Do not think of yourself as good or bad, do not think of others as good or bad, do not think of any phenomena as good or bad. Just be natural.
Anytime is a good time to meditate, but the best times for meditation are in the early morning and late evening. In the morning, you receive the activating yang energy of a new day, and in the evening, you receive the yin energy that allows for perfect rest. To carry the peacefulness and energy of meditation in to the entire day, continuously chant in your mind while doing any of your daily activities. While you are walking, driving, eating, relaxing, and etc.
Jeung San Do's meditation combines the chanting style of Buddhism with the inner alchemy of Taoism. When meditators immerse themselves in the peaceful sound of mantra, they feel a sense of oneness with the universe. Through the internal process of circulating the fire and water energies, the practitioner improves the condition of the body and cultivates spirit.
Tae Eul Ju has four different powers: