Kayak paddle with Namgyälma mantra, Waldo Lake, Oregon, US, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Mandala Publications.

A third-year Maitripa College student sent Mandala this idea on how to use the Namgyälma mantra to make kayaking a more beneficial experience. “The Namgyälma mantra is extremely powerful,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches. “It is the main mantra to purify and liberate beings from the lower realms, purify negative karma, and help those who are dying or have died ….” Here is her account:

During a rituals and ethics class, we learned about water tsa-tsas. While kayaking one day, I started thinking about how many times my paddle was in the water. I wondered if there was a way to do something like the water tsa-tsas with my paddle. 

Waldo Lake, Oregon, US, August 2014. Photo courtesy of Mandala Publications.

I came across an article about Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Namgyälma mantra board and blessing all the creatures in the water and whomever comes in contact with the water. I put two and two together and started asking around about a way to put a mantra on a kayak paddle.

The mantra that I used is actually a bumper sticker that I got through the FPMT Foundation Store. Before putting on the sticker, I first did the Jorchö practice and recited some of the mantras I found in the tsa-tsa book. Afterward, I dedicated the merit. Since it’s important to protect the mantra, I cover both of the paddle blades with stuff sacks for storage, taking them off before paddling and putting them back on when I’m done.

The new stickers have really changed the way I treat my paddles and my mindset while paddling. I recite a mantra most of the time as I paddle and dedicate at the end of the kayak outing.

The Foundation Store, managed by FPMT International Office, provides Dharma materials and supplies to interested students around the world. All proceeds from the shop are used to further the charitable mission of FPMT Inc.

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