Editors Intro

In important cognitive research led by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, Manjushri’s essence mantra — Om Ah Ra Pa Cha Na Dhi — enhanced “cognitive functions to a signicant degree.” Although regular cognitive tongue twister practice also sharpened cognitive function in the study, Manjushri’s mantra, often described as the Arapanacha essence mantra, displayed “significantly” enhanced cognition as measured by well-accepted intelligence and cognitive processing tests. [For a full story on Manjushri and the Arapachana mantra, see>>]  [Visit Dr. Deepika Chamoli’s website Mindsira here>>]

The final conclusion from the “Summary of thesis”:

 

This research has proven that the orange Manjushree mantra is able to enhance various cognitive functions like concrete performance task, originality in creativity and perceptual reasoning to a much greater extent than the non-spiritual tongue twister.

Manjushri is the Buddha of wisdom and has long been associated with memory, speech and wisdom. The Fifth Dalai Lama recommended the practice, and His Holiness wrote the practice sadhana “Practice to Receive the Seven Types of Wisdom.”

This remarkable study from researcher Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi is published by the Amity University. The author is widely published in research publications and books.  We include the research summary findings by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi. (Please see a biography at the end of this feature.) His Holiness Drikyung Kyabgong Chetsang Rinpoche helped with the data collection for this research.

The mantra, chanted by Buddha Weekly:

Summary of thesis

Spiritual and Non Spiritual Tongue Twister Practice Enhances Cognitive Functioning in Relation to Altitude

Researcher: Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi

                     Clinical Training And Research Lead

                     Mom’s Belief, India

The present research aims to study and compare the effectiveness of spiritual (Manjushree mantra) and non-spiritual tongue twister(non sensical) technique at four different altitudes (100 ft.-169ft., 1457 – 2200ft, 11000ft – 12500ft and 14000ft – 17000ft) above sea level. The purpose of the study is to authenticate the importance of age old Buddhist saraswati mantra (Manjushree (also known as vakeshwar) mantra) which is used by the Buddhist monks to purify mind with the help of purification of speech.

180 subjects (falling in the age group of 8-13 years) are studied and assessed (45 subjects at each altitude).

Research design

Mixed method sequential explanatory design is utilized for the study (pre-post experimental research design is seconded by the qualitative data collected at every altitude).

MAIN PRE POST EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOLLOWED AT EVERY ALTITUDE (A1, A2, A3, A4)

Four subtests of Malin’s intelligence battery for children (coding, mazes, block design and picture completion) and Baqer Mehdi non-verbal tool for creativity are utilized to assess the cognitive abilities of processing speed index, perceptual reasoning and originality and elaboration in creativity.

Group 1 consists of school students who chanted non spiritual tongue twister as intervention, group 2 consists of school children who chanted spiritual tongue twister as intervention whereas third group, group 3 is monk group who are already practicing the spiritual tongue twister (Manjushree mantra) for past 1 year. Pre assessment is done for both group 1and group2 and after intervention of 30 days in which they have chanted the tongue twister daily for 15 minutes post assessment was conducted. The group 3 is experimental group (monks who are chanting the spiritual tongue twister with understanding of meaning) and tested only once on the same parameters.

This experiment is conducted at four different altitudes

1. Delhi NCR- 100-169ft. above sea level
2. Dehradun-1457 – 2200ft above sea level
3. Leh- 1100ft. -12500ft. above sea level
4. Sachukul Ladakh- 14000ft. – 17000ft.

Summary

It has been found that at low altitude processing speed index (reaction time) is higher than the high altitudes children. It is because of the excess of information from the surroundings due to mass media whereas at high altitudes children are close to nature and exposure is very less, due to which they are focused.

The statistics reveals higher level cognitive functions (bloom’s taxonomy) are enhanced more with tongue twister practice as compared to lower altitudes. Also spiritual tongue twister (Orange Manjushree mantra) is able to enhance cognitive functions to significant level. Spiritual tongue twister (Orange Manjushree mantra) practice with understanding of the meaning is more effective than the spiritual tongue twister (mantra) practice without understanding of meaning.  Non spiritual tongue twister has also enhanced the cognitive functions but lesser than the spiritual tongue twister or (Orange Manjushree mantra). It has also been noticed that processing speed index at higher altitudes is low.

Orange Manjushri Mantra

According to Abhidharma Pitak and Manjugosha and many other scriptures OM ARA PA CHA NA DHII is considered the magic sylabarry. It is known as a tongue exercise and used to purify tongue by continuous repetition for 15 minutes daily. It is the routine in Buddhist monasteries that when a monk is admitted, the first type of chanting utilized by him is this mantra chanting. The name of Manjushree is Vakeshwar which means lord of speech. Manjushree is also called lord of wisdom and male form of Vedic Saraswati in Buddhism.  The old scriptures have mentioned the importance of orange Manjushree in enhancing cognition and it quotes that chanting of this mantra is able to purify mind with the purification of speech.

This research has proven that the orange Manjushree mantra is able to enhance various cognitive functions like concrete performance task, originality in creativity and perceptual reasoning to a much greater extent than the non-spiritual tongue twister.

The recommendation of this research is that it should be utilized by children in school to enhance the higher level cognitive skills.

SOURCES

The full research project and abstract are published by Amity University, and subject to copyright. We have a copy of the abstract and research for this article at Buddha Weekly, which is very technical. When/if a public link to the research becomes available we’ll update here.

The summary above is from the research, and authored personally by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, PhD for Buddha Weekly.

To read an excerpt of a related research article, “The Effect of Mantra Chanting on the Performance IQ of Children, it is available to subscribers on Questia. [There is a published free preview here>>] The authors on this article are: Chamoli, Deepika; Kumar, Rita; Singh, Abha; Kobrin, Neil.

Short Biography of Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, PhD

Buddha Weekly contributing writer Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi is a Psychologist, currently a clinical training and research lead at Mom’s Belief, with a PhD in Psychology from Amity University Noida Campus. Dr. Deepika Chomoli worked with His Holiness Drikyung Kyabgong Chetsang Rinpoche on the Manjushri mantra cognitive research. Dr. Deepika Chamoli is a practicing Buddhist, author of several books and research papers, and a volunteer reviewer for ayur gyan nyas. [Visit Dr. Deepika Chamoli’s website Mindsira here>>]

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