The Mantra of the Healer

The Medicine Buddha mantra is the invocation of Bhaishajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, the buddha of healing whose blue form holds a medicinal plant and a bowl of nectar. Recited for the sick, at the making of blessed medicines and for the general relief of suffering, physical and spiritual, the mantra names the buddha and his healing power and is used both in dedicated Medicine Buddha practices and as a general recitation for wellbeing.

Bhaishajyaguru is the subject of his own scripture, which sets out a series of vows he made to relieve illness, poverty and misfortune, and his cult is prominent across East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism, where his mantra and image are turned to in sickness and at death. The practice reflects the strong current within Mahayana Buddhism that unites the pursuit of enlightenment with active compassion for bodily suffering, the buddha of medicine embodying the tradition's concern for healing as well as liberation.