Some Thoughts On Making Japa Faster

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

[Guest guest]

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Chris:

 

Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

 

I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

Just curious,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

This is a wonderfully lucid way of describing something I've had a

very hard time putting words to - that is, I'm not the Queen of Japa,

either, but I have found exactly what you've said to be true. I find

that doing one mala aloud and then the next mala moving toward

silence, and a third skipping in and out of silence... it's very

helpful! After all, "japa" means "muttering," and sometimes just

muttering, making those sounds of the mantra without enunciating them,

just following the speed of your mind, can do wonders for re-focusing

the mind. Even if the mantra is no longer intelligible via the mouth,

the vibration is the focus point for the mind, and that's incredibly

helpful. I love what you've said about letting the mouth drive the

mind, and the mind drive the mouth - brilliantly said.

 

The most hilarious thing I've discovered in regard to "molasses mind"

is that there are times when I will be going very fast silently, and

then I will suddenly absolutely *forget* the mantra. I'll stop dead in

the middle of a recitation, just going... was that vairivinajam?

vairivinasham? vairivishanaram? Wha? And I'll get into a giggle fit,

because Maa is quite unceremoniously tickling my ego, and I'll pull

out the words and breathe and start it slowly again. It's hilarious!

 

Thank you so much for posting this - I'm sure I'll be quoting your

wise words for years to come.

 

Jai Maa!

 

shanti saa'ham,

sundari

 

 

 

On 1/10/07, Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

>

>

 

 

--

 

 

-------

erin (AT) erinjohansen (DOT) com

www.erinjohansen.com

[Guest guest]

This is so interesting.

After reading Chris' post went into do japa and had no problem when just before had emailed him that molasses was a problem.

It felt like suddenly, just from reading the post, something connected and it had become easier. Before like you, Sundare, I would jam up at vairina..........same place you did.

Wonder why that part slows us down. Guess I need to chant it awhile alone to get comfortable with it.

Does anyone know what that last one translates to in eng?

Debi

 

Sundari <erin.johansen > wrote:

This is a wonderfully lucid way of describing something I've had a

very hard time putting words to - that is, I'm not the Queen of Japa,

either, but I have found exactly what you've said to be true. I find

that doing one mala aloud and then the next mala moving toward

silence, and a third skipping in and out of silence... it's very

helpful! After all, "japa" means "muttering," and sometimes just

muttering, making those sounds of the mantra without enunciating them,

just following the speed of your mind, can do wonders for re-focusing

the mind. Even if the mantra is no longer intelligible via the mouth,

the vibration is the focus point for the mind, and that's incredibly

helpful. I love what you've said about letting the mouth drive the

mind, and the mind drive the mouth - brilliantly said.

 

The most hilarious thing I've discovered in regard to "molasses mind"

is that there are times when I will be going very fast silently, and

then I will suddenly absolutely *forget* the mantra. I'll stop dead in

the middle of a recitation, just going... was that vairivinajam?

vairivinasham? vairivishanaram? Wha? And I'll get into a giggle fit,

because Maa is quite unceremoniously tickling my ego, and I'll pull

out the words and breathe and start it slowly again. It's hilarious!

 

Thank you so much for posting this - I'm sure I'll be quoting your

wise words for years to come.

 

Jai Maa!

 

shanti saa'ham,

sundari

 

On 1/10/07, Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

>

>

 

--

 

-------------------------

erin (AT) erinjohansen (DOT) com

www.erinjohansen.com

 

 

 

 

 

Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited.

[Guest guest]

Yes Shankare Kali,

Have had same experience with the hostility coming up in myself and family.

I became extremely hostile w/ husband reaction to something and thanks to Swami's lessons on discrimantion I went and did japa with bija instead of responding incorrectly.

Then:

While chanting heard my husband & son in din and heard strange clicking sound that sounded like an unloaded gun being fired. (raised with hunters and guns in the country so know that sound)

When done went out fo find husband giving him a lesson on how his military pistol worked.

And while this is going on they a realing violant battle in a movie.

Boy did I have to reach deep fo find peace and love before speaking.

Focused on Shree Maa and heard her loving voice make respond to deal with issue

Have experienced a level of hostilty increase in other aspects too.

I believe Nanda expounded on this in an email saying that she noticed it increase in us in our emails as we became fearful that we cld not complete sankalpa.

With all this in mind I think it wld be safe to say that the pendulam is swinging.

What I have learned from this is that the issue is with self (in how I respond to his increase of hostility) Normaly wld have lashed out but not doing it. I know this is because of japa.

It is working. THen I realized all these things went on before in dif. manners the only dif was my responce.

IT'S WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and love,

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Chris:

 

Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

 

I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

Just curious,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste Debi:

 

I am glad I'm not the only one. I seemed to have emotional reaction to this, and I noticed the hostility in my family.

 

I wonder if Goddess opens this up like an old wound, and she makes us more aware of the violence and hostility that surrounds us and even comes from us unconsciously.

 

Thank you Debi. I'm back to the mantra, and I will see what else happens.

 

Shanti Om,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Yes Shankare Kali,

Have had same experience with the hostility coming up in myself and family.

I became extremely hostile w/ husband reaction to something and thanks to Swami's lessons on discrimantion I went and did japa with bija instead of responding incorrectly.

Then:

While chanting heard my husband & son in din and heard strange clicking sound that sounded like an unloaded gun being fired. (raised with hunters and guns in the country so know that sound)

When done went out fo find husband giving him a lesson on how his military pistol worked.

And while this is going on they a realing violant battle in a movie.

Boy did I have to reach deep fo find peace and love before speaking.

Focused on Shree Maa and heard her loving voice make respond to deal with issue

Have experienced a level of hostilty increase in other aspects too.

I believe Nanda expounded on this in an email saying that she noticed it increase in us in our emails as we became fearful that we cld not complete sankalpa.

With all this in mind I think it wld be safe to say that the pendulam is swinging.

What I have learned from this is that the issue is with self (in how I respond to his increase of hostility) Normaly wld have lashed out but not doing it. I know this is because of japa.

It is working. THen I realized all these things went on before in dif. manners the only dif was my responce.

IT'S WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and love,

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Chris:

 

Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

 

I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

Just curious,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

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Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know. Ask your question on Answers.

[Guest guest]

Namasti,

After sending you this email I began to think more about this.

Think perhaps what we are seeing has always been there.

Know it is true for me.

What use to be exceptable is now not.

Seems we see things in a dif. light now.

We now can see where these actions they are takeing will take them.

Think the mantra is opening our eyes to see the truth in ourselves AND others.

After all if THEY are being this way WE have the same potential. It's just easier to see it in others.

This is where our truth sankalpa comes in. We much see ourselves more clearly.

It's showing us how to deal with these things in ourselves in a peaceful manner.

After all it is ourselves that first must change & then the overflow will roll out to the world, the universe,

It's all a part of how the energy works.

We can't give what we haven't got. So first we must learn how to deal with our own little world at home and work then we can pass that peace on else where.

When I first started dealing with the bija mantras I wld stop myself from reacting to things by simply stating stham, sthim sthiro bhava phat. This wld stop me in my tracks and give me time to think, to examen & to see the arrow before choosing to do nothing or anything.

Thank you for your post it helped me see things more clearly.

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Namaste Debi:

 

I am glad I'm not the only one. I seemed to have emotional reaction to this, and I noticed the hostility in my family.

 

I wonder if Goddess opens this up like an old wound, and she makes us more aware of the violence and hostility that surrounds us and even comes from us unconsciously.

 

Thank you Debi. I'm back to the mantra, and I will see what else happens.

 

Shanti Om,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Yes Shankare Kali,

Have had same experience with the hostility coming up in myself and family.

I became extremely hostile w/ husband reaction to something and thanks to Swami's lessons on discrimantion I went and did japa with bija instead of responding incorrectly.

Then:

While chanting heard my husband & son in din and heard strange clicking sound that sounded like an unloaded gun being fired. (raised with hunters and guns in the country so know that sound)

When done went out fo find husband giving him a lesson on how his military pistol worked.

And while this is going on they a realing violant battle in a movie.

Boy did I have to reach deep fo find peace and love before speaking.

Focused on Shree Maa and heard her loving voice make respond to deal with issue

Have experienced a level of hostilty increase in other aspects too.

I believe Nanda expounded on this in an email saying that she noticed it increase in us in our emails as we became fearful that we cld not complete sankalpa.

With all this in mind I think it wld be safe to say that the pendulam is swinging.

What I have learned from this is that the issue is with self (in how I respond to his increase of hostility) Normaly wld have lashed out but not doing it. I know this is because of japa.

It is working. THen I realized all these things went on before in dif. manners the only dif was my responce.

IT'S WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and love,

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Chris:

 

Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

 

I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

Just curious,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hi Debi,

 

 

, Debra McDaniel <student61754

wrote:

>

> Chris this is great!

>

> Very Hdlpful.

> Definately something I will have to work on.

> Wow!

>

> The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when

awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

>

> Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes

to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the

two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the

words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's

being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this

point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

 

I have done this myself, when attempting the Chandi the first time, I

think. It is definitely helpful when nothing else is working. I can't

say if you are meditating, but certainly you have pratyahara (closing

off of the senses).

>

> My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead

of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that

the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

 

I think it's more likely impurities and lack of discipline in the mind.

I have the same problem. I try not to worry about it, having faith that

the full mantra has been repeated at least once by the mind, even if

it's not at the specific level I'm exerting effort in. It's much more

important to maintain the consistent timing of breath and mantra.

>

> Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and

informative.

> Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through

this japa practice as you have explained it.

>

> Grateful,

> Debi

>

> Thanks, Debi. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

>

> Chris Kirner chriskirner1956 wrote:

> Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of

bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

> Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email

and get things done faster.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Shankari Kali,

 

, Shankari Kali <shankari_kali

wrote:

>

> Chris:

>

> Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really

difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me

probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not

still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was

taking over somehow.

>

> I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my

voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

>

When this happens to me it is a signal to change the pitch or timbre of

my voice. I experience this kind of thing as a blockage in the prana -

it's not getting to your vocal chords (prob, vishuddha chakra) properly.

Try pitching up or down (sometimes even really low and gravely or very

high and squeeky, for a really strong blockage), or bringing your voice

further back in your throat. Experiment a little bit. When the blockage

dissolves, the rush of prana is refreshing and the voice will flow much

easier.

 

> I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning

this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it

was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up

the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

I'm sorry about your son...I don't have the slightest idea. It is

interesting though.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

>

> Just curious,

> Shankari Kali

>

> Debra McDaniel student61754 wrote:

> Chris this is great!

>

> Very Hdlpful.

> Definately something I will have to work on.

> Wow!

>

> The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when

awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

>

> Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes

to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the

two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the

words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's

being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this

point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

>

> My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead

of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that

the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

>

> Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and

informative.

> Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through

this japa practice as you have explained it.

>

> Grateful,

> Debi

>

>

>

> Chris Kirner chriskirner1956 wrote:

> Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent

is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought,

but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the

connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of

bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra

as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

> Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email

and get things done faster.

>

>

>

>

>

> Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail beta.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sundari,

 

, Sundari <erin.johansen wrote:

>

> This is a wonderfully lucid way of describing something I've had a

> very hard time putting words to - that is, I'm not the Queen of Japa,

> either, but I have found exactly what you've said to be true. I find

> that doing one mala aloud and then the next mala moving toward

> silence, and a third skipping in and out of silence... it's very

> helpful! After all, "japa" means "muttering," and sometimes just

> muttering, making those sounds of the mantra without enunciating them,

> just following the speed of your mind, can do wonders for re-focusing

> the mind. Even if the mantra is no longer intelligible via the mouth,

> the vibration is the focus point for the mind, and that's incredibly

> helpful. I love what you've said about letting the mouth drive the

> mind, and the mind drive the mouth - brilliantly said.

>

> The most hilarious thing I've discovered in regard to "molasses mind"

> is that there are times when I will be going very fast silently, and

> then I will suddenly absolutely *forget* the mantra. I'll stop dead in

> the middle of a recitation, just going... was that vairivinajam?

> vairivinasham? vairivishanaram? Wha? And I'll get into a giggle fit,

> because Maa is quite unceremoniously tickling my ego, and I'll pull

> out the words and breathe and start it slowly again. It's hilarious!

 

Yeah, this happens to me fairly often when I'm learning a new mantra.

That's why I wrote-up the mantra as a bi-fold standing card, so I can

put it out there in front of me, and when I suddenly "forget" all I have

to do is open my eyes. It's also nice to have it on your person

somewhere when you're away from home and trying to get in a mala or two.

There's nothing more frustrating than "forgetting" the mantra in

mid-mala and not being able to get it back.

>

> Thank you so much for posting this - I'm sure I'll be quoting your

> wise words for years to come.

>

> Jai Maa!

>

> shanti saa'ham,

> sundari

 

Thank you so much for your kind words.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

>

>

>

> On 1/10/07, Chris Kirner chriskirner1956 wrote:

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Hi,

> >

> > Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> > (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can

be

> > to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a

whole

> > lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

> >

> > I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience,

about

> > doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster).

Now,

> > I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> > little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> > you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level

of

> > your practice.

> >

> > If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> > powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> > subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> > Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is

an

> > open question, to me, but perhaps...

> >

> > There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent

is

> > by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is

quite

> > pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> > easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> > disciplined).

> >

> > As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is

to

> > combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> > doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> > this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

> >

> > After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it

is

> > nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

> >

> > If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll

recall

> > that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya,

and

> > prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya,

to

> > the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> > perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is

beyond

> > thought.

> >

> > All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> > perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of

them.

> > The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do

is

> > bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

> >

> > Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that

it

> > is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in

the

> > mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

> >

> > I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and

how

> > they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation.

When

> > you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> > aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations

of

> > the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> > become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing

off

> > of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought,

but

> > in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined

pratyaya.

> > As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more

inward,

> > and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of

dharana,

> > comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi,

or

> > continual prakasha.

> >

> > This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete

steps.

> > It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One

no

> > sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind

is

> > once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> > thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to

dharana

> > again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that

these

> > different states become steady.

> >

> > So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> > like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process

of

> > closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> > vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> > subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> > lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind

S l

> > o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> > frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise

the

> > subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> > speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never

achieved

> > a solid foundation in this).

> >

> > Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> > verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent

japa.

> > However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> > before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> > verbal japa is faster, and easier.

> >

> > I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels

of

> > japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> > verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them -

actually

> > just as one does in silent japa, except for one important

difference.

> >

> > In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses"

there

> > is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> > simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words

coming

> > out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the

correct

> > speed.

> >

> > The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus

is

> > on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> > one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> > the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> > feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> > from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling

the

> > breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the

connection

> > to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and

eventually

> > climb down the rope.]

> >

> > This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more

subtle

> > characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way

that

> > is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to

various

> > places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> > and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of

bliss.

> >

> > As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> > recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the

mantra,

> > but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time

the

> > words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra,

the

> > beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process

of

> > meditation (dharana).

> >

> > There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> > each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two

together

> > as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

> >

> > The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined.

The

> > act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together,

and

> > make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here,

of

> > thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti

of

> > the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> > circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> > can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around

it.

> >

> > Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to

push

> > the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to

drive

> > them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and

shakti

> > become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower

the

> > mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

> >

> > So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra

as

> > it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti.

Focus

> > on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> > relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you

on

> > track and deepen your experience.

> >

> > Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> > pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> > that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> > anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> > blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> > mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> > experience will be of the pranic sheath.

> >

> > The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this

point,

> > the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> > block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> > your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> > frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the

pitch

> > of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the

volume

> > of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> > have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> > where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> > produce more bliss and better concentration.

> >

> > Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

> >

> > Jai Maa!

> > Chris

> >

> >

>

>

> --

>

>

>

------\

-------------

> erin

> www.erinjohansen.com

>

[Guest guest]

I have done a lot of japa. Decades. In my opinion, the types are: aloud from whisper to shout, silent/mental, and automatic (runs in the background no matter what you do after years of habit).

I have never had success with doing japa in a rush. Devotion with warm heart seems to be the way to go, and for me, it does not go hand in hand with rushing. Japa is not a race. The quality of the heart put into it makes the difference.

I have tried long mantras, such as the Japji (morning prayer of the Sikhs) which takes about 25 minutes to do at a normal aloud clip for me. When done in 20 minutes, it is so fast that the juice is lost to a significant degree. I know that there is a tendency to do mantras faster and faster, as if the proficiency will provide more spirituality, but in my experience, speed kills the quality. In my opinion, each word should be said with the care of putting a precious jewel into a safe.

Russell

 

 

 

Have a burning question? Go to Answers and get answers from real people who know.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Russell,

 

There is such wisdom in this statement! Mantras hold such power, and are

indeed precious jewels. I have not been doing japa for as long as you have,

not by a long shot, it seems. I am really humbled by your life's dedication

to your spiritual practice. What I have learned in my humble years of

practice, however, has been that different speeds work for different people

for different mantras at different times. Sometimes, the power of the mantra

is held in its slow vibration, and other times, the whirlwind of fast

repetition into silence carries my soul to new heights, as my body almost

ceases to exist.

 

All I am saying is that there is wisdom in your words - people shouldn't

recite faster for the sake of getting more mileage out of every minute,

because they lose mindfulness. However, speed does not automatically equal

loss of mindfulness. As you said, the quality of the heart put into it makes

the difference, and for some of us at some times, that increasing speed

helps our hearts to sing with the spirit of the mantra. Speed in japa can

enhance *or* detract, it can hinder progress *or* it can blast one through

to the next level - and that is something that each individual can

experiment with in each moment of their devotion.

 

Thank you for your insight! Definitely good things to think about in

practice.

 

shanti saa'ham,

Sundari

 

 

 

 

On 1/11/07, Russell Shields <rshieldslaw > wrote:

>

> I have done a lot of japa. Decades. In my opinion, the types are:

> aloud from whisper to shout, silent/mental, and automatic (runs in the

> background no matter what you do after years of habit).

>

> I have never had success with doing japa in a rush. Devotion with warm

> heart seems to be the way to go, and for me, it does not go hand in hand

> with rushing. Japa is not a race. The quality of the heart put into

> it makes the difference.

>

> I have tried long mantras, such as the Japji (morning prayer of the Sikhs)

> which takes about 25 minutes to do at a normal aloud clip for me. When done

> in 20 minutes, it is so fast that the juice is lost to a significant

> degree. I know that there is a tendency to do mantras faster and faster, as

> if the proficiency will provide more spirituality, but in my experience,

> speed kills the quality. In my opinion, each word should be said with the

> care of putting a precious jewel into a safe.

>

> Russell

>

> ------------------------------

> Have a burning question? Go to Answers<http://answers./;_ylc=X3oDMTFvbGNhMGE3BF9TAzM5NjU0NTEwOARfcwMzOTY1NDUxMDMEc2VjA21haWxfdGFnbGluZQRzbGsDbWFpbF90YWcx>and get answers from real people who know.

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

 

 

-------

erin (AT) erinjohansen (DOT) com

www.erinjohansen.com

[Guest guest]

Hmmm...

 

That's interesting, Russell, because that is not my experience at all.

I do find a definite distinction between placing mind and heart on the

mantra, as opposed to keeping the mind always on how fast you are

going. But my experience is that there is a certain intensity of

shakti that is achieved with speed. This is not to say that the same

intensity can not be achieved by going slower, but that is just not my

experience. Speed is also very efficient when reciting long scriptures.

 

I wonder is this difference in our relative experiences might be due

in some part to the parampara (guru lineage). So much of what we

experience flows out from the gurudeva and the parampara that it

wouldn't surprise me if there were many varieties of experience with

the same basic practice.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

, Russell Shields <rshieldslaw

wrote:

>

> I have done a lot of japa. Decades. In my opinion, the types are:

aloud from whisper to shout, silent/mental, and automatic (runs in

the background no matter what you do after years of habit).

>

> I have never had success with doing japa in a rush. Devotion with

warm heart seems to be the way to go, and for me, it does not go hand

in hand with rushing. Japa is not a race. The quality of the heart

put into it makes the difference.

>

> I have tried long mantras, such as the Japji (morning prayer of

the Sikhs) which takes about 25 minutes to do at a normal aloud clip

for me. When done in 20 minutes, it is so fast that the juice is lost

to a significant degree. I know that there is a tendency to do

mantras faster and faster, as if the proficiency will provide more

spirituality, but in my experience, speed kills the quality. In my

opinion, each word should be said with the care of putting a precious

jewel into a safe.

>

> Russell

>

>

>

> Have a burning question? Go to Answers and get answers from

real people who know.

>

[Guest guest]

Ok good,

I just need to keep timeing going, that's helpful thank you.

Have noticed when loose times it just isn't.

Also thought of you the other day when making up my own sheet for mantra.

Found my copies of nebulas from Hubble that look like and eye.

One lookes like it has an eyebrow and the other doesn't have a pupel.

anyway remembered you sd you like the pictures of the universe too.

I printed out two with the brows an places them as eyes the the third eye i used the one without a brow. They are over my big copy in the office to remind me of the three worlds.

Have a calendar below them to keep track of japas.

The cards you made are G RRRR EA T>>>>>>

Got one in everyroom and one in car and one in wallet.

Thanks again you are so good to share these with us all.

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi Debi,

 

 

, Debra McDaniel <student61754 wrote:

>

> Chris this is great!

>

> Very Hdlpful.

> Definately something I will have to work on.

> Wow!

>

> The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

>

> Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

 

I have done this myself, when attempting the Chandi the first time, I think. It is definitely helpful when nothing else is working. I can't say if you are meditating, but certainly you have pratyahara (closing off of the senses).

>

> My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

 

I think it's more likely impurities and lack of discipline in the mind. I have the same problem. I try not to worry about it, having faith that the full mantra has been repeated at least once by the mind, even if it's not at the specific level I'm exerting effort in. It's much more important to maintain the consistent timing of breath and mantra.

>

> Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

> Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

>

> Grateful,

> Debi

>

> Thanks, Debi. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

>

> Chris Kirner chriskirner1956 wrote:

> Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

>

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I first learned to chant Sanskrit mantras when I joined ISKCON in

1970. My first teacher taught me that there were three ways to chant –

the same three that were so wonderfully explained by Chris and

Russell. I was also taught that the method depends on the purpose. If

I am chanting to grow in love with the divine within me, then chanting

in silence is usually the best method. I would use "sub-vocal" chant

in times where I wanted to infuse a space with divine energy but true

verbal chanting would be distracting, even offensive to some present

(such as chanting as I walk through a store or office). I chant

verbally at various volumes and rates when I want to be immersed in

the sound energy of Maa. The sound waves I create with my vocal

apparatus are used by Her to charge the atmosphere and raise

consciousness in a very powerful way. But all three can be used at

other times as well. It is good to follow inner guidance regarding the

method.

 

I had an amazing experience at work today due to this sankalpa. At

noon I go to a nearby temple to meditate and pray. As I returned to my

office today, a staff manager who has always been hostile toward me

was standing outside smoking. This time he was looking at me as if he

was waiting for me, and as I approached he asked me if I could teach

him to meditate right now. I asked him what was going on that made him

want to learn with such immediacy. He told me that this was the worst

day he has ever had. Everything was going wrong at work as well as at

home. He felt the stress was too much to bear. I listened as he talked

for a good while, and when he finished he commented on how much he

appreciated me helping him meditate! I gave him a healing bangle

(that's what I call the bangles I collect after pujas at the temple,

and I am known for giving them out in the office when there is a need

for healing), and he joked that it did not match his outfit. Maybe it

didn't match, but it sure did its healing work. All hostility he once

had for me melted away in those moments. I am so very grateful for the

new friend I have been given by the grace of our divine Mother. I am

watching as disturbances and hostilities subside. Blessed be our

gurus! Jai Shree Maa! Jai Swamiji!

 

In love,

 

Rick Veda

[Guest guest]

This just made me well up with tears! Jai maa, indeed!

 

-sundari

 

 

On 1/11/07, rikzinger <rikveda (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote:

>

> I first learned to chant Sanskrit mantras when I joined ISKCON in

> 1970. My first teacher taught me that there were three ways to chant –

> the same three that were so wonderfully explained by Chris and

> Russell. I was also taught that the method depends on the purpose. If

> I am chanting to grow in love with the divine within me, then chanting

> in silence is usually the best method. I would use "sub-vocal" chant

> in times where I wanted to infuse a space with divine energy but true

> verbal chanting would be distracting, even offensive to some present

> (such as chanting as I walk through a store or office). I chant

> verbally at various volumes and rates when I want to be immersed in

> the sound energy of Maa. The sound waves I create with my vocal

> apparatus are used by Her to charge the atmosphere and raise

> consciousness in a very powerful way. But all three can be used at

> other times as well. It is good to follow inner guidance regarding the

> method.

>

> I had an amazing experience at work today due to this sankalpa. At

> noon I go to a nearby temple to meditate and pray. As I returned to my

> office today, a staff manager who has always been hostile toward me

> was standing outside smoking. This time he was looking at me as if he

> was waiting for me, and as I approached he asked me if I could teach

> him to meditate right now. I asked him what was going on that made him

> want to learn with such immediacy. He told me that this was the worst

> day he has ever had. Everything was going wrong at work as well as at

> home. He felt the stress was too much to bear. I listened as he talked

> for a good while, and when he finished he commented on how much he

> appreciated me helping him meditate! I gave him a healing bangle

> (that's what I call the bangles I collect after pujas at the temple,

> and I am known for giving them out in the office when there is a need

> for healing), and he joked that it did not match his outfit. Maybe it

> didn't match, but it sure did its healing work. All hostility he once

> had for me melted away in those moments. I am so very grateful for the

> new friend I have been given by the grace of our divine Mother. I am

> watching as disturbances and hostilities subside. Blessed be our

> gurus! Jai Shree Maa! Jai Swamiji!

>

> In love,

>

> Rick Veda

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

 

 

-------

erin (AT) erinjohansen (DOT) com

www.erinjohansen.com

[Guest guest]

Oh Rick that's so beautiful!

Debi

 

Sundari <erin.johansen > wrote:

This just made me well up with tears! Jai maa, indeed!

-sundari

 

 

On 1/11/07, rikzinger <rikveda (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote: I first learned to chant Sanskrit mantras when I joined ISKCON in

1970. My first teacher taught me that there were three ways to chant –

the same three that were so wonderfully explained by Chris and

Russell. I was also taught that the method depends on the purpose. If

I am chanting to grow in love with the divine within me, then chanting

in silence is usually the best method. I would use "sub-vocal" chant

in times where I wanted to infuse a space with divine energy but true

verbal chanting would be distracting, even offensive to some present

(such as chanting as I walk through a store or office). I chant

verbally at various volumes and rates when I want to be immersed in

the sound energy of Maa. The sound waves I create with my vocal

apparatus are used by Her to charge the atmosphere and raise

consciousness in a very powerful way. But all three can be used at

other times as well. It is good to follow inner guidance regarding the

method.

 

I had an amazing experience at work today due to this sankalpa. At

noon I go to a nearby temple to meditate and pray. As I returned to my

office today, a staff manager who has always been hostile toward me

was standing outside smoking. This time he was looking at me as if he

was waiting for me, and as I approached he asked me if I could teach

him to meditate right now. I asked him what was going on that made him

want to learn with such immediacy. He told me that this was the worst

day he has ever had. Everything was going wrong at work as well as at

home. He felt the stress was too much to bear. I listened as he talked

for a good while, and when he finished he commented on how much he

appreciated me helping him meditate! I gave him a healing bangle

(that's what I call the bangles I collect after pujas at the temple,

and I am known for giving them out in the office when there is a need

for healing), and he joked that it did not match his outfit. Maybe it

didn't match, but it sure did its healing work. All hostility he once

had for me melted away in those moments. I am so very grateful for the

new friend I have been given by the grace of our divine Mother. I am

watching as disturbances and hostilities subside. Blessed be our

gurus! Jai Shree Maa! Jai Swamiji!

 

In love,

 

Rick Veda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

-------

erin (AT) erinjohansen (DOT) com

www.erinjohansen.com

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

[Guest guest]

Chris:

 

Thanks for the help. It's great to know that others are having the same issues. I had to literally reduce my voice to a whisper.

 

My son is doing better today. It seems that hostility is sometimes a deep hurting that needs to be opened up and released (in a productive way).

 

Thanks,

Shankari Kali

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote: Hi, Shankari Kali,

 

, Shankari Kali <shankari_kali wrote:

>

> Chris:

>

> Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

>

> I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

>

When this happens to me it is a signal to change the pitch or timbre of my voice. I experience this kind of thing as a blockage in the prana - it's not getting to your vocal chords (prob, vishuddha chakra) properly. Try pitching up or down (sometimes even really low and gravely or very high and squeeky, for a really strong blockage), or bringing your voice further back in your throat. Experiment a little bit. When the blockage dissolves, the rush of prana is refreshing and the voice will flow much easier.

 

> I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

I'm sorry about your son...I don't have the slightest idea. It is interesting though.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

>

> Just curious,

> Shankari Kali

>

> Debra McDaniel student61754 wrote:

> Chris this is great!

>

> Very Hdlpful.

> Definately something I will have to work on.

> Wow!

>

> The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

>

> Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

>

> My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

>

> Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

> Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

>

> Grateful,

> Debi

>

>

>

> Chris Kirner chriskirner1956 wrote:

> Hi,

>

> Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

>

> I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> your practice.

>

> If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> open question, to me, but perhaps...

>

> There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> disciplined).

>

> As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

>

> After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

>

> If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> thought.

>

> All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

>

> Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

>

> I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> continual prakasha.

>

> This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> different states become steady.

>

> So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> a solid foundation in this).

>

> Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> verbal japa is faster, and easier.

>

> I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

>

> In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> speed.

>

> The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> climb down the rope.]

>

> This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

>

> As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> meditation (dharana).

>

> There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

>

> The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

>

> Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

>

> So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> track and deepen your experience.

>

> Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> experience will be of the pranic sheath.

>

> The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> produce more bliss and better concentration.

>

> Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

>

>

>

>

>

> Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail beta.

>

 

 

 

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Have a HUGE year through Small Business.

[Guest guest]

Debi:

 

Nicely said. Thank you.

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Namasti,

After sending you this email I began to think more about this.

Think perhaps what we are seeing has always been there.

Know it is true for me.

What use to be exceptable is now not.

Seems we see things in a dif. light now.

We now can see where these actions they are takeing will take them.

Think the mantra is opening our eyes to see the truth in ourselves AND others.

After all if THEY are being this way WE have the same potential. It's just easier to see it in others.

This is where our truth sankalpa comes in. We much see ourselves more clearly.

It's showing us how to deal with these things in ourselves in a peaceful manner.

After all it is ourselves that first must change & then the overflow will roll out to the world, the universe,

It's all a part of how the energy works.

We can't give what we haven't got. So first we must learn how to deal with our own little world at home and work then we can pass that peace on else where.

When I first started dealing with the bija mantras I wld stop myself from reacting to things by simply stating stham, sthim sthiro bhava phat. This wld stop me in my tracks and give me time to think, to examen & to see the arrow before choosing to do nothing or anything.

Thank you for your post it helped me see things more clearly.

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Namaste Debi:

 

I am glad I'm not the only one. I seemed to have emotional reaction to this, and I noticed the hostility in my family.

 

I wonder if Goddess opens this up like an old wound, and she makes us more aware of the violence and hostility that surrounds us and even comes from us unconsciously.

 

Thank you Debi. I'm back to the mantra, and I will see what else happens.

 

Shanti Om,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Yes Shankare Kali,

Have had same experience with the hostility coming up in myself and family.

I became extremely hostile w/ husband reaction to something and thanks to Swami's lessons on discrimantion I went and did japa with bija instead of responding incorrectly.

Then:

While chanting heard my husband & son in din and heard strange clicking sound that sounded like an unloaded gun being fired. (raised with hunters and guns in the country so know that sound)

When done went out fo find husband giving him a lesson on how his military pistol worked.

And while this is going on they a realing violant battle in a movie.

Boy did I have to reach deep fo find peace and love before speaking.

Focused on Shree Maa and heard her loving voice make respond to deal with issue

Have experienced a level of hostilty increase in other aspects too.

I believe Nanda expounded on this in an email saying that she noticed it increase in us in our emails as we became fearful that we cld not complete sankalpa.

With all this in mind I think it wld be safe to say that the pendulam is swinging.

What I have learned from this is that the issue is with self (in how I respond to his increase of hostility) Normaly wld have lashed out but not doing it. I know this is because of japa.

It is working. THen I realized all these things went on before in dif. manners the only dif was my responce.

IT'S WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and love,

Debi

 

Shankari Kali <shankari_kali > wrote:

Chris:

 

Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was taking over somehow.

 

I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

 

Just curious,

Shankari Kali

 

Debra McDaniel <student61754 > wrote:

Chris this is great!

Very Hdlpful.

Definately something I will have to work on.

Wow!

The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of like the two together since the mind is following the finger and reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and informative.

Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working through this japa practice as you have explained it.

Grateful,

Debi

 

Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 > wrote:

Hi,

 

Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

(at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

 

I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

your practice.

 

If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

open question, to me, but perhaps...

 

There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

disciplined).

 

As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

 

After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

 

If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

thought.

 

All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

 

Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

 

I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

continual prakasha.

 

This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

different states become steady.

 

So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

a solid foundation in this).

 

Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

verbal japa is faster, and easier.

 

I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

 

In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

speed.

 

The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

climb down the rope.]

 

This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of bliss.

 

As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

meditation (dharana).

 

There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

 

The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

 

Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

 

So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

track and deepen your experience.

 

Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

experience will be of the pranic sheath.

 

The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

produce more bliss and better concentration.

 

Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

So great to hear your story from another decades of mantra person.

 

Om Nama Sivaya

Love

Kanda

 

 

 

rikveda (AT) comcast (DOT) net

 

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 6:16 PM

[www.ShreeMaa.org] Re:Some Thoughts On Making Japa Faster

 

 

I first learned to chant Sanskrit mantras when I joined ISKCON in

1970. My first teacher taught me that there were three ways to chant –

the same three that were so wonderfully explained by Chris and

Russell. I was also taught that the method depends on the purpose. If

I am chanting to grow in love with the divine within me, then chanting

in silence is usually the best method. I would use "sub-vocal" chant

in times where I wanted to infuse a space with divine energy but true

verbal chanting would be distracting, even offensive to some present

(such as chanting as I walk through a store or office). I chant

verbally at various volumes and rates when I want to be immersed in

the sound energy of Maa. The sound waves I create with my vocal

apparatus are used by Her to charge the atmosphere and raise

consciousness in a very powerful way. But all three can be used at

other times as well. It is good to follow inner guidance regarding the

method.

 

I had an amazing experience at work today due to this sankalpa. At

noon I go to a nearby temple to meditate and pray. As I returned to my

office today, a staff manager who has always been hostile toward me

was standing outside smoking. This time he was looking at me as if he

was waiting for me, and as I approached he asked me if I could teach

him to meditate right now. I asked him what was going on that made him

want to learn with such immediacy. He told me that this was the worst

day he has ever had. Everything was going wrong at work as well as at

home. He felt the stress was too much to bear. I listened as he talked

for a good while, and when he finished he commented on how much he

appreciated me helping him meditate! I gave him a healing bangle

(that's what I call the bangles I collect after pujas at the temple,

and I am known for giving them out in the office when there is a need

for healing), and he joked that it did not match his outfit. Maybe it

didn't match, but it sure did its healing work. All hostility he once

had for me melted away in those moments. I am so very grateful for the

new friend I have been given by the grace of our divine Mother. I am

watching as disturbances and hostilities subside. Blessed be our

gurus! Jai Shree Maa! Jai Swamiji!

 

In love,

 

Rick Veda

 

 

 

 

Please visit us online at http://www.ShreeMaa.org

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Debi!

 

Yeah, I do like them. Sounds like your cosmic collage is very cool!

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

, Debra McDaniel <student61754

wrote:

>

> Ok good,

> I just need to keep timeing going, that's helpful thank you.

> Have noticed when loose times it just isn't.

>

> Also thought of you the other day when making up my own sheet for

mantra.

> Found my copies of nebulas from Hubble that look like and eye.

> One lookes like it has an eyebrow and the other doesn't have a pupel.

> anyway remembered you sd you like the pictures of the universe too.

>

> I printed out two with the brows an places them as eyes the the

third eye i used the one without a brow. They are over my big copy in

the office to remind me of the three worlds.

> Have a calendar below them to keep track of japas.

>

> The cards you made are G RRRR EA T>>>>>>

> Got one in everyroom and one in car and one in wallet.

>

> Thanks again you are so good to share these with us all.

>

> Debi

>

> Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 wrote:

> Hi Debi,

>

>

> , Debra McDaniel <student61754@>

wrote:

> >

> > Chris this is great!

> >

> > Very Hdlpful.

> > Definately something I will have to work on.

> > Wow!

> >

> > The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> > Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when

awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

> >

> > Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my

eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of

like the two together since the mind is following the finger and

reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at time,

of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach forward.

At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

>

> I have done this myself, when attempting the Chandi the first time,

I think. It is definitely helpful when nothing else is working. I

can't say if you are meditating, but certainly you have pratyahara

(closing off of the senses).

> >

> > My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the

spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is

shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

>

> I think it's more likely impurities and lack of discipline in the

mind. I have the same problem. I try not to worry about it, having

faith that the full mantra has been repeated at least once by the

mind, even if it's not at the specific level I'm exerting effort in.

It's much more important to maintain the consistent timing of breath

and mantra.

> >

> > Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated and

informative.

> > Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working

through this japa practice as you have explained it.

> >

> > Grateful,

> > Debi

> >

> > Thanks, Debi. Glad you enjoyed it.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

>

>

> >

> > Chris Kirner chriskirner1956@ wrote:

> > Hi,

> >

> > Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> > (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> > to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> > lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

> >

> > I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> > doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> > I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> > little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> > you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> > your practice.

> >

> > If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> > powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> > subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> > Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> > open question, to me, but perhaps...

> >

> > There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent. Silent is

> > by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> > pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> > easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> > disciplined).

> >

> > As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> > combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> > doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> > this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

> >

> > After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> > nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

> >

> > If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> > that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> > prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> > the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> > perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> > thought.

> >

> > All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> > perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> > The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> > bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

> >

> > Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> > is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> > mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

> >

> > I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> > they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> > you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> > aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> > the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> > become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> > of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of thought, but

> > in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> > As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> > and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> > comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> > continual prakasha.

> >

> > This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> > It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> > sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> > once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> > thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> > again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> > different states become steady.

> >

> > So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> > like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> > closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> > vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> > subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> > lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> > o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> > frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> > subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> > speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> > a solid foundation in this).

> >

> > Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> > verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> > However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> > before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> > verbal japa is faster, and easier.

> >

> > I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> > japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> > verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> > just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

> >

> > In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> > is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> > simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> > out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> > speed.

> >

> > The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> > on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> > one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> > the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> > feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> > from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> > breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the connection

> > to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> > climb down the rope.]

> >

> > This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> > characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> > is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> > places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> > and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of

bliss.

> >

> > As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> > recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> > but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> > words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> > beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> > meditation (dharana).

> >

> > There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> > each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> > as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

> >

> > The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> > act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> > make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> > thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> > the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> > circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> > can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

> >

> > Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> > the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> > them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> > become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> > mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

> >

> > So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the mantra as

> > it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> > on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> > relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> > track and deepen your experience.

> >

> > Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> > pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> > that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> > anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> > blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> > mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> > experience will be of the pranic sheath.

> >

> > The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> > the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> > block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> > your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> > frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> > of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> > of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> > have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> > where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> > produce more bliss and better concentration.

> >

> > Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

> >

> > Jai Maa!

> > Chris

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful

email and get things done faster.

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Want to start your own business? Learn how on Small Business.

>

[Guest guest]

I'm glad your son is doing better. Mother's grace, no doubt.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

, Shankari Kali <shankari_kali

wrote:

>

> Chris:

>

> Thanks for the help. It's great to know that others are having the

same issues. I had to literally reduce my voice to a whisper.

>

> My son is doing better today. It seems that hostility is sometimes a

deep hurting that needs to be opened up and released (in a productive

way).

>

> Thanks,

> Shankari Kali

>

> Chris Kirner <chriskirner1956 wrote:

Hi, Shankari Kali,

>

> , Shankari Kali <shankari_kali@>

wrote:

> >

> > Chris:

> >

> > Thanks for your long informative post. At first I had a really

difficult time wrapping my tongue around this mantra. It took me

probably two whole malas to get anywhere near the pronunciation. I'm

not still sure that I have it. It did speed up though like my mind was

taking over somehow.

> >

> > I also experienced the situation while saying a mantra and having

my voice stop up almost completely. I had to whisper my way through it.

> >

> When this happens to me it is a signal to change the pitch or timbre

of my voice. I experience this kind of thing as a blockage in the

prana - it's not getting to your vocal chords (prob, vishuddha chakra)

properly. Try pitching up or down (sometimes even really low and

gravely or very high and squeeky, for a really strong blockage), or

bringing your voice further back in your throat. Experiment a little

bit. When the blockage dissolves, the rush of prana is refreshing and

the voice will flow much easier.

>

> > I was wondering if anyone had any strange experiences after

beginning this mantra. My son came home and seemed to pour hostility

out (Maybe it was just a bad day . It was strange. This is a mantra

for stopping up the hostility, but I wonder if it pours out first.

>

> I'm sorry about your son...I don't have the slightest idea. It is

interesting though.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Chris

> >

> > Just curious,

> > Shankari Kali

> >

> > Debra McDaniel student61754@ wrote:

> > Chris this is great!

> >

> > Very Hdlpful.

> > Definately something I will have to work on.

> > Wow!

> >

> > The slowdown i hv experienced and so keep going bk to out loud.

> > Can't figure out how the mind can say mantras in sleep but when

awake it's just as you discribed MOOOOOLLLLLLLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSES

> >

> > Have found that if I do it out loud and let my finger guide my

eyes to follow writed words that I can almost fly. Is that kind of

like the two together since the mind is following the finger and

reading the words as I speak? At that point I can lose track, at

time, of what's being said out loud so just let fingers pull speach

forward. At this point it's almost trance so is that a med. state?

> >

> > My most dif. times is the inbreath of japa can't get it at the

spead of the out breath of recitation even when the in mantra is

shorter that the spoken one. Maybe because they are two dif. mantras.

> >

> > Hope everyone gets to read your post as it is very well stated

and informative.

> > Also look forward to hereing other peoples ideas for working

through this japa practice as you have explained it.

> >

> > Grateful,

> > Debi

> >

> >

> >

> > Chris Kirner chriskirner1956@ wrote:

> > Hi,

> >

> > Our new sankalpa mantra is rather a long one, and an unfamiliar one

> > (at least as far a japa is concerned). I know how daunting it can be

> > to approach such a mantra when you know you have to complete a whole

> > lot of repetitions and it just isn't going fast enough.

> >

> > I'm going to present some ideas, gleaned from my own experience, about

> > doing japa aloud, and making the process more efficient (faster). Now,

> > I'm not the King of Japa, or anything, but perhaps I can help a

> > little. Hopefully, something I say will help create a connection in

> > you, if you're having trouble, and help you move to the next level of

> > your practice.

> >

> > If you want to make japa more efficient, both faster and more

> > powerful, you have to bring it inside, and you have to make it more

> > subtle. This is what occurs naturally in the course of mantra japa.

> > Whether or not anything anyone can say will speed the process up is an

> > open question, to me, but perhaps...

> >

> > There are three types of japa: aloud, sub-vocal, and silent.

Silent is

> > by far the most efficient, if (and it's a big if) your mind is quite

> > pure and disciplined. Doing japa aloud has the advantage that it is

> > easier, but it is also slower (if your mind is quite pure and

> > disciplined).

> >

> > As I see it, what is needed in order to make japa more efficient is to

> > combine the advantages of verbal japa with those of silent japa, in

> > doing so we cancel out some of the disadvantages of each, and we do

> > this by bringing our verbal japa inward.

> >

> > After what I've just said this may seem a strange statement, but it is

> > nevertheless true: All japa is silent japa.

> >

> > If you remember the discussion on the Kashyapa Sutras, you'll recall

> > that there are three levels of perception, pratyaksha, pratyaya, and

> > prakasha. Pratyaksha corresponds to the external world, pratyaya, to

> > the "mind's eye", as it were, and prakasha corresponds to intuitive

> > perception, that which is perceived in the mind, but which is beyond

> > thought.

> >

> > All three of these levels are operating simultaneously when we are

> > perceiving the external world - we are simply unaware of all of them.

> > The same is true of verbal recitation of mantra. All we have to do is

> > bring the focus inward, bring it higher.

> >

> > Mantra has the advantage over other objects of pratyaksha in that it

> > is directly representative of prakasha - it produces prakasha in the

> > mind. But it still requires a great deal of effort.

> >

> > I think there is a correspondence between these three levels and how

> > they are expressed in verbal japa, and the process of meditation. When

> > you sit in your asana and close your eyes, at first you are still

> > aware of your surroundings, of sounds and smells, of the sensations of

> > the body - this is pratyaksha. With some practice, your perceptions

> > become more refined, and more inward, and pratyahara, the closing off

> > of the senses, occurs. This is the sphere of pratyaya, of

thought, but

> > in meditation, as in japa, it is a directed, a disciplined pratyaya.

> > As meditation progresses, the focus becomes more acute, more inward,

> > and more subtle and dharana begins. With the continuation of dharana,

> > comes dhyana, and with the continuation of dhyana, comes samadhi, or

> > continual prakasha.

> >

> > This process isn't a smooth one. It's not a series of discrete steps.

> > It's more like the jumping of a drop of water on a hot skillet. One no

> > sooner moves into pratyahara, than something distracts and the mind is

> > once again focused on the external. As dhyana is achieved, a stray

> > thought bubbles up and the mind gets caught, and it's back to dharana

> > again. It takes time to purify the mind and the pranas so that these

> > different states become steady.

> >

> > So, what has all this to do with making my japa better? Well, it's

> > like this. When you're doing silent japa you go through the process of

> > closing the senses to the outside by focusing on the internal

> > vibrations of the mantra in the mind and on their effects on the

> > subtle body, feelings of pressure and release, feelings of bliss,

> > lights, etc. But there comes a point in silent japa where the mind S l

> > o w s w a y d o w n. At this point, silent japa becomes very

> > frustrating. There is a breakthrough point, a technique to raise the

> > subtle form of the mantra in the mind to a more subtle place where

> > speed can increase dramatically, but it is difficult (I never achieved

> > a solid foundation in this).

> >

> > Verbal japa does not have this particular problem. But any form of

> > verbal japa is slower than breaking the speed barrier in silent japa.

> > However, it can take considerable time and practice of silent japa

> > before one achieves this breakthrough, and until then, an efficient

> > verbal japa is faster, and easier.

> >

> > I said before that all japa is silent japa, that all three levels of

> > japa are occurring at the same time. What we need to do to make our

> > verbal japa more efficient is bridge the gaps between them - actually

> > just as one does in silent japa, except for one important difference.

> >

> > In silent japa when one runs up against the "mind of molasses" there

> > is little one can do but struggle with it. In verbal japa the mind

> > simply shifts back to the gross form of the mantra (the words coming

> > out of your mouth) and uses that to guide the mind back to the correct

> > speed.

> >

> > The process is kind of like this. When the japa begins, the focus is

> > on the pratyaksha, the speaking of the words, and their sound. Then

> > one notices there is a vibration in the body from the speaking, and

> > the mind begins to focus on that sensation. [Actually, I think that

> > feeling of vibration from the mantra in the body is the connection,

> > from the gross vibration to the subtle vibration, just as feeling the

> > breath pass certain places in the throat and sinuses is the

connection

> > to the more subtle movement of prana - grasp the thread and eventually

> > climb down the rope.]

> >

> > This gross vibration of the sound of the mantra takes on more subtle

> > characteristics. It begins to be felt moving, spreading, in a way that

> > is difficult to describe, very softly, into the mind, and to various

> > places in the body. Its action is felt on the mind as inner clarity

> > and external stupifaction - one-pointedness - and as feelings of

bliss.

> >

> > As the vibration of the mantra begins to focus the mind, there is a

> > recognition that it is not only the lips that are speaking the mantra,

> > but so is the mind. If you look, you can see it there, each time the

> > words come out of the mouth. This is the pratyaya of the mantra, the

> > beginning of the experience of nada, the beginning of the process of

> > meditation (dharana).

> >

> > There is a shakti each time the mantra is spoken. There is a shakti

> > each time the mantra is thought in the mind. Bring these two together

> > as one, focusing on the more subtle body of the mantra in the mind.

> >

> > The mind is said to be infinitely fast, but it is undisciplined. The

> > act of speaking is disciplined, but slow. Bring the two together, and

> > make them one with the mantra shakti. There is a progression here, of

> > thinking the mantra, speaking the mantra, experiencing the shakti of

> > the mantra. When you are doing japa, this progression becomes a

> > circular relationship, that has no beginning or end. Any part of it

> > can be the focus of the mind, while the others continue on around it.

> >

> > Allow the mind to drive the speed of the lips; allow the lips to push

> > the mind and reconnect the mind to its task; allow the shakti to drive

> > them both, according to Her divine will. When mind, lips, and shakti

> > become one, the japa will flow with divine speed. She will empower the

> > mouth and the vocal chords to wonderful efficiency.

> >

> > So, find the gross vibration and follow it inward. Watch the

mantra as

> > it appears in the mind and perceive its relationship to shakti. Focus

> > on the Divine Mother in Her guise as mantra shakti. Use the

> > relationship between speech, thought, and mantra shakti to keep you on

> > track and deepen your experience.

> >

> > Finally, let me say a few things about the mantra shakti and the

> > pranic sheath. It is, as I understand it, shakti's affect on prana

> > that produces its effects in the mind. If your pranic sheath is

> > anything like mine, there are likely some impurities and some

> > blockages. When moving through the gross vibration of speaking the

> > mantra to the subtle experience of its vibration in the body, the

> > experience will be of the pranic sheath.

> >

> > The prana will begin to move until it reaches a block. At this point,

> > the shakti will want to bring its vibrations there to dissolve the

> > block (or energize that place). You may feel a lack of strength in

> > your voice, or a sense of unlocalized, or barely localized,

> > frustration. Let it go there. This may be aided by changing the pitch

> > of your japa, either higher or lower. Sometimes, increasing the volume

> > of your recitation will help, too. Don't be afraid to experiment. I

> > have never had any advice to the contrary, so I always let Her go

> > where She wills. As these blockages are freed, that prana rises to

> > produce more bliss and better concentration.

> >

> > Here's to a successful and bliss-filled sankalpa.

> >

> > Jai Maa!

> > Chris

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

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