How is it possible to chant while performing daily activities like working in the office or talking?

[Guest guest]

*How is it possible to chant while performing daily activities like working

in the office or talking?*

 

When we begin to chant it seems to us that we really have to struggle to

concentrate on repeating the Name of God. In many cases in the initial

stages, we have to stop what we are doing and deliberately chant while

holding *mala* (a string of beads). At this point it would seem unimaginable

to us if someone told us to chant while performing all activities in the day

including while having a conversation. Our concentration would seem

uni-dimensional when it comes to chanting and we would have to choose

between chanting and performing any worldly activity.

 

However the fact is that when we grow spiritually our chanting does become

more subtle and more qualitative. By becoming more subtle we mean that it

happens at a deeper level in our consciousness. At higher levels in the

practice of chanting, we are also able to chant when doing physical and

mental activity. Let's see how this can happen.

 

Each one of us can focus one's attention on eight things simultaneously.

These eight points of concentration are through the five sense organs (1.

ears, 2. skin, 3. eyes, 4. tongue and 5. nose which are referred to as the

external sense organs), 6. conscious mind, 7. sub-conscious mind (*chitta*)

and 8. intellect (these three are the internal sense organs). The organs

perform their respective functions. In our day to day life, we do many

complex activities simultaneously involving these eight points of

concentration. Imagine a person crossing the road. When he is in the act of

crossing the road, he is able to simultaneously watch out for the traffic

lights, hear any vehicles, smell the surroundings, feel if it is hot or

cold, indulge in conversation with a friend or colleague, etc. In addition,

he also thinks about various things, and takes decisions like how fast he

should walk, in which direction he should go and if he will reach on time,

etc. In this way, every individual possesses the eight-fold concentration in

the sub-conscious mind.

 

When we begin to chant the act of chanting is limited only to the conscious

mind. At this stage we find it very difficult to mutli-task while chanting.

When we deepen our spiritual practice of chanting, we create a new

impression of chanting in our sub-conscious mind. This impression develops

into a centre also known as the devotion centre. As the devotion centre

develops in our sub-conscious mind it begins to radiate thoughts about

chanting.

 

 

[image: devotion centre]

 

 

 

When the devotion centre covers over 50% of the sub-conscious mind, chanting

of the Name of God happens at a sub-conscious level. This generally happens

at the 50% spiritual level.

 

So if we go back to our previous understanding that there can be eight-fold

concentration we can be performing many tasks with all the other sense

organs, while the sub-conscious mind is chanting. Therefore even while our

mouth and intellect are engaged in conversation, the sub-conscious mind is

chanting although this may not be physically apparent to an outsider. To the

person chanting at this stage there is a gentle remembrance of God in every

thing they do.

 

This stage of chanting can only happen if we chant regularly for some time.

How soon we can achieve this stage will depend on

 

 

 

-

 

our desire to progress spiritually,

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the quantity as well as quality of chanting and

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whether we have supplemented chanting with other aspects of spiritual

practice like

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being in company of seekers (Satsang) or

-

 

doing some service to God like working for spread of

Spirituality.

 

Courtsey:www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org

 

Regards

Prasanna Kumar