WHAT IS MANTRA?

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WHAT IS MANTRA?

 

by Sri Shibendu Lahiri Ji (Lahiri Mahasaya Kriya Yoga lineage)Milan

(Italy) 8 August 2004

 

«Man»-«tra» signifies a process of transcendence beyond mind.

Unfortunately, in the spiritual market, mantras are dished out as

sedatives to keep a person (agitated by anxiety and ambition) amused

and assured within the precincts of the mental prison. Without

Swadhyay (self-knowing), mere mantra chanting becomes sensuous

excitement and entertainment without much significance. Mechanical

repetition of words brings about dullness in the consciousness, not

stillness. A mind made still is not still mind. Chanting mantras with

a motive generated by envy, fear, greed and the search for power, is

indeed vulgarity. That is why the ancient human wisdom sang in the

Upanishads (also called Vedanta which implies freedom from the bondage

of knowledge to be available to the bliss of knowing): -

 

" Uttamâ Sahajâbasthâ

Madhyamâ Dhyâna-dhâranâ

Japapâthascha Adhamâ

Sâstra-charchâ Dhamâdhamâ "

 

" In matters deeply religious (that is, in the nature of a religious

brain which means total freedom from beliefs & bigotry, concepts &

conclusions, dogmas & delusions, postulates & paradoxes, past

prejudices & pretensions, imitations & influences, ideas &

inhibitions, gurus & giris, popes & paramahansas), any controversy

about scriptural interpretations is lower than the low. Japa

(repetition of words as mantra) is the low. Yogic practices and

meditative postures are medium. Par excellent is the natural state in

which a radical change, not merely reform, is possible. In this state,

pure understanding happens without pollution from the conditioned

consciousness and thus no loss of energy takes place due to conflicts

and battles of opinions and other mental pre-occupations. "

 

Sanskrit vibrations (chanting) are beneficial for the body and these

do enhance the energy of comprehension. But mechanical chanting with a

motive must be avoided. Gurus whisper a mantra in your ear and keep

you (mind) obsessed through compulsions of repetition. This is indeed

disastrous.

Following thirty-three mantras are suggested for contemplation. And

thereby transcendence beyond mind may perhaps be possible. This is the

real significance of mantra as already stated at the outset.

 

1. Thought (what should be) promotes vanity. Truth (what is) protects

vitality.

Facing `what is' is the only important thing, not formulating `what

should be'.

 

2. A spiritual teacher does not need an organisation, but his students

may need for co-ordination. When a teacher starts organising, he is no

longer a teacher. He is then only a manipulator.

 

3. Meditation is not by the `I', of the `I', for the `I'. It is

awakening of Intelligence.

 

4. For matters technical, development is essential. For matters

psychological, dissolution is the essence.

 

5. `God' does not exist! He is existence! Emptiness of experience is

divine. Innocence is not ignorance.

 

6. Imagining or claiming dialogue and conversation with `God' is sick.

Only a sacred silence is possible with God.

 

7. Perception is relationship with Existence. Concept is relationship

with experience. Reality is not experience, it is Existence.

 

8. Rebelliousness is renewal, rebirth, radical change, and insight.

Revolution is re-evaluation, a reform, an organised resentment, a

modified continuity, an idea.

 

9. Success needs to be evaluated in terms of peace, piousness and

purity; not in terms of power, possessions and prominence as also in

terms of goodness, grace and gratitude; not in terms of glamour,

glitter and gratification.

 

10. Fear is the destructive energy in mankind. It withers the

consciousness, it distorts thought, it leads to all kinds of

extraordinarily clever and subtle theories, absurd superstitions,

dogmas and beliefs. Whole theological thuggery of organised religions,

sects and cults is based on exploitation of the ground human

conditioned consciousness comprising of craving for security, fear of

insecurity, dependencies on ideas and beliefs along with all the

competitions and conflicts arising there from.

 

11. Prayer is a pursuit which re-inforces religious dogmas. Meditation

is peace which re-kindles realisation of divinity.

 

12. Experience is in the dimension of duality. Perception is non-dual.

It is mutation.

 

 

13. `I-less-ness' is not idleness. Wisdom of non-doer-ship is not

non-doing.

 

14. Kriya-yoga is to do in `being' and `to be' in doing.

 

15. Emotion changes, love does not change.

Mind changes, life does not change.

Conditioning changes, comprehension does not change.

Attachment changes, affection does not change.

Words change, but wisdom does not.

Beliefs are many, but bliss in one.

Doctrines are many, but divine is one.

Thoughts are many, but truth is one.

Ideas are many, but insight is one.

 

16. Ceaseless toil for bread in the vast majority is because of

senseless toil by big business in the small minority of humanity.

 

17. Illusion (`I') cannot be dropped, but can be understood only by

and for oneself. The very understanding dispels the illusion.

 

18. Knock off the whole list – self, SELF, soul, spirit, I, mind, ego

& c. and have no way of finding out what you are left with! And

suddenly there may be an explosion in the psych ending all suffering

and sorrow!

 

19. " Some think that " God " exists, others think that It does not. Rare

are the persons who do not think either and are this free from garbage

of the limited consciousness as also from agitation & disturbance. "

-Astavakra Gita (18.42)

 

20. " Those who are not seeking, have a resting place inside (Swadhay)

and thus they do not need any resting place outside. " (God " , " Son of

God " , " Saviour " , " Prophet " , " Apostles " , " Saints " , " Angels " , " Ruh " ,

" Jin " , " Astral beings " , " Deva " , " Devi " , " Babaji " , " Mataji " , " Mamaji " ,

" Kakaji " , & c)

-Astavakra Gita (18.44)

 

21. Abandon all goals, greed and the search for ultimate gratification

called " God " . And thus be glorious & godly.

 

22. Be perceptive and wakeful and do not borrow any knowledge from

anybody whatever may be his or her title, reputation, status, length

of beard or hair-locks, and strange garments / robes / costumes.

 

23. Meditation Centres everywhere are good rackets operated by gentle

rascals. Meditation is the flower blooming in a particular human

being. Mass meditation gives rise to mafias.

 

24. A meditative consciousness is not wise in wisdom, not distracted

in distraction, does not run off to meditation centres or to forest

for peace. Whatever and whenever, it remains peaceful. In this state,

there is neither thought nor even absence of thought! Being a state of

no experience, there is neither agitation nor stillness!

 

25. State of negation is indeed a state of no opposites and this state

is not an opposite of something else! Negation is not a state of

oblivion or emptiness. Smoke may consider fresh air as empty! Negation

is freedom. It is to die to psychological recording and thus be

totally detached.

 

26. Silence by silence in silence without the experience of silence is

enlightenment, which must not be ambushed by clever tricks of ego.

 

27. There is this road to " success " and " status " . The other road to

the Sacred is not on the map, nor can it ever be put on any map! Every

map is a map of the wrong road, the old & obsolete road, to be

rejected outright as it is the outcome of the conspiracy of the

separative consciousness.

 

28. " That which you have will save you if you bring it forth from

yourself " –Saint Thomas

 

29. " In the beginning, Universe was unmanifest energy of Intelligence

– the Wholeness, Holiness. " – Rig Veda

 

30. Holistic consciousness is in link with Intelligence (Purna

Chaitanya). It has nothing to do with experience, expectation,

entertainment and excitement, even though it is extremely alive.

 

31. See the obvious, don't seek the opposite.

Perceive `what is', don't project `what should be'.

Be with the fact, don't become the fantasy.

Practise the actual, don't perform anticipation.

Be available to awareness of movement of life, not to argument with

motives in mind.

Have insight into fragmented consciousness, not imagination about full

consciousness.

 

32. Mind thinks; `No-mind' knows.

Mind may go mad. `No-mind' goes to Buddhahood.

Separative Consciousness thinks. Silence knows.

Ambition thinks. Awareness knows.

Wanting and worrying thinks. Wisdom knows.

 

33. Diversity is creativity, but duality is chaos.

Denial of distance, dropping of division, dis-appearance of duality in

the separative consciousness is the dawn of divine consciousness.

`I – ness' (Individuality) is isolation.

`Is – ness' (Holistic existence) is invocation of uniqueness and the

unique also imbibes unity and universality.

`I – ness' is arrogance, `Is – ness' is awareness.

`I – ness' is worm, `Is – ness' is wisdom.

`I – ness' is will, `Is – ness' is wakefulness.

 

33 represents

 

the divine sound of Silence

 

by Sri Shibendu Lahiri Ji (Lahiri Mahasaya Kriya Yoga lineage)

 

http://kriyayogalahiri.com/