More on Mantra Japa Meditation ?
Mantra Japa Meditation
Japa is a training by which the ever dancing rays of mind are compelled to behave in some order and rhythm. The mind becomes extremely single pointed. It is more effective than any other hasty methods of meditation. In meditation one is wingless; one has not acquired a decent share of concentration power and the knowledge to fix one's mind. But with japa you learn to stop all other "dissimilar thought currents".
A mind seasoned with japa is like tinned food which gets ready for consumption after few seconds' warming up on the fire. Similarly a japa prepared mind,can be taken to new heights in an impossibly short time.
In japa yoga, the mind is fixed on a single line of thought (by reciting of a mantra).
How must I start ?
" What happened to the holiday maker who waited on the sea shore for the waves to subside so that he may take his bath comfortably? "
Don't waste your time in vain on the shores of life; get into the ocean of the bliss and be refreshed."
So you can start japa whenever you want to.
- Have a special room/ corner for meditation.
- Spread a plain sheet and sit crossed leg on it.
- Have a Mala (rosary) of 108 beads.
- Now repeat your mantra with all the love you are capable of.
How mantra works ?
Mantra is like a tool which aids in meditation, be reprogramming, re-patterning the very vibratory structure of ones inner mental make up. When mantra is used in a deep state of relaxation, its effects are enhanced manifold.
Caution:
While doing japa (mantra meditation) the beads, the postures are all equipments which work on external basis, but japa itself is a mental activity which has to be raised to a still deeper level.
Japa generally enchants the unwary practitioner into the jungles of unproductive thought wanderings. If the practitioner is not diligent enough to detect it, it is possible that his japa lands him in a dark pitch of frustration.
Japa yoga should not be over-practised. The duration should be increased gradually.
There is a danger of japa activity being muddled with our incorrigible thirst for results. Japa polluted by this profit motive cannot end in spiritual effulgence.