MANTRA AND MEDITATION

Not so long ago mantra was a a practice that conjured visions of sadhus from India with japa beads in their hands.  Nowadays people the world over are talking about their mantras. So what is a mantra and why is it so beneficial?

We want to meditate, but to begin with the flurry of thoughts can be overwhelming.   We know that to experience true meditation we need to surrender these ordinary, mundane thoughts and bask in the sunlit peace of our hearts.  This is where mantra can be very helpful.

Mantra is a syllable, a word or a sentence that used in repetition is known as ‘japa’.  When you practice japa; repeating a mantra over and over again, there is a continuous flow and this flow replaces your thoughts.  If you practice mantra effectively your worries and anxieties will diminish and your faith in something deeper inside yourself will flourish.

You can chose any mantra that inspires you.  In our classes in Adelaide we try different mantras to highlight that mantra is an individual experience.  A mantra that appeals to one seeker may not to the other and vice versa.   We tend to use simple English words such as “peace”, “joy”, “light” etc. etc. etc.

Perhaps though, the most popular mantra in classes is AUM.    AUM is a mantra that has been used for thousands of years.  It is from the ancient and classical Indian language of Sanskrit.    Sri Chinmoy says that AUM is the “mother of all mantras”.  It is the seed sound of creation.  Before AUM there was only silence and from AUM all sounds came into being.   Yogis are known to hear the essence of AUM reverberating in the depths of all sounds.

Some things that Sri Chinmoy has said about mantra :

“..each mantra has a special significance and inner power”

“If you cannot enter into your deepest meditation because your mind is restless, this in an opportunity to utilise mantra.  ….”

If you feel overwhelmed by negative and destructive thoughts Sri Chinmoy says, that at this time, to say your mantra rapidly, “as if you were running to catch a moving train” .  This will help to drown out the poison of your negative thoughts.    During your regular meditation however he says: “just say the mantra in a normal but soulful way.”  

Below we have included a clip of Sri Chinmoy chanting AUM.   By chanting or listening to others chant AUM we can feel the calling or the yearning if you like of the “Beyond”, as Sri Chinmoy calls it. The world deep within each of us that is all illumination and free of all sufferings.

“I long to be lost in my heart’s soundless sound.”  Sri Chinmoy

THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL SONGS

In addition to repeating a regular mantra we can also sing spiritual songs.  Songs that are inspiring and uplifting also have the capacity dissolve any mundane, ordinary or destructive thoughts and fill us with fresh hopes and joy.    Of the 23,000 + songs that Sri Chinmoy composed many of them are very simple and easy to learn.  These songs have their own mantra-like qualities.  We cannot meditate twenty fours a day but we can easily carry a divine tune with us wherever we may be.

In these videos you can sing along with some of Sri Chinmoy’s students from Ireland, Holland, Germany and New Zealand who prepared these recordings for you to be able to learn from.

SINGING MANTRAS – a meditation made easy.

The mantras on this CD “Meditation Mantras” were specially chosen for use in meditation classes. They are quite simple, and can easily be sung from the heart without looking at music.  To get the most from these meditation mantras you can sing along to the words and try to feel that you are singing from the heart.  When we sing spiritual music, the most important thing is not our technical capacity, but the soulfulness and concentration we can put into the music.

Visit https://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/meditation-mantras-ananda/ and download the whole CD for free or visit

https://www.anandamusic.co.uk/sing.shtml where you can also download the sheet music to sing-along with.

What happens when we chant AUM?

Sri Chinmoy:  A Sanskrit word or syllable has a special significance and creative power. When we chant AUM, what actually happens is that we bring down Peace and Light from above and create a universal harmony within and without us. When we repeat AUM, both our inner and our outer beings become inspired and surcharged with divine Light and aspiration. AUM has no equal. AUM has infinite Power. Just by repeating AUM, we can realise God.

https://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/pwm-21