Some aspiring Vaisnavas chant japa out of duty, some have a deep taste and connection with their meditation, while others seldom to never pick up their beads. i have heard many reasons and justifications why devotees neglect japa meditation from “i would rather chant no japa than chant inattentive or offensive japa” to “there is not enough time in the day for that” to “i just never developed a taste for it over all these years”.
The process of chanting on beads or knotted cords is certainly not exclusive to our philosophy. In fact, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. all have their version of japa mala or brahman threads. Lately it has even become fashionable to wear said artifacts as jewelry or even tattoo them around their necks or ankles. As misguided as this may seem (especially on the ankle), it is an affirmation of acceptance if not reverence toward active and open spiritual practice.
We residents of this material world during the iron age of quarrel and hypocrisy are fortunate enough to have an easy way out, so to speak. In other ages, the recommended means to escape the bondage of this temporary miserable realm were quite a bit more difficult than the simple act of attentively chanting a mantra. But that is all it takes these days.
Unfortunately we either have a “too good to be true” attitude about it, or we are just too lazy… we have a tendency to try and cheat the system even when the system is more than fair. We always want to haggle, even when we are already getting an over generous deal… “all i have to do is chant this mantra, you say?... do i have to do it all the time, or can i just do it when things aren’t going so well?... or how about i just do it right before i die?... will that be sufficient?”
But the purpose of mantra meditation is to redirect ones consciousness back to the divine and away from the mundane… to gradually shift from self-centric to God-centric. When one chants with this intention, one’s chanting is effective. But if one is chanting to alleviate stress and create a better or more peaceful material situation, the chanting will not be as effective. So if we have a haggling attitude toward it, it may be a while before we develop a significant taste for it.
When Srila Prabhupada started this movement, he put more emphasis on chanting than anything else. In fact, his first batch of initiates didn’t even know about the four regulative principles until the day before their initiation, but they had each already hand made their own string of japa beads. This is because the result of attentive chanting is that all of the dirty things are removed from the heart and, as a natural side effect, we will automatically start to follow the details. If we place our focus on the principle of keeping Krsna in the center of our lives, there will be no need to worry separately about the details because they will come automatically.
It is not my intention to judge or criticize anyone’s personal decisions, nor is it my intention to make anyone feel guilty about those decisions. What i do wish to accomplish is to encourage my fellow spiritualists to deepen their connection with the Holy name. No matter what level we are on, there is always room for a deeper relationship with Krsna. Since the Supreme Lord is ever-expanding, His lovability is constantly increasing. Thus since there is constantly more to love, there is always room for a deeper relationship with Him. So, the exercise i am about to propose is beneficial for anyone who wants to try it regardless of their status.
The maha mantra that our beloved Srila Prabhupada has given us via Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is literally a petition to the Supreme Lord, submitting our desire to be engaged in His loving service. Whether our consciousness is lined up with this meaning or not, this is what we are saying when we chant it. Of course, if we ask for something, but then fail to accept it when it is presented to us, we are to blame for our lack of tangible results. Therefore our consciousness should be aligned with the import of the mantra so that it can be most effective.
As far as the “no japa is better than offensive or inattentive japa” justification goes, consider this: ask any parent if they would have to choose between 1. spending a little bit of time with their child each day, even if they are completely distracted by a television or playing on their smart phone, or 2. not see them for months or years at a time, which would they choose. Sure, it is impolite and inappropriate for us to be distracted while engaging in our japa meditation, but there is still a connection and an effort. In time our dutiful chanting will rectify our lack of manners. But if we fail to even try, there is no connection on our end. We already know that nama kirtan is the best way to clean our hearts and reconnect with God, so to think that we can come up with a different way is pompous and ridiculous.
So whether you are currently chanting daily japa or not, i propose that everyone who reads this tries this exercise (i also tried this during a Sunday feast lecture in Philly with some interesting results). If you are already regularly chanting, great… you may choose to either add one more round of japa according to this exercise, or you may just perform this exercise on one of the one’s you were going to chant anyway. If you do not regularly chant japa, set aside five to ten minutes per day (preferably for at least a month straight) where you can sit in a quiet room free from distractions and perform this exercise.
Here it is: while chanting one round, be very diligent about meditating on the meaning of the mantra. While repeating the mantra we should be thinking, “O Krsna, for so long i have been living my life without regard for you. Please show me how to bring you back into the center of my life”. As the mind wanders, bring it back and keep this as your meditation for the entire round. Then, throughout the day, keep note of how this exercise has affected your life. Have you become more peaceful? More frustrated? Have you become closer with friends? Have you been alienated? Have things become more clear? More cloudy? Have your attachments weakened? Are they stronger? Whatever the results are take note of them and share your experience with me or another aspiring devotee.
If the exercise is effective, do it more often as you see fit.
As always, i look forward to hearing about your experiences with this exercise, so please email me at BhagavatCommune@gmail.com with your thoughts.
Hari, Hari!
No comments:
Post a Comment