We live in a fast paced life. With constant demand to meet our basic requirements of daily routine, Our mind gets overloaded and sometimes it becomes difficult to concentrate and we feel stressed. Stress completely reduces our ability to concentrate. A good concentration power is the basis of efficiency and thankfully, everyone has the capacity for developing a better one. One can do so by counting repetitive sound instructions. Sound therapy helps increase concentration power & lessens stress levels.
I agree totally. I think since you're discussing healing the power of mantra is awesome. Most people have millions of negative and self negating thoughts every day. It is benevolent upon ones whole being to take some time for positive thoughts. Some of the easiest self affirmation type stuff which is a bit roundabout is using a deity and mantra and chanting. usually at least a mala a day, maybe twice a day a few minutes, while picturng the deity. I would recommend say Medicine Buddha. Also of Buddhist Tibetan Deities for healing there's Yamantaka (Death Killer) and White Tara, many deities. I think Blue Medicine Buddha is really cool. Hindus have deities, right now I forget Maybe some Xtian saints and so on, you get the drift. Just repeating the sound with image of deity unwinds ones stress. The deity is ultimately just your self.
At last, I found some good discussion here. usually, I feel my stress after work, in evenings. HF is good in relieving that stress. But again- too much time here generates its own stress, which is felt afterwards. As Chodpa says, mantras are powerful, and I have seen this myself. Usually, after work, I spend around 30 min here on HF, then go for a walk 1 HR- 5 KM. During this walk, I repeat my mantra in my mind. Now I am so used to it, its automatic. Moment I start walking, my mantra recitation starts without any conscious efforts. Also, I have been taught to repeat mantra, while taking bath. I have been doing this for past more than 30 years- everyday. Again its automatic recitation. I don't have to remind myself. The moment I start, mantra starts. The purpose of telling you all this is to confirm what chodpa says- yes, mantras are powerful. Start yourself and make a habit of it. See the changes after a while. (if you want a baby you have wait 9 months. Everyone knows this by now) As far as selecting a mantra- choose your own which you like or ask seniors (like Chodpa) Any doubts- ask me Remember- our mind is ours, just like our body. And do we clean it as often?
I feel that a lot of people don't get any solace from their religion. Not on a daily, or moment to moment basis. In India they have thousands of years of lineages and non-lineages of teachings about how to live and unlike the West they went most profoundly into them. If you deny then unearth any darshana to see. Systems like Ayurveda were meant for average people to be able to correct their daily and seasonal activities to prevent disease and encourage robust health. So also various tantras exist. Tantra means to reach out a bit further for a bit longer. Extent. Also, method, or machine, or practice. Te tantras were meant to be practiced by people who wanted experience but without belief. In other words, you practice, you get result, no matter what. We would like to think the tantras still produced results but it's hard to know the real lineages from the false. For instance Patanjali still has a living lineage. People think his direct teachings stopped with the Yoga Sutras. I am being verby, blame it on good coffee. My real point through all this is that there are worlds of benevolent and positive qualities and the deities culminate these values so using the words of their chant is a way of connecting. The specifics vary from tantra to tantra and deity to deity (and religion to religion). But the basics are about the same. Choose one deity, stick with it a year. Practice a bit of visualization (don't try to get it perfect - deity is mirror image to you), practice a small amount a day. The practice can be safely done in all seasons so long as you free up the efforts from result or expectation. Practice yields what is sometimes called 'bhava' or 'becoming' or 'warmth' which is a feeling of something peaceful.
Comprehensive methodologies and skillful techniques may be helpful but eventual even they must be let go of.
No you're right. It's like driving a car. After you know how to do it, just relax, sit back, close your eyes, and free your hands from the wheel.
