mantras.. can anyone teach me?

I am a christian though i am open to other religions. and Ive read about mantras and i really like the idea. Actually the book was a discusion between john lennon yoko ono george harrison and the krishna conciiousness group.
anyways the only one i could remember was the maha mantra
but ive been really interested in these sort of prayers that are sung
first wut does everyone else think
second can anyone sortof teach me (i know its more complicated than thatbut like a sort of overview)

 

You can even have Christian mantras really...the maha mantra is nothing more than repeating a divine name... so you really could just repeat the name of Jesus and that can become a mantra... the idea is that the Divine Name has a cleansing spiritual power all its own... so if you just repeated Jesus Jesus Jesus (or Yeshua Yeshua Yeshua...which I feel personally is easier on the repetition)...with devotion... then it is no different than that book you read really...

If you are interested in Hindu name kirtan though... simple Nama (name) mantras...try Krishna Das...his kirtans (devotional singing) are simple and call and answer format...so easy to learn for a beginner (and there are a few of the mahamantra):

http://www.krishnadas.com
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Hope this helps.

 

As Nicole says, you could just repeat 'Jesus, Jesus'. You could also try the Orthodox 'Jesus Prayer' -'Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on me', which is used in a repeating way much the same as mantra in Hinduism.

Here's a link to a couple of articles by Swami Shivananda, a great self realized guru, on Japa yoga, which is repeating mantra or divine names by yourself, and Kirtana, congregational singing of the same.

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/japayoga.htm

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/sankirtanyoga.htm

The thing is not to worry too much about technical details, but to give the practice a trial.

 

yea , mantra japa is basically what people have said before me. But there are some rules you need to remember as you are doing the japa.
The rules are:
1) Never argue or fight with anyone, show compassion to all around you. And you need to find good company, those who help you develop noble qualities. This way, you will avoid what we call Nama Aparadha in our service. Nama Aparadha means doing injustice to the name of God.
2) Have complete confidence in Jesus and God that they are your saviors and will protect you in any instance. This way, we give God the chance to show special attention to our needs.
3) Never neglect your duties in life... if they be working, studying, being a good friend, always strive to be your best. This way, surrender to doing your daily activities as your loving service to God.

To chant, you can pretty much chant any name of God. It can just be "God, I love you", "God , I love you", "God, I love you" or anything that gives you a deep sense of love toward God.

To be a good hindu, you need to be a good christian first.

 

You can start either with any Christian mantra or Hindu mantra, does not matter. In Mantra chanting, every word of mantra has its own sound vibrational effects. These sound vibrations give us energy. When we chant mantra, just repeating of words is not our objective.
Gurumaa Anandmurti says about mantra chanting:

Here is a link of Eternal and Dynamic chanting using the mantra 'Om Namah Shivay' by Anandmurti Gurumaa, An enlightened woman mystic.

http://www.gurumaa.com/om-namah-shivaya-mantra-meditation.php?genre=2

Love and Peace
Urmila

One glimpse of truth is enough to kick out darkness

 

I KNEW IT!
I KNEW IT!

That crazy Vietnamese preist i met in that shirne this summer was right... he tried to get me to do this ... breathe in "JESUS" exhale "have mercy"

OMG...

OMG...

 

In a way, saying the Rosary is also something quite similar to Japa or mantra meditation.

 

chant and be happy? great book.

there is a little bit of a difference between just repeating any words and using a classic mantra, as these sanskrit mantras have specific vibrations when you speak them that work with different energies and chakras... but if you find something that feels right, whether it's "real" or not, it's probably right for you.

the maha mantra is good. it's a little hard when you have a lisp .
but my favorite that i have found so far is:
om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
(ohm nah-mo bah-gah-vah-tey vah-soo-day-vye-yah)

i like that one for japa (chanting). for bhajan/kirtan (singing), i really love om namah shivaya, the gayatri mantra, and govindam adi purusam. you can find mp3s pretty easily through a google search or limewire or something like that. information about each and lots more is pretty easy to find too, but too complicated for me to explain here... do you know the basics about making japa beads and all of that? i think it explains in the book, right?

if you need more help i am absolutely willing to explain as much as i can, but don't want to drop too much without invitation...

 

You can do Japa silently or mentally - you don't need to actually say the words out loud.

'Chant and be Happy' is only the limited idea of Japa as understood by ISKCON. It's well worth finding out what others have to say about it.

 

Yes.

'God please help with everything' is a good one too.

 

Mantras won't work for everyone.

You kind of have to feel around in the darkness for what gives you a feeling of being centered. Mantras. Songs. Painting, etc.

Artistic people often paint or draw as a devotional path.

It's all meditation. Try things on until something fits.


x

 

wait i am confused paint while in meditation or just plain paint?

 

true.
but when you do say them out loud it creates vibrations that affect your consciousness in certain ways, so you can choose your own method depending on what you're trying to do...

chant and be happy was the first book that a lot of people i've known read that had anything to do with mantras. a lot of people pick it up because they like the beatles and end up reading more from other sources, and it sets them off in that direction...

 

The subtle vibrations are there whether you say it, repeat it silently, or mentally.
Some authorities say that mental repitition is more powerful. I'd tend to agree based on experience, and the fact that mental repitition requires a lot more concentration.

One of the nice things about Japa though is that there are no fixed rules (despite what some may tell you) - it's best to do what works for you.

 

Thing is though that japa can be done anywhere at any time - for either painting or music you need to have the appropriate kit all set up etc.Also, since both are activities commonly practiced for mundane ends with no consciousness of the divine, they don't have the same effect on the being as japa which has no other goal than God.

Another point, although it might seem a bit morbid is that at the time of death you may be stuck in hospital bed somewhere, and you won't have any access to either music or art.

 

Participating in congregational singing sankirtans, bhajans, using mantras is more direct in my experience. It brings us into direct contact with the divine consciousness.

Radharani Ki Jay Maharani Ki Jay
Bolo Radha Govinda Ki Jay Jay Jay

 

Both are good, but different. Kirtana is ok, but of course limited, in that you might not always have a congregation to hand - this is esp. true in western countries where such things are a relative rarity. You could always go the church and sing a few hymns I suppose. At least, on a sunday morning.

The idea is that mantra, or repeating Divine names is to help one remember the Divine at all times, so japa on a personal level is obviously more useful in this respect. As I said in my previous post, it isn't limited, it can be done anywhere, anytime.

There's personal spirituality, and there's organized religion for the masses - both have their place, but the latter is much more reliant on outside factors, and can lead also to a delusion where people think they're getting something spiritual but actually only experiencing a kind of ego satisfation at being part of a 'righteous' group as they see it.

 

Mantras keep ur mind focused. the classic 1 is aum but there r plenty more e.g. ah, e, om shanti, om mane padme hum, hare krishna, oh ram(a), or u can just repeat any word with significant meaning

 

The Christian teacher Joel Goldsmith suggested somply repeating "I... I... I" as a means of self unfoldment.

 

Dear Bhaskar - that's interesting.

In 'The Cloud of Unknowing', a 14thc christian mystical work, it is advised that ' the short prayer penetrates the heart of God'.
The book goes on to say that a word of a single syllable, repeated over and over is the best thing.