Mantra Meditation

How to Perform Mantra Meditation

“Mantra Meditation” consists of two parts: mantra and meditation itself. Mantra means pure God’s consciousness and meditation means giving due respect to the God. The technique taught here is that of the Vaishnava tradition of Bengal, India.

Steps

1. Take good rest before sleep. This is needed for sound sleep and to wake up fresh.


2. Don’t sleep too much or too little. Only the person who always go to sleep with sunset and get up with the sunrise are able to perform meditation. Ideally sleep must become meditation but never opposite.


3. Get up in brahma-muhurta. This period starts before sunrise. This is time of predominant sattva (goodness) which is roughly from 2am to 6 am. This helps to go even further and touch with transcendental world full of bliss, knowledge and eternity, which, is still not formless.


4. Set God (Krishna) as your object of meditation. Our eternal position is a servant of God. Thus meditation 24 hours a day is best. If person meets death in meditation he has more chances to get out of circle of birth and death. Still, even if one is doing meditation nonstop, but knots within his heart are still not eliminated, he is probable to fall down and get low birth like animal in next life. Thus one must be very cencere and serious. God is your best friend and well-wisher.


5. Take bath in holy river. If you live in city without holy river, go outside to closest water-source for pure water. Never use water from water tap as it brings dangerous karma related with animal-slaughtering so risk to become a stone in next life.


6. Go to the holy place of God and Saints past times. If you live in place which is not figuring in list of Holy places, go to the best temple around. Alternatively you must have God’s room with altar at home and do your mantra meditation only there - it helps in concentrantion on eternal purpose on precious human life. Never chant mantra in bedroom or at least make wet wash in bedroom after sleep.


7. Be ready to do yama/niyama/hatha-yoga/pranayama/pratyahara. You must follow non-violence, perfect behaviour, keep your body flexible, have a clear breathing and control your body from wanting to do something different from meditation. Only then you concentrate and meditate - dharana and dyana stages. Result would be samadhi - coming back home to Godhead in spiritual world.


8. Utilize music instruments and singing. Senses are always distructed from service to God. Thus the only way is to utilize them all in service - nice dress, nice music, nice songs. God is not satisfied if you are afraid of His power - He is your best friend and well-wisher. ma sucah - don’t be afraid. yoga-kṣemaḿ vahāmy aham - God would preserve whatever you have and would give whatever you lack. Still, if you don’t have all these, you can simply chant or sing the mantras even if you don’t have anything. But slowly God would support. śaśvac-chāntiḿ nigacchati - You would attain supreme happiness without doubt!


9. Use clean chanting beads (a.k.a., japa-mala). In Bengali Vaishnavism, Tulsi (a.k.a., Tulasi) beads are preferable, due to their connection with Krishna. If these are not preferred, other beads, such as Buddhist beads, Rosaries, Rudraaksha beads, or even the crease-lines and finger tips of your hands (counting them with the tips of your thumbs, you can chant 16 mantras on one hand, and count sets of 16 by engaging the other hand) can be used. If you wish to make your own beads, the traditional method is to use 109 beads, including one larger bead (the head bead, which marks the ’rounds’ or full sets). Further, it is good to make a knot between each bead to hold them in place, so that if a bead breaks off, it will be detected as missing. The head bead lets you know how many mantras you have chanted. Bengali Vaishnavas generally chant between 16 and 64 rounds a day. This can take from 1 1/2 hours to 8 hours! But whatever your level, try to keep to a minimum, even if it is only one or two rounds a day. You can always increase later as you feel necessary or ready.


10. Count from the first bead 108 mantras. Listen attentively. A.C. Bhaktivedanta, one of the world’s leading exponents of mantra meditation, says, “chanting is thinking”. Hearing the sound with submissive aural reception will produce the desired effect.


11. Gently bring your mind back to the sound of the mantra.. Do not be surprised or discouraged if your mind wanders. Training the mind is hard work, but will deliver palpable results if you possess determination, enthusiasm, and patience.


12. Have a wonderful day. Performing this early meditation helps set one’s mind and focus, and can enable one to achieve more in six hours than most people achieve in twelve hours.


13. Repeat. The very best meditators are steady in their practice, and do it every day without exception. Consider yourself in training for the mental olympics. If you manage to do this every day for three months, you will already be on the track to a steady, focused life of increased possibilities.


14. Seek out peers and mentors in the process. Regular mantra meditation becomes much easier when you are engaging in the process in a socially reinforced environment.