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Thread: Bhakti in Advaita

  1. #21
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    Re: Bhakti in Advaita

    Hello, today while chanting my round of japa I've experienced something I didn't before.
    While focusing in the chanting, my mind became still, thoughtless.
    I've prolonged the silence lapse between one repetition and the next to focus on this state of mind.
    It feels very strange because I have a very restless mind.
    In fact when I was kid I had learning problems in school due to atention deficit hyperactive disorder.
    I'm doin japa just for devotion and to reach the grace of Ishvara.
    Is this stillness of mind also a result of this japa practice?
    Is japa not just devotion but also a kind of meditation?

  2. #22

    Re: Bhakti in Advaita

    Quote Originally Posted by ale84 View Post
    Hello, today while chanting my round of japa I've experienced something I didn't before.
    While focusing in the chanting, my mind became still, thoughtless.
    I've prolonged the silence lapse between one repetition and the next to focus on this state of mind.
    It feels very strange because I have a very restless mind.
    In fact when I was kid I had learning problems in school due to atention deficit hyperactive disorder.
    I'm doin japa just for devotion and to reach the grace of Ishvara.
    Is this stillness of mind also a result of this japa practice?
    Is japa not just devotion but also a kind of meditation?
    Oh yes, most definitely the mind is eased into stillness.....that is certainly my experience. The mantra purifies one's energy field and the mind finds quietude. What more could we ask for?!

    By the way - the simple "OM" / "AUM" mantra is the one I find maximizes the stilling of the mind.
    I like to start my "OM" mantra with a few moments concentrating on the one thought, "I am the infinite silence...." After 108 "OM"s the wordless reality prior to thought is self-evident.

  3. #23

    Re: Bhakti in Advaita

    Dear Ale84,



    Japa, Pranayama, Prayer etc are methods to still the mind.
    Its possible to make the mind very calm and single pointed with some simple practices.

    Japa is a very powerful tool. Sri Krishna himself mentions that he is japa amongst spiritual practices. Its such a wonderful technique. With the aid of proper understanding it can lead to liberation.

    We should understand however that the aim of vedanta is not to calm the mind... it is to understand that i am not the mind ! This is a reverse approach ... one approach is to calm the mind and hold it like that. Another approach is to eliminate the reason for agitation so that it automatically remains calm.

    Love!
    Silence
    Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep

  4. #24
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    Re: Bhakti in Advaita

    Quote Originally Posted by ale84 View Post
    Hello, today while chanting my round of japa I've experienced something I didn't before.
    While focusing in the chanting, my mind became still, thoughtless.
    I've prolonged the silence lapse between one repetition and the next to focus on this state of mind.
    It feels very strange because I have a very restless mind.
    In fact when I was kid I had learning problems in school due to atention deficit hyperactive disorder.
    I'm doin japa just for devotion and to reach the grace of Ishvara.
    Is this stillness of mind also a result of this japa practice?
    Is japa not just devotion but also a kind of meditation?
    Namaste ale84,

    I too have this experience during japa. It is good, just you mind is not habituated with this peaceful state. It will not make you mentally weak. you will feel fresh. Do not worry. The silence is very good. It shows you are moving in right direction.

    Even I was never good in academics. this concentration is different from the concentration that we get in japa. The difference is
    • We chant name of God, which his not jaDa tatva, but the supreme power
    • In japa, mind calms down and focuses on only one thought - name of ISvara, all else fade away.
    • Mind turns introvert.
    Mind is not trained to think and remain extrovert. It has habit to remain active and be in tune with gross worldly objects. In japa, you make a 'U' turn and turn it introvert and focus on ISvara, which is subtler than the mind itself. This state of mind in which there are no or few thoughts is rare to attain. So you are fortunate

    The concentration is absence of worldly thoughts (not literally). Thoughts on God like recalling his lila, or stotras are also directed towards God. This stuti, removes all the worldly thoughts. Now mind only thinks of God. concentration becomes natural when we have a longing for God or we have bhAva (spiritual emotion) towards God.

    Be it any person of any level of concentration, when one is fully engrossed in a climax scene in a movie or TV serial, then that person is not aware of anything that is going outside, near him and he is not even aware of his own body. Even if body is in uncomfortable position i.e. you are sitting in awkward posture, still you do not feel any pain, until the climax is over and you are again conscious of your surroundings and your own body.

    This happens to all. What matters is our interest, our commitment, longing for God and bhAva, spiritual emotions. We get this bhAva from reading stuti-s, glories of Gods, sahasranama chanting, listening to puranas and stories related to the form of God we are worshiping, etc. Longing comes when worldly desires are very few, even though this state may be temperary, still you will feel longing for short period of time.

    Based on this factors and our will to have his divine vision are key to natural concentration. If mind gives more importance to God, then it will think of God, if it gives imp to world, gods name fades away and one is deeply involved in worldly issues.

    Are you getting me?

    Is this stillness of mind also a result of this japa practice?

    Yes
    Is japa not just devotion but also a kind of meditation?

    it is a kind of meditation, as you are awar eof silence

    mantra, silence, mantra, silence, .... so there is constant awareness of the whole process. Then, as per my experience, mind sinks into the source of mantra. This is when the real peace and bliss are experienced. When mind is fully concentrated in mantra, then too bliss and joy are experienced.

    If mantra continues on itself, try to be aware of mantra and then do to the source. Se what happens. Dont worry ,nothing is going to happen to you.

    Hari OM
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

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