#yoga mantra

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Richard Hittleman - Guide To Yoga Meditation - Bantam - 1969

[krishnaart]

“Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the Holy name of Krishna, which is feared by fear personified.”~Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.14

[thevachak]

This is from Sanyasa Suktam, The Vedas

[lazyyogi]

What is the purpose of mantras in your practice?

A mantra is made from seed sounds. Each seed embodies a fundamental aspect of reality--not represents but embodies. Think of this as if universal dharma were to be filtered through synesthesia and then expressed as the vibrations that most of us then perceive as sounds.

We truly have no idea how far back the human use of mantras goes. I suspect it is tied into the origins of language.

There are a number of ways in which mantras can be used and I have benefited from several techniques, both tantric and non-tantric. It is worth noting that the use of mantra is a key defining feature of tantra.

Japa Dharana

Focusing on a mantra was the first form of meditation I ever practiced. It was also the first form of meditation that caused unexpected and permanent shifts in me.

Japa means repetition/utterance and dharana means concentration. Therefore japa dharana means focus or concentration on a repeated mantra.

All forms of meditation have dharana, in other words focus or attention. Some forms of meditation have you focus on a mantra, other forms have you focus on the breath.

This is a good way to learn how to overcome the momentum of the mind's continual chattering, reacting, daydreaming, etc. It would be difficult to just sit down and focus on silent awareness, especially if you've never consciously experienced silent awareness. As such, using a point of focus provides a support for your meditation.

I will often recommend this practice to beginners but it can benefit practitioners at all stages of their path.

Deity Yoga

Now we enter the realm of tantra. For japa dharana, you can use any mantra that you find appealing. The technique is that the mantra is a support for the focus of your attention. With tantric forms of practice, however, the various mantras will have specific purposes or layers of effects.

When it comes to deity yoga, the mantra is the deity. Everything that comprises the deity is embedded in the mantra and the mantra itself can embed the deity--whether that means embedding in your heart or in a statue of the deity or in an offering.

Deity yoga is often credited as an exclusively tantric practice but you will find examples of it within bhakti (devotional) based spiritual traditions as well.

The purpose of deity yoga is manifold. For bhakti yoga, it means to lose yourself in a form of the divine and therefore find yourself as divinity. For tantra, it means to become the deity in order to receive its wisdom.

For example, maybe we aren't the most compassionate person. Maybe we find compassion very difficult to feel or understand. But Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva of compassion is the living personification of compassion itself.

Therefore we can undertake a deity yoga practice in which we dissolve and arise as Avalokiteshvara. Then as Avalokiteshvara, we do compassion meditation practices. At the end of the practice, Avalokiteshvara dissolves back into our mindstream and we return to our human form.

While this practice utilizes visualization, it is the use of Avalokiteshvara's mantra that facilitates connection with his blessings, or influence.

In most ways that it is taught within Buddhist Tantra, deity yoga emphasizes that the deities do not exist outside of our own mindstream. The deities are archetypal facets of enlightened wisdom and/or activity. This is why the practice works at all: it helps you to discover, cultivate, and integrate those enlightened aspects.

Guru Yoga

Similar to deity yoga except with enlightened humans, either living or dead. Use of a guru's mantra along with visualizations can be applied to receive the blessings and teachings of a guru, or to meditate in their presence.

Sacred Formulae

As I mentioned from the beginning, a mantra is made from seed sounds with varying qualities. These can be used alone or combined in endless ways to create mantric formulae.

Such mantras are then used in practices and rituals. For example, nyasa is a tantric practice in which parts of the body are blessed and divinized by means of mantra. It is a ritual of placing/awakening divinity within the body.

Mantras are used in homa fire offering ceremonies, initiations, or magic rituals.

There are examples of things similar to mantras in other religions and cultures around the world, of course. But since the word "mantra" is a sanskrit word, I am speaking to my understanding and practical experience with mantras in the context of sanatana dharma and buddhist tantra.

Hope this wasn't too long/tedious! 😅

LY

[rrcraft-and-lore]

Sōham - Sanskrit.

But what is it?

Well, "I am--," used in mantra/breathwork meditation to a chant that is commonly: "I am that I am," and or, "I am one with the Universe and all of creation."

Sound familiar?

It is identifying oneself as part of the fabric of reality creation.

It can also be interpreted as, "I am the absolute," or, "I am the great truth."

Depends on context/modification.

[yogadaily]

(via Surya Namaskar Mantra: A Guide to How and Why to Chant - YOGA PRACTICE  || Curated with love by yogadaily) 

[buddhiyoga108xvx]

The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is 3.27

[mahayanapilgrim]

How Are Mandalas Used in Tantric Buddhism?

In Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism, a mandala represents a sacred space and a visualization tool for meditation. The word "mandala" comes from the Sanskrit word for "circle", and it refers to a circular diagram that represents the universe or a particular deity.

A mandala typically consists of a central deity or symbol surrounded by other deities, symbols, and geometric shapes arranged in a circular pattern. The deities and symbols represent different aspects of the enlightened mind, and the overall pattern represents the interconnectedness of all phenomena.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, the mandala is used as a meditation aid to help the practitioner focus their mind and visualize the enlightened state. By meditating on the mandala, the practitioner can gradually transform their perception of the world and develop a deeper understanding of the nature of reality.

Mandalas are also used in ritual practices, where they serve as a representation of the enlightened realm and as a means of offering prayers and making offerings to the deities. Mandalas may be constructed using materials such as sand, colored grains, or even precious stones, and are often created and then destroyed as part of the ritual practice, symbolizing the impermanence of all phenomena.

Overall, the mandala represents a powerful tool for spiritual transformation and realization in Vajrayana Buddhism.

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

Tremendous spiritual growth happens if you Listen to Mahavatara Babaji G...

Even in the world, the yogi who faithfully discharges his responsibility, without personal motive or attachment, treads the sure path of enlightenment - Mahavatar Babaji

[sidewalkchemistry]

from the Sidewalk Chemistry "Morning Meditation Mantra" Phone Wallpaper series: may all beings be happy and free

please like/reblog if you save or use this wallpaper

[yoga-retreat-in-nepal]

Mantra: leading to self realization by controlling the mind

Mantra is cosmic sound, which was discovered by yogis in higher states of meditation where they explored the different layers of the mind to discover the source of existence. Normally, it is difficult to go beyond the physical level in meditation. With some effort one can contain the agitation of the vrittis, waves of the mind, and go up to the mental and intellectual levels. However, very few…

[compassionmattersmost]

Introduction to Mantra Yoga: The Path of Sacred Sound and Spiritual Resonance

Mantra Yoga is the yoga of sacred sound, a profound spiritual practice that involves the repetition of mantras—sacred syllables, words, or phrases—designed to elevate consciousness, focus the mind, and connect with the divine. This path taps into the vibrational power of sound to create harmony within the practitioner and with the universe, aligning the mind, body, and spirit through the…

[krishnaart]

☀ SHRI KRISHNA ॐ

[thevachak]

Maulungaputta

Once a great philosopher came to Buddha. His name was Maulungaputta. He was a well known philosopher. He had brought a mass of questions. Buddha listened to his questions and said, ”Maulungaputta, do you really want the answer? If you really want it, can you pay the price?”

Maulungaputta said, ”The end of my life is coming near. My whole life I have been asking these questions. I received many answers but no answer has proved to be an answer. From every answer new questions have arisen. The solution was not in any answer. What price do you ask? I am ready to pay the full price. I want only to solve these questions. I want to leave this earth with these questions solved.”

Then Buddha said, ”Good. People also ask questions but are not ready to pay the price. This is why I asked you. Sit in silence for two years, this is the price. Sit near me in silence for two years without saying anything. When two years have passed, I myself will tell you, ’Maulungaputta, now ask your questions.’ Then you can ask what you need to ask. And I promise that I will answer everything, I will dispel all doubts. But two years completely still and silent. Don’t bring it up for two years.”

Maulungaputta was thinking whether to say yes or no. Two years is a long time and who knows if this man can be trusted, will he answer even after two years or not? He asked, ”Do you give full assurance that you will answer after two years.

Buddha said, ”I give complete assurance, if you ask I will answer. But if you do not ask, who will I answer?”

At that time there was a disciple, a bhikshu, sitting in meditation under a tree nearby. He began laughing uproariously.

Maulungaputta asked, ”Why is this bhikshu laughing?”

Buddha said, ”You ask him.”

The bikshu said, ”If you want to ask then ask now. I was deceived in the same way. He made a fool of me too. But he is telling the truth that if you ask after two years he will answer, but who asks after two years? I have sat silently for two years. Now he goes on prodding me, saying ask brother. But after two years of remaining silent nothing remains to be asked, the answer is received. If you want to ask, ask now, otherwise after two years nothing will be left to ask.”

And this is exactly what happened, Maulungaputta stayed two years. When two years were over, Buddha did not forget, he remembered the exact date. Maulungaputta had forgotten when two years would be over because one whose thoughts have become slowly slowly quiet loses awareness of time. How to keep track of time, what day it is, what year it is! All was gone, all had flowed away. And what was the need? He would sit every day with the Buddha so Friday or Saturday, Sunday or Monday all were the same. June or July, hot or cold all were the same. Inside him there was only one vibe – of peace, of silence.

Two years were over. Buddha said, ”Maulungaputta, stand up.”

Maulungaputta stood up. Buddha said, ”Now you can ask, because I don’t go back on my promise. Do you have something to ask?”

Maulungaputta started laughing and said, ”That bikshu was right. Now I have nothing to ask. The answer has come. Through your grace the answer has come.”

The answer has not been given but it is received. The answer does not come from outside, the answer comes from within. Think of it like digging a well. First rocks and gravel are removed, rubbish is removed, dry earth is removed then wet earth, then mud, then flowing water… The flowing water has been suppressed. The layers and layers of your questions have collected, the flowing stream is repressed beneath all this. Dig, push these questions aside. And there is only one way to push them aside: as a witness alertly watch this stream of questions. Just go on watching this stream, don’t do anything. Sit every day an hour or two, let the stream flow. Don’t be in a hurry to stop it today. This is why Buddha said two years. After some three months the first rustling of stillness begins. And as two years are over the experience ripens. Only if one has enough patience to sit two hours everyday, not doing anything…

The whole art is hidden in this not doing anything.

[lightseeker09]

OM 🔮 is the musical frequency of the universe - 432htz - This Sound causes an increase in dynamism in the body and mind.

Om est le son relié à la fréquence musicale de l’univers - 432 htz.Réciter ce son permets d’augmenter notre vibration et améliore notre dynamisme sur le plan physique et de l’esprit.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕮𝖑𝖆𝖜𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 A poem about Lord Narasimha

In Indian mythology, as in Western mythology, the lion is the king of beasts. The lion is brave, majestic, the king and can achieve a lot. It's not for nothing that many people in India are called "Singh". "Singh" comes from "Simha", lion. The Sikhs call themselves a lion, which is nothing other than Simha in the Panjabi language.

In the following poem ‘Claws of Justice’, I have humbly tried to narrate the story of Lord Narasimha, the fourth incarnation or lion avatar of Vishnu and his fight against the Demon King Hiranyakashipu.👹

You can find the musical interpretation of the following poem in my Soundcloud 🎹.

CLAWS OF JUSTICE 🦁

"In the stillness of space, where whispers float, Hiranyakashipu, with power he couldn’t contain, the boon wrapped him tight, but he missed the note, Prahlada’s faith was fire, untouched by disdain.

He sought to silence a son, with truth in his veins, but silence speaks loud when the soul remains pure. In the pillars of pride, the essence sustains, the unseen God, where certainty is unsure.

Boons can twist minds, make the mighty blind, he challenged the divine, yet missed its form, Vishnu’s in the pillars, in the voids that bind, between day and night, the calm before the storm.

At twilight’s edge, where reality fades thin, no man, no beast, no time could resist, Narasimha emerged from where worlds begin, neither earth nor sky, just a primal twist.

Claws of justice, no weapon can match, power’s illusion crumbles where truth is born, pride meets its end, in the cosmic latch, in the heart of the dusk, the veil is torn.

From darkness he came, not bound by time, neither man nor lion, but something more, in the place between, where gods and demons rhyme, Narasimha’s roar settled the cosmic score.

No blade, no spell, just the essence of fate, Hiranyakashipu, crushed in the grasp of dawn, in the threshold of night, where the hours wait, the eternal truth, in the twilight drawn.

In the roar of Narasimha, all illusions cease, the king of pride met the end he couldn’t see, where light and dark find their final peace, faith remains, unbroken and free.

Ugram viram maha-vishnum jvalantam sarvato mukham - nrisimham bhishanam bhadram mrityur mrityum namamy aham."🙏🦁📿