Meditation, Music and Social Vision
by Dada Vedaprajinananda
Many people try for years to lose weight or to make other positive changes in their lives, but never succeed. There is plenty of information on the subject of weight loss in particular and self-improvement in general, but it is the implementation of the good advice that is the stumbling block to most people.I am convinced that the place to start when you want to lose weight is in your mind. Continue reading
by Dada Vedaprajinananda
The practice of yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years, but I am sure that there are many people who are still asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” So, if you have been wondering whether it would be worth your time to start practicing yoga and meditation, I would like to give you five good reasons why it would be a very worthwhile activity for you. Continue reading
Many people like to go on long trips to holy sites to try to “find God” but according to yoga this is not necessary. You don’t have to travel anywhere, at least in an outward direction. You have to travel inside and you will find what you are looking for.
This is how my spiritual teacher, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, describes it:
“The Supreme Consciousness is there in you as the oil is in the oilseed. Crush the seed through spiritual practice (sádhaná) and you attain Him; separate the mind from Consciousness and you will see that the resplendence of the Supreme Consciousness illuminates your whole inner being. He is there like butter in curd; churn it and He will appear from within. Churn your mind through spiritual practice and God will appear like butter from curd. He is like a subterranean river in you. Remove the sands of mind and you will find the clear, cool waters within.”
(Subháśita Saḿgraha IV, 126)
If you are interested in this spiritual approach to yoga, then vist the meditation website of Ananda Marga
The mystic poet Rabindranath Tagore said this many years ago, and it is very true. Music plays an important part in all spiritual traditions. In yoga, the chanting of mantras is called “kiirtan” (commonly spelled “kirtan”). And it is the best way to prepare your mind for meditation.
So, if you have been having trouble doing silent meditation. Why don’t you sing before you meditate. Don ‘t worry if you have a good voice or a bad voice. It doesn’t matter. This is something from your heart. Try it with the mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”
Here is a video, with beautiful images and the mantra. Why don’t you watch the video, sing along and then do meditation. Try it you will like it!
One of my students told me that he had finally been able to stop smoking. I asked him which technique had helped him get the victory in this long and dfficult struggle. He explained that it was the practice of the “guru mantra.”
What’s that? You may ask: basically it is a technique where, before each action that you do, you repeat a mantra that reminds you that all things are made out of Cosmic Consciousness. The philosophy of yoga holds that all the matter of this universe is just a transformed form of Cosmic Consciousness.That is, at their root, material things are actually spiritual!
The student who quit smoking explained that when he thought about this mantra, and its deep meaning just before lighting a cigarette, then it no longer seemed right to go ahead and smoke the cigarette.
The mantra that he used is part of the second lesson in a system of six lessons that I, and other Ananda Marga teachers, teach personally to students. In my ebook “Start Meditation, Stop Smoking I offer a more simple mantra and I believe that if someone uses this mantra before smoking then it can also have the same effect in helping someone stop smoking.
I asked my student whether he thought the simple mantra, Baba Nam Kevalam –Love is all there is, would have the same effect. He said, “if people repeat it like it is just some magic words, then it won’t work, but if they can understand the deep meaning of it, and feel it, then it could be effective.”
And to understand the significance of the mantra, and the deep underlying philosophy behind it, the best way is to start meditating and to begin realizing that behind the seeming diversity of this physical world, there is one underlying Cosmic Consciousness (God).
Try it out, start meditating today, it will not only help you to stop smoking but it will help you to find true bliss.
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