Meditation- The Power of Japa Meditation
The Japa meditation is a form of mind control that is known to work better than any other form of meditation.
By focusing on a single chain of thought, it teaches the wandering mind to concentrate more efficiently by brushing aside other distracting thoughts.
Japa meditation involves the chanting of a mantra and getting the mind to focus on that one thought, and that one thought alone.
This is the reason why a mind trained in Japa can reach the goals of meditation rather quickly.
So what is a mantra? A mantra is a specific combination of a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically in Sanskrit.
Each of these letters represents a sound or vibration which is said to affect the mind.
Other sources say that the mantra need not be Sanskrit letters.
They can just be ordinary sounds or words that you chant or say during your meditation.
However the usual mantra sounds used in Japa meditation are those words taken from the Sanskrit letters.
Why use a mantra? Mantra sounds are said to open one's heart and mind and are believed to be responsible in freeing the mind from its current thoughts and raising it to a higher state of awareness.
How to go about doing the Japa meditation: Select a comfortable spot for meditation; sit cross-legged on a plain mat; hold a chain of 108 beads (rosary); chant a mantra all the while concentrating and focusing on it.
The use of the beads or Japa mala is quite similar to the use of the rosary.
The mala has 108 beads, one each for the number of times the mantra has been chanted.
The additional bead which is bigger than the others is called a meru.
The fingers are not supposed to cross the meru after all the 108 mantras have been chanted; instead the chanting sequence using the beads can be reversed in the hand by going through the beads in the opposite direction.
The index finger, considered physically negative, is never used.
The correct way to hold the chanting beads is between the thumb and the third finger and the beads should not fall below the navel area.
When not in use, the chanting beads should be kept wrapped in a clean cloth.
While Japa meditation is much quicker and once can reach a state of higher awareness faster there are two things one should keep in mind while practicing this form of meditation; Reciting mantras can get monotonous over a period of time.
Thus care should be taken to infuse a little variety in the chanting sequence.
One can experiment with a change in tone and volume.
Second: Because Japa meditation is an activity that can test one's mental endurance, the only way one can succeed is if there is total commitment.
By focusing on a single chain of thought, it teaches the wandering mind to concentrate more efficiently by brushing aside other distracting thoughts.
Japa meditation involves the chanting of a mantra and getting the mind to focus on that one thought, and that one thought alone.
This is the reason why a mind trained in Japa can reach the goals of meditation rather quickly.
So what is a mantra? A mantra is a specific combination of a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically in Sanskrit.
Each of these letters represents a sound or vibration which is said to affect the mind.
Other sources say that the mantra need not be Sanskrit letters.
They can just be ordinary sounds or words that you chant or say during your meditation.
However the usual mantra sounds used in Japa meditation are those words taken from the Sanskrit letters.
Why use a mantra? Mantra sounds are said to open one's heart and mind and are believed to be responsible in freeing the mind from its current thoughts and raising it to a higher state of awareness.
How to go about doing the Japa meditation: Select a comfortable spot for meditation; sit cross-legged on a plain mat; hold a chain of 108 beads (rosary); chant a mantra all the while concentrating and focusing on it.
The use of the beads or Japa mala is quite similar to the use of the rosary.
The mala has 108 beads, one each for the number of times the mantra has been chanted.
The additional bead which is bigger than the others is called a meru.
The fingers are not supposed to cross the meru after all the 108 mantras have been chanted; instead the chanting sequence using the beads can be reversed in the hand by going through the beads in the opposite direction.
The index finger, considered physically negative, is never used.
The correct way to hold the chanting beads is between the thumb and the third finger and the beads should not fall below the navel area.
When not in use, the chanting beads should be kept wrapped in a clean cloth.
While Japa meditation is much quicker and once can reach a state of higher awareness faster there are two things one should keep in mind while practicing this form of meditation; Reciting mantras can get monotonous over a period of time.
Thus care should be taken to infuse a little variety in the chanting sequence.
One can experiment with a change in tone and volume.
Second: Because Japa meditation is an activity that can test one's mental endurance, the only way one can succeed is if there is total commitment.