One very popular meditation technique is to use the repetition of a MANTRA.
A mantra is a sacred/powerful sound, vibration, syllable, word, or group of words, that is said to have psychological and/or spiritual power.
The word “Mantra” comes from the ancient Sanskrit language and is composed of 2 parts:
“man” – “to think or mind” & “tra” – “tool or instrument”
Therefore, “Mantra” would translate into something along the lines of “tool to think” or “instrument of the mind”. And so, in meditation a mantra is a tool or instrument used to help someone enter a deep meditative state.
The earliest known mantras come from ancient India, during the Vedic times, and one of the most common sacred sounds or mantras is that of “OM/AUM“. Therefore, mantras are often most associated with Hinduism, however, they are now wide-spread and used in Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, & even Islam; since you really can turn any word or phrase into a mantra. For example: repeating the word(s) “Adoni; Allah, Christ; Jesus; or even a phrase such as, ‘Thy Will Be Done’, can become a mantra.
But, we don’t need to be spiritual to use a mantra when we meditate. In fact, our mantra can be the word, LOVE; PEACE; SERENITY; HAPPINESS; etc…
So, How Do You Use A Mantra:
Whether you are given a mantra by a teacher, or you choose one for our self, the way you use it during meditation is simple: you just silently repeat it to yourself.
You are not speaking or saying the mantra; what you are doing is more along the lines of thinking it to yourself over & over again. The mantra is the “tool” you are using to focus the mind upon. And whenever you realize that your thoughts have wandered off the mantra, you just simply refocus, and return back to concentrating on your mantra.
Now, some people find it helpful to time the mantra with the breath. In this manner, you would say the mantra on every inhalation/exhalation. Or if it’s a phrase, you might break the mantra up for the inhalation/exhalation.
For example: Let’s say your mantra is “Be Still; Know Peace”. You would silently repeat/think to yourself – ‘Be Still’, on the inhalation; and then silently repeat/think to yourself – ‘Know Peace’, on the exhalation.
But, it is not necessary to synchronize the mantra with the breathing at all. If it feels more natural just to let the words/syllables come as they will, then please do so. For Example: a very common & simple mantra that is often timed with the breath is “So-Hum”. So, once you get comfortable, with your eyes closed, inhale and think the word “so“; on the exhale, think the word “hum.” Gradually both the breath and the sound will become quieter and quieter, and the breath becomes so quiet that it almost seems to stop. Now the breath, body, & mind are intimately connected and so by quieting your breath, you quiet your mind. Eventually you will come to a point where you transcend normal thinking. At this point, the mantra “so-hum” disappears. Time itself seems to come to a stop & you are in the space between thoughts. This is what many philosophies call “samadhi” or what meditation teacher, Deepak Chopra, calls the “field of pure consciousness”. There is no telling when this will happen and you can’t make yourself get there. It happens on it’s own. The only way you will know that you were in Samadhi is it feels that time has flew by & you don’t know where the time went. So, you may have set a timer for 20 minutes start you meditation & then “snap” timer goes off – and the 20 minutes has past – yet it felt like only 2 minutes for you. If this occurs then you can know that you were either in or entering into Samadhi.
[As a side note: Although I said mantras are silently repeated to yourself, mantras can also be spoken out loud, vocalized, or chanted! When practiced this way, one is using the sound vibration (vibrational frequency) of the mantra to attune one’s self to the energy of words. ]
Why Do We Repeat A Mantra?
We are using the mantra to give the mind something to focus on. The mantra is being used as our point of concentration for the mind. It is no different than keeping our attention & awareness on the breath in a mindfulness meditation. And so, whenever thoughts arise we just repeat the mantra as a way to keep the mind focused.
We are also silently repeating the mantra as a way to enter the silence or stillness of the mind. The repetition of a mantra helps the mind to disconnect from thoughts, transcend thought, and experience altered states of consciousness & new levels of awareness. As you are drawn away from superficial thoughts, the mantra draws you deeper & deeper into yourself, helping you to connect with & experience the quiet, patience, peace, bliss, happiness, etc… that is within us all.
Good luck with your practice. Remember that all it takes to be a good meditator is – practice, practice, practice!
May your days always be filled with love, happiness, & peace,
~ Anthony Profeta
CLICK HERE to learn about some specific mantras
or
CLICK HERE to learn about using a Mala during your mantra meditation
