***Two Talks on JAPA,MANTRA, MEDITATION -Part 1by Swami Dayananda Saraswati

While many varieties of mantra meditation, japa, are currently being taught in the West, such techniques have been commonly practiced in India for thousands of years. These two talks on japa given to the students attending a three year resident course at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam are a complete introduction to the subject of japa as mantra meditation. In this short format, Swami Dayananda, Hindu monk and scholar, addresses the following questions.

· What is japa and what are its benefits?
· How does japa work?
· Can any word of chant be used as mantra?
· Why is japa more than a technique?
· What is " monkey thinking "?
· How can japa be used as prayer?
· What is the nature of thought and silence?

JAPA

Talk 1 Japa is the repetition of a word or short sentence during the practice of meditation. The letter pa stands for that which removes or destroys all impurities and obstructions and the letter ja stands for that which puts an end to the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, japa is an indirect means for liberation, moksa. By destroying the varieties of obstructions to knowledge, japa paves the way for liberation. japa , then, is more than a mere discipline or technique.
These two talks will give you an understanding of the nature and logic of japa and how it works. With this understanding you will be able to do japa with conviction and handle it properly.

THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THOUGHTS
At any given time, you have only one thought and what your next thought will be is anyone's guess. But when the next thought does occur, it will have done so because of some logic. There is no thought without a certain connection to the preceding thought. This connection may be flimsy or it may be very clear and logical. But the thought itself is never predictable.
Even now, I cannot predict what I am going to say. I simply said I would talk on japa, and I started. Even the words I am saying right now were not known to me. What is going to come is unpredictable, but when it does come, it has a logic, a reason.

" BMW THINKING "
Suppose you see a BMW on the road and it draws your attention.What will your next thought be? " How can he afford it? " and then :
" A person I work with just bought a new BMW. How can he afford such an expensive car? Last year he did not even have a job. His wife must have a lot of money. I wish my wife had a rich family. When I got married I did not think about money or my future. "
All these thoughts started from seeing a BMW and they follow a certain logic. This particular sequence is only one line of thinking. Let us look at another one :
" The German people are quite industrious. Even though their country was devastated during World War II, their economy rebounded quickly. They produce the best scientific equipment in the world.!
Where did we start? From BMW. What will come after BMW is anyone's guess. Even in deliberate thinking you do not know what is coming next because thinking is always linear, one step at a time, one thought at a time. The connection between the thoughts can either be a logical, syntactical connection within a sentence or a simple association. But there will always be a connection, be it weak or strong.
In " BMW thinking, " the connection between thoughts is not a deliberate one. Therefore, the next thought can be anything. The sky is the limit. " The BMW emblem is different. It is not like the Mercedes insignia. " The Mercedes insignia makes you think of a star and then your next thought may be, " My astrological sign is not favorable. " This movement from one thought to the next is listless thinking, a meandering of thoughts in which there is no direction

PART -2 WILL CONTINUE -Mostly posted during week ends