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Bill
USA
46 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 9:11:24 PM
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I have a question for anyone who cares to reply. I am helping my brother start and continue on his way with ayp. I found out he was linking the rhythm of the mantra with that of the breath. I suggested he disassociate the two, and suggested making the mantra long over a couple of breaths to break the habit of I on the inhale and am on the exhale. I think his breathing became habitually shallow over time and not deep and drawn out. Hence my suggestion.
My question is do you in your own practice have longer or shorter repetitions of the mantra compared to the breath?
I also suggested he could play with it. For example I might produce/hear both parts of the mantra simultaneously continuing for a few minutes. Or hear it vibrating strongly. Or one syllable going on for a few breaths. Or let it go into silence and listening. Are these things also your experience or are they off the mark. In a sense I do those things because they have "happened" in the fuzzy stage of letting go of the mantra. |
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Bill
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2008 : 10:32:24 PM
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| I notice the topic distracted by breath and that has been helpful. |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2008 : 10:32:34 AM
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Hi Bill:
Keep in mind that the mantra is not the mantra when deliberately coupled with breath or set rhythm of repetition. Meaning, we favor the mantra, and not any external criterion or pattern of repeating it. Whenever we notice such a coupling, we can just easily come back to the faint feeling of the mantra. Then it will move and refine as it is inclined to according to the purification and opening that is occurring in our nervous system.
This is not to say we won't experience mantra following breathing, a particular rhythm, or thoughts at times. It will happen. It is normal. But we do not make that our deliberate or fixed procedure of meditation. While thinking the mantra may seem to be connected to thought patterns or external phenomena at times, this is not what we favor. We favor the non-specific in picking up the mantra by itself. Then it will go to transcendence/inner silence quite naturally, again and again.
For those who have a habit of coupling the mantra with breath, set rhythm of repetition, specific pronunciation, or other phenomena, it may take some time to reprogram. That is only a matter of favoring the procedure of meditation consistently in our sittings over time. That is easily favoring the mantra (without the baggage) whenever we realize we are not.
In time, our habit will be moving more and more toward knowing inner silence to be ourselves, and easily resided in that, whether eyes are closed in deep meditation, or open in going about our daily activities. Then all sorts of doors will be opening. 
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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Bill
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2008 : 1:50:46 PM
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Thank you Yogani.
What I thought was of use for my brother will help me as well. Refinement Refinement. |
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Mantra and Breath
