The difference between Prayer and Mantra
Firstly we need to understand that there is a difference between prayer (including prayers that use mantras) and mantras used as part of mantra yoga.
In true prayer we aim to commune with God, or the Universe, or our understanding of the highest reality. If we can do this in any language or through any means then we are truly blessed. We have a sense of deep connection to something that gives our life true meaning and purpose and that fills our hearts and minds with knowledge, understanding, love and courage. If you have this connection then you probably do not need anything else, including mantras, even though you might decide to engage in prayer or mantras as part of your process.
If however, you find it difficult to tune into the source of your being, then you need to use tools that open up a channel to experience authentic and satisfying connection. Mantra yoga uses mantras, sound vibrations, as the tools to awaken the deeper part of the mind and to create a clear channel to the higher consciousness within.
What is a Mantra?
The word mantra means a device, which expands and protects the mind. The term “man” means mind, and “tra” means expansion, liberation and protection.
One of the reasons that many of us are unable to really feel the deeper, more subtle parts of us, our deeper essence, is that our minds are full of old mental patterns and conditioning.
Conditioning can trap mental energy in limited patterns, such as painful memories, negative emotional states, worry and anxiety, and so on. A lot of energy can become trapped in these destructive and painful states so that it is not available for more creative and fulfilling processes. We tend to feel trapped, exhausted and powerless.
One of the most powerful methods to break these old patterns and to liberate trapped energy so that it can be used for higher and more creative purposes is to use mantras along with other yogic techniques. To use mantras properly however requires that we study these sound vibrations over a period of time, just as we have to do if we wish to use asana (postures) properly. However, mantra yoga is a more advanced form of yoga than asana and there are fewer teachers available to really convey the essence of this subject.
Mantra Yoga
There are a number of ways to use mantras. Some people use them in the form of prayers, as part of their religious practice. For yogis, however, mantra yoga is the science of sound vibration. Some yogis combine mantra yoga into their religious practice. Yoga is used to focus the mind. The mantras super-charge the mind so that it is more open and receptive to higher forces. For example, many authorities believe that the sounds Amen and Om, used to start and finish either meditation or religious practice, come from the same root.
Sanskrit, with its 50 or so letters, is ideally suited for mantras. In mantra yoga each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet has a particular vibration and is given a value. Each letter has an association with certain parts of the world, both inner and outer. When letters are combined in certain specific ways they can be used as tools to adjust, regulate or change elements within the body-mind.
Mantras can take the form of simple one or two syllable sounds that have no overt meaning, or they can be extremely long strings of words with defined rhythms and intonation. An example of a simple mantra is the mantra, or sound, of the breath, called the HAM SA mantra. The long sound SAAAA or SOOOO is the sound of the in breath, and the long sound HAMMMM is the sound of exhalation. This mantra is one of the most powerful in the science of mantra yoga and is taught in the practice of Ajapa Japa Meditation.
When learning and chanting mantras as part of mantra yoga, we aim to leave aside their cultural overlay and any intellectual analysis of mantras. It is best to simply immerse yourself in the sound vibrations and rhythms, eventually allowing the little mind to dissolve into the vibration.
This allows the bigger, more cosmic and universal mind to awaken, revealing the hidden secrets of the universe that lie within us all. When we return from the meditation, which has been fueled by the vibrations of the mantra, and reform our little every-day mind, we feel refreshed and have gained deeper understanding and wisdom about life.
About the Author(s):
Dr Swami Shankardev Saraswati is an eminent yoga Acharya (authority), medical doctor, yoga therapist and internationally acclaimed author. As a direct disciple of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, he lived in the Bihar School of Yoga India for 10 years (1974-1985), where he trained to teach the highest practices of yoga-tantra.
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