Thursday, May 30, 2013

Courtesy japa


Good japa is like flying down the highway in fourth gear. Good japa produces inspiration, realization, detachment, increased desire to serve, attraction to study scripture, and an ability to see maya's workings more clearly. And there are so many more gifts good japa delivers. Yet we deprive ourselves of these gifts when we chant "courtesy japa."

Common pitfalls


  • “Prajalpa-japa”: Unnecessarily talking while chanting.


  • “Dive-bomb japa”: Falling asleep while chanting (head nodding off).
  • “Radar japa”: constantly looking around.
  • “Machine-gun japa”: much too fast while shaking the finger.
  • “Jibber-japa”: it is just gibberish, no one can understand it.
  • “Day-dreamy japa”: not concentrating, following the wandering mind.
  • Wednesday, April 17, 2013

    Monday, November 21, 2011

    Tools

    Japa is done Using:

    Karamala

    This involves the doing of Japa on the fingers and can be done on the fingertips. The second and more effective way recommended in the scriptures is by doing Japa on the segments of the fingers. One of the important rules to observe when doing this type of Japa is to keep the fingers together and not separate.

    Manimala

    This is the most recommended and the most common way of doing Japa when a Mala (or Rosary) made of beads threaded together is used.

    Likhita

    Writing Names of Lord on anything

    Sunday, July 17, 2011

    Loud japa is not better than mental jap

    Haribhakti Viläsa (Närasiàha Puräëa and Yajïavalkya, Haribhakti Viläsa 17.161-162) says: tri vidhä japa yajïaù syät tasya bhaven nibodhaya; väcikaç ca upäàçuç ca manasaç ca tridhä mataù mantram uccärayed vyaktäà japayata sa väcikaù; kiïciccabdaà svayaà vidyäd upäàçuù sa japaù smÃ¥taù upäàçu japam uktasya tasmäcchato guëo bhavet; sahasro mänasaù prokto yasmäd dhyäna samo hi saù 

     "There are three kinds of japa— vocal, muttering and mental. Loud chanting of the mantra is called vocal japa, whispering is called upäàçu and mental chanting is called mänasik japa. Whispering is a hundred times better than loud japa and mental chanting is a thousand times better. This is equal to meditation."

    Japa Position

    Falling asleep during japa is tamo-guna(Mode of Ignorance) ,
    walking around is rajo-guna(Mode ofPassion) and
    sitting down is sattva-guna(Mode of goodness).

    Thursday, December 31, 2009

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