RE: Sadhana..for what is initation required

[Guest guest]

>>">South Indian Temple where the chanting is very very fast (and SO

>hard to keep up until you learn the text).

 

No kidding! I've had the same experience. I love being in a group

archana but it sometimes seems more like a race. At home, there is

time to linger lovingly over the holy Names, and to deepen awareness

of their meanings.

>it's good to remember who we are chanting to....Devi! She is so

>forgiving when we are struggling and crying out for her.

 

Yes, that's right. The heart is the most important, not technical

things and certainly not speed.

 

Max"<<

 

Hi Max,

Yes! also though,s an earlier poster pointed out, these teachings

have only very recently been available to Westerners and some

pandits are not at all happy about this, especially since they are

not even all that "usual" in India.

I've found this whole issue very interesting and had my "ups and

downs" around it. At the Temple I go to (for holidays, archana and

on Fridays), I've had some really funny situations happen: for

instance: being very deep in meditation and having someone come up,

tap me on the shoulder and ask, "are you meditating?" or sponsoring

a Hanuman archana and having someone (who I've never seen there

before) come over and ask me, "Do you know who that (pointing to the

murti of Hanuman) is? well, let me tell you" or chanting the Lalitha

Sahasranam and the guy next to me (who is setting the pace),

realizing that I am able to do it, speeding up faster and faster and

faster, just to see if I can keep up! lol! (he always wins and my

tongue winds up in a knot!..oh, those r's!).

On the other hand, I have been the recipient of INCREDIBLE

generosity from people willing to share their knowledge of puja and

texts, teach me about homa, help me with my pronunciation etc. It's

a strange position to be in when what lives in your heart more

deeply than anything else is someone "else's" cultural tradition. I

have alot of gratitude and amazement at the greatness of the "Hindu"

tradition, the open-hearted generosity of Indian practitioners and

their willingness to share their tradition with non-Native devotees.

That has been my experience in India as well. The whole thing is

very good for the "ego"...!

Like you, though, I prefer to chant slowly, contemplate the

meaning of what I am chanting and include pranayam in my chanting of

texts. A man from Tamil Nadu once told me that the rapid chanting is

about "holding the intensity of the Shakti"...it should be correct

and it should be rapid. I thought that was very interesting, so I

save my slow chanting for my own puja room and try to keep up with

the group in group situations (not always successfully. lol).

best,

sadhvi