To Linda- about question about japa- EMS - Many reasons to celebrate

[Guest guest]

Dear Lindaji,

 

thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Since I am

practicing on my own and I know no one else who practices japa, it

really helps me a lot to hear how my brothers and sisters do this.

I also recite in the evening, and I try to stick to a regular

schedule. In the beginning, this was difficult and once I found myself

having to recite almost the whole week's portion in one day. But,

after 20 weeks, it has become part of my daily practice, even though I

sometimes have to change time and place according to circumstance.

I am still struggling a bit with the matter of reciting out loud or

mentally: like you, I also start out loud and gradually the recitation

becomes silent. I find that I need one or two malas to get my mind to

stay at least in the vicinity of what I'm doing, so I can call it back

more easily when I find it has wandered off (which is often). When I

am listening to the 'sound' of silent repetition and thoughts come, I

go back to reciting out loud for a while, and when I recite out loud

and I find myself at the end of a mala on automatic pilot, I go back

to silent 'listening', which seems to bring the mind back. So I am

goig back and forth from out loud to silent and vice versa.

I can totally understand what you say about focusing on the mantra

instead of on the breath: I have the same problem that as soon as I

try to regulate my breath, like, say eight mantras on the breath, I

struggle. Also I noticed that when I think I don't have enough time

for my recitation, breathing becomes a problem. So it does seem that

anything that distracts us from the mantra itself interrupts the flow,

including the idea that I am not doing it right or that I should do it

differently.

I don't know if you have read Kanda's advice concerning japa: to 'love

what you are doing and do it in love'. I think that is why you find

yourself adding more malas each week without forcing it; it is a

natural expression of love. I pray I don't forget that again,

 

with love,

 

Henny

 

 

 

 

 

, nierika wrote:

>

>

> henny wrote:

>

> So I would like to know how the more proficient members of the EMS

group do

>

> this; do you recite out loud or mentally, and how do you regulate

your

> breathing? And, what I also would like to know: do you stick to

regular

> hours in

> the day or do you recite whenever you have a minute or two?

>

>

> Dear henny ~ even though I'm not one of the more proficient members

of the

> EMS group (I am the plodding turtle), I wanted to answer your

question. My

> regular time for doing my EMS is in the evening. Sometimes, if I'm

not too

> tired, I will do some at mid-day, before I take my nap. I usually

start reciting

> outloud, but then get softer and softer vocally until the

repetitions become

> silent. The main reason for this is that after awhile my throat

starts to hurt.

> Whenever I have tried to regulate my breathing in some way related

to the

> mantra, I just seem to get stuck; my breath gets all out of kilter,

and then I

> have to kind of stop and get a new start. If I focus on the mantra,

my breath

> seems to follow naturally.

>

> I pray I will complete all the recitations by the end of the year. I

find

> that I seem to be adding more malas each week, and this too seems to

be a

> natural thing, not something I am forcing.

>

> And as I have said before, the EMS has become the focal point of my

practice

> as well as my anchor in difficult times like now. Jai Bhu Devi ~

Linda

>