To Chris about Question about Path?

[Guest guest]

Dear Chris ~ all that you wrote here (and I only quoted some of it) was a

most engaging and enlightening exposition of the three forms of Path. (It is

hard to believe that, until the class began recently, I really didn't know what

the Path in Chandi Path meant.)

 

Perhaps it may be different according also to the personality of capacity of

the person doing the chanting. I LOVED the story about Swamiji being so

absorbed in his chanting that his clothes caught fire and he didn't know it. That

is really being one with the experience! Just before I had read that part, I

thought to myself: anyone who has experienced Swamiji chant surely knows that

he is totally absorbed, and to me, it seems, that the absorption is both

outward (so the devotees can experience) and inward. It is something I have

never witnessed before.

 

In my own case, I think I may have said that when I do my malas or chanting,

I usually start off aloud, then the chanting goes to mouthing the words,

then to silence. But this is because of the limits of this body, which will not

let me go on chanting aloud for too long at one time.

 

Sometimes I switch back and forth, though, because there are times, when I

have gone to silent chanting, that I begin to fall asleep. Sometimes, I

actually do fall asleep, and the book falling out of my hand (if I'm chanting one of

the scriptures) wakes me up. Sometimes I will keep trying, but after 3 or 4

of the book falling experiences, I am grateful for whatever I was able to

accomplish and put it away. This happens also with chanting mala. If I am aware

that I'm drifting off, then I will start chanting aloud again, to bring my

awareness back to the chant. But sometimes when I get to the silent chanting, I

am able to continue for awhile without falling asleep, and then I am really

happy.

 

For me each of the ways of Path has it's own joy, it's own blessing. When I

chant aloud, I love to hear the Sanskrit words, and there is a physical

resonance that occurs with my body. Perhaps that is because, for so long I was a

singer. When I am mouthing the words, it seems more subtle, but that may be in

form only, for I still "hear" the words and feel the resonance. This is even

true with silent chanting, though, if I close my eyes, with any of these ways

of Path, it is as if I am in a boat that is sailing somewhere. Where? I like

to think that the boat is taking me Home. Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda

 

Chris wrote:

 

I don't know...something tells me the difference between vocal,

subvocal, and silent chanting is more deep than simply saying that

subvocal is so many times more powerful than vocal, and silent is so

many times more powerful (or effective) than subvocal chanting...

 

The primary difference between the three forms appears to be one of

intensity of focus, or perhaps you could say, subtlety of expression.

Everyone has had the experience of chanting a familiar text, while at

the same time the mind is playing movies. Obviously, it is harder for

the mind to do this if it must be occupied with silent chanting. So

one could say that silent chanting makes it easier to quiet the mind

and focus it only on the mantras, and so become more one-pointed and

connected to the mantra on a more subtle level. It is possible that

the common saying that silent is best refers to this.

 

But does it follow that the opposite is also true, that with vocal

chanting it is impossible, or even, difficult, to control the mind,

make it one-pointed, and connect to the mantras on a subtle level? I

do not think it is necessarily so...

 

The question of just how absorbed one can become in the subtle form of

the mantra while chanting aloud is, I think, pretty well answered by

Swamiji's experience as described by Maa in Shree Maa the Life of a

Saint (I think), when Swamiji became so absorbed in his chanting of

the Chandi that he let the fire get so large it caught his clothes on

fire, and they were literally burned off of him, and he was completely

unaware...

[Guest guest]

Hi Linda,

 

I do the same thing sometimes when I'm doing japa, go from aloud to

just the lips to silent recitation. I think it is a good practice. The

ways of Shakti and how She works with us are very mysterious.

 

Falling asleep is a very common phenomenon. I can't remember her name

(I hate that!), but she was a disciple of Satchidananda, and was doing

her yoga certification training, (darn it! I know I'll remember

eventually), anyway a couple of years ago she posted a number of times

with the same difficulty. I've experienced it myself.

 

Sometimes I think it can be an imbalance in the two primary nadis

where the left is open and the right is too closed. If you can open

the right nadi (breath flow through the nostrils indicates flow of

prana through the two primary nadis) a bit it may help.

 

Other times I think it is simply a result of the natural cleansing and

opening of shushumna (the central channel), anahata (the heart chakra)

or vishuddha (the throat chakra). You may not know, but in the

progression of sleep the energy of consciousness is said to travel

from ajna (waking) to vishuddha (dreaming), and finally to anahata

(deep sleep). As the nadis in the spine begin to unblock and become

energized, I think that sometimes parts become active while other

parts remain blocked, resulting in imbalances in function, like

falling asleep suddenly when you're not tired and involved in

something else (like japa).

 

Despite the inconvenience, I think it is a good sign, a sign that

you're making progress.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

 

 

, nierika wrote:

>

>

> Dear Chris ~ all that you wrote here (and I only quoted some of it)

was a

> most engaging and enlightening exposition of the three forms of

Path. (It is

> hard to believe that, until the class began recently, I really

didn't know what

> the Path in Chandi Path meant.)

>

> Perhaps it may be different according also to the personality of

capacity of

> the person doing the chanting. I LOVED the story about Swamiji being

so

> absorbed in his chanting that his clothes caught fire and he didn't

know it. That

> is really being one with the experience! Just before I had read that

part, I

> thought to myself: anyone who has experienced Swamiji chant surely

knows that

> he is totally absorbed, and to me, it seems, that the absorption is

both

> outward (so the devotees can experience) and inward. It is

something I have

> never witnessed before.

>

> In my own case, I think I may have said that when I do my malas or

chanting,

> I usually start off aloud, then the chanting goes to mouthing the

words,

> then to silence. But this is because of the limits of this body,

which will not

> let me go on chanting aloud for too long at one time.

>

> Sometimes I switch back and forth, though, because there are times,

when I

> have gone to silent chanting, that I begin to fall asleep. Sometimes, I

> actually do fall asleep, and the book falling out of my hand (if

I'm chanting one of

> the scriptures) wakes me up. Sometimes I will keep trying, but

after 3 or 4

> of the book falling experiences, I am grateful for whatever I was

able to

> accomplish and put it away. This happens also with chanting mala. If

I am aware

> that I'm drifting off, then I will start chanting aloud again, to

bring my

> awareness back to the chant. But sometimes when I get to the silent

chanting, I

> am able to continue for awhile without falling asleep, and then I

am really

> happy.

>

> For me each of the ways of Path has it's own joy, it's own blessing.

When I

> chant aloud, I love to hear the Sanskrit words, and there is a

physical

> resonance that occurs with my body. Perhaps that is because, for so

long I was a

> singer. When I am mouthing the words, it seems more subtle, but that

may be in

> form only, for I still "hear" the words and feel the resonance. This

is even

> true with silent chanting, though, if I close my eyes, with any of

these ways

> of Path, it is as if I am in a boat that is sailing somewhere.

Where? I like

> to think that the boat is taking me Home. Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda

>

> Chris wrote:

>

> I don't know...something tells me the difference between vocal,

> subvocal, and silent chanting is more deep than simply saying that

> subvocal is so many times more powerful than vocal, and silent is so

> many times more powerful (or effective) than subvocal chanting...

>

> The primary difference between the three forms appears to be one of

> intensity of focus, or perhaps you could say, subtlety of expression.

> Everyone has had the experience of chanting a familiar text, while at

> the same time the mind is playing movies. Obviously, it is harder for

> the mind to do this if it must be occupied with silent chanting. So

> one could say that silent chanting makes it easier to quiet the mind

> and focus it only on the mantras, and so become more one-pointed and

> connected to the mantra on a more subtle level. It is possible that

> the common saying that silent is best refers to this.

>

> But does it follow that the opposite is also true, that with vocal

> chanting it is impossible, or even, difficult, to control the mind,

> make it one-pointed, and connect to the mantras on a subtle level? I

> do not think it is necessarily so...

>

> The question of just how absorbed one can become in the subtle form of

> the mantra while chanting aloud is, I think, pretty well answered by

> Swamiji's experience as described by Maa in Shree Maa the Life of a

> Saint (I think), when Swamiji became so absorbed in his chanting of

> the Chandi that he let the fire get so large it caught his clothes on

> fire, and they were literally burned off of him, and he was completely

> unaware...

>