Guest guest Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody! Thanks for your interest! Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning! Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together. What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love Jai Maa! ramya , devi <student61754 wrote: > > In response too: > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities > we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or > after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, > for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > Yes! Sounds like good fun. > Jai Maa > > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108 wrote: > > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108 > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You! > > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Everybody! > > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration! > > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra. > > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting " Om Ganeshaya Namah " , when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says " Hrim " -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > > > Does anybody like to try? > > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra! > > > > Swamiji translates mantra as " man trayate iti mantra " -- That which takes away the mind is mantra. > > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > yours lovingly > > ramya > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 Devi's list of activities.Feeding and watering all our animals in the morning and letting them our to enjoy the day.Watering garden.Tending garden.Yard maintenance.Getting the mail.Walking the animals.Tending frog ponds.Planting trees and wild plants for reforestation.Teaching the grandchildren home studies.Teaching children at festivals to spin, weave, work with clay, make jewelry, sew, make butter, cook on wood stove and fire, about history.Demonstrating these crafts for tourists at historical sites.Working on computer.Serving meals.Driving.Shopping.Cleaning.Bathing.First thing in morning when wake.Sleeping.Working with elderly and visiting them in rest homes.Working with those that are ill.Exercising.Walks.At the lake relaxing.Looking forward to this. This will be so helpful.Thank you, thank you Ramya for leading this joyous discovery.tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu avatu mam, avatu vaktaram--- On Sat, 4/25/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108 wrote:n_ramya108 <n_ramya108[www.ShreeMaa.org] Chanting mantra during daily tasks Date: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 11:23 AM Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody! Thanks for your interest! Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning! Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together. What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love Jai Maa! ramya , devi <student61754@ ...> wrote: > > In response too: > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities > we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or > after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, > for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > Yes! Sounds like good fun. > Jai Maa > > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@ ...> wrote: > > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@ ...> > [www.ShreeMaa. org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You! > > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Everybody! > > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration! > > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra. > > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting "Om Ganeshaya Namah", when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says "Hrim" -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > > > Does anybody like to try? > > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra! > > > > Swamiji translates mantra as "man trayate iti mantra" -- That which takes away the mind is mantra. > > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > yours lovingly > > ramya > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 This is a good idea. My list would be showering, laundry, cooking, computer stuff, driving, work time, school time, paperwork time. i really like this idea. i pray that the grace of the mother will give us the enthusiasm to chant a mantra constantly like this throughout the day. Krishna--- On Sat, 4/25/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108 wrote: n_ramya108 <n_ramya108[www.ShreeMaa.org] Chanting mantra during daily tasks Date: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 8:23 AM Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody!Thanks for your interest!Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning!Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together.What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love :)Jai Maa!ramya , devi <student61754@ ...> wrote:>> In response too:> A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities> we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or> after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa,> for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this.> Yes! Sounds like good fun. > Jai Maa> > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram> > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@ ...> wrote:> > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@ ...>> [www.ShreeMaa. org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You!> > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Everybody!> > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration!> > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra. > > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting "Om Ganeshaya Namah", when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says "Hrim" -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this.> > > > Does anybody like to try? > > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra!> > > > Swamiji translates mantra as "man trayate iti mantra" -- That which takes away the mind is mantra.> > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > yours lovingly> > ramya > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 Let's see on a typical weekday: I awake in the morning, wash up and get dressed Get offerings together while my husband gets ready for work. Perform puja of the day and chant my personal mantras at least 108 times. Eat breakfast. Check my mail and group messages. Wash the dishes and get the evening meal prepped. Do whatever chores I have time for in the morning. Eat my lunch with my husband when he comes home Walk to the mall and pick up anything I need at the store. I take along my lap counter to count my personal mantra while walking. Do laundry or other household chores or paper/computer work. Light a lamp for Annapurna in my kitchen and offer Her a flower with Her mantra. Cook dinner When I am just about done cooking, I pause and do evening aarti in my shrine room to Ma Kali and Mahadeva, using the Kali Maha Mantra and the Panchaksara. I offer a small amount of the non meat dishes to Annapurna with Her mantra. (I have tried to be vegetarian, but wind up being sick if I do not eat a minimum of flesh foods) Have dinner Listen to music or watch TV or a movie More computer time Do some more japa at my shrine. Retire For myself, I need to engage my body and do ritual actions along with the mantras. So I tend to have small shrines everywhere and to do little rituals before doing important things to make connections with Deity. That is the most vital thing to me, the connection. I like the idea of chanting an appropriate mantra to invoke deity before doing something, but I think that most activities require more concentration than I can spare to constantly chant mantras except for walking or washing dishes. However, I am getting better at this, so perhaps it will come at a later date. I welcome any lists of mantras to begin activities with. The most obvious ones I can think of are: Ganesh mantra before starting any activity or when things seem stuck. Annapurna mantra before cooking and serving food and before eating. (or a stanza from the Annapurna stotram would be good) Panchaksara (Om Namah Shivaya) when I need extra energy and strength or determination. I repeat this especially when I am walking sometimes, since this can be painful and I need Shiva to help me keep going) Durga mantra or Kali mantra when feeling fear or being unable to work a problem through. I might use a Skanda mantra also, if I knew one. Lakshmi for similar situations as Annapurna. Acknowledging Kubera and Lakshmi when working on my accounts or money situations, although I don't know a mantra for Kubera. When going shopping would be a good time, too, or banking. Gauri Shakara (Om Gauri Shankaryai Namah) when waking up or concerned about my husband or how we are getting along. Saraswati mantra when working on some creative endeavour or studying. I suppose these could be replaced by the bija mantras for the deity, like Swamiji using Hring as a mantra. Thanks for getting my creative juices flowing on ways to add God Consciousness to my life! Perhaps a way to do this in unity would be to pick a time when we would chant a particular mantra everyday. Jai Shree Maa and Swamiji Jai Kali Ma, Om Namah Shivaya Kumari , " n_ramya108 " <n_ramya108 wrote: > > Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody! > > Thanks for your interest! > > Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning! > > Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together. > > What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love > > Jai Maa! > > ramya > > > , devi <student61754@> wrote: > > > > In response too: > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities > > we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or > > after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, > > for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > Yes! Sounds like good fun. > > Jai Maa > > > > > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu > > > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram > > > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@> wrote: > > > > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@> > > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You! > > > > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Everybody! > > > > > > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > > > > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration! > > > > > > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra. > > > > > > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > > > > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting " Om Ganeshaya Namah " , when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says " Hrim " -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > > > > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > > > > > > > Does anybody like to try? > > > > > > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra! > > > > > > > > Swamiji translates mantra as " man trayate iti mantra " -- That which takes away the mind is mantra. > > > > > > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > > > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > > > > > yours lovingly > > > > ramya > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Namaste Everybody! Thanks so much Kumari, Linda, Devi and Krishna for sharing all your activities and inspiration! i was making a list of my activities and realized that they fall in four categories: (a) Pretty mindless (routine), do alone -- e.g. cooking, walking, cleaning the floor, ironing (b) Pretty mindless, do with others - e.g., washing dishes, serving dinner, cleaning temple © Using mind, alone -- e.g. posting on Devi Mandir , computer work, writing, reading, studying, typing, organizing (d) Using mind, working with others -- e.g. meetings to organize and plan events, classes. So the questions i am asking myself - and please tell me if you think they would help you too - and if we can use these to formulate a nice sankalpa to add more japa-on-the-job for all of us 1. How can i increase my japa when i am doing work by myself which is not intensely mental? How much time do i do this type of work and how i can make it more japa-intensive? 2. What is the category i spend most of my time in -- what are obstacles to doing japa for me in each category - is it the nature of the work, or my own habit of not remembering? 3. If there is one category or activity to which i can add japa CONSISTENTLY what would it be - e.g. i am going to do japa for sure every time i do cooking for the next 7 dsys...i am trying to figure out the activity that is the lowest-hanging fruit..does this make sense? If we each try to introspect and look at our lives, we can see where there are loopholes - We can make those holes Holy with God's Holy name Does this make sense - would you like to think about these issues and come up with one or more specific activities to which you can add japa? The key is to make the japa consistent - so when we do that activity our mind will do japa -- and offer to God -- and soon we can expand to other activities. Please tell me if you think this might be a way to proceed further. Also, we can then think as Kumari suggested of a way to do one little practise (like maybe a mala of japa) so we all do the sankalap together. Once we figure out which activities will work for each of us, we can formulate a sankalpa. Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you all!!! Praying for Mother's Grace upon all of us to come closer to Her every moment! Jai Maa! , " mjfisher2005 " <mjfisher2005 wrote: > > Let's see on a typical weekday: > > I awake in the morning, wash up and get dressed > Get offerings together while my husband gets ready for work. > Perform puja of the day and chant my personal mantras at least 108 times. > Eat breakfast. > Check my mail and group messages. > Wash the dishes and get the evening meal prepped. > Do whatever chores I have time for in the morning. > Eat my lunch with my husband when he comes home > Walk to the mall and pick up anything I need at the store. I take along my lap counter to count my personal mantra while walking. > Do laundry or other household chores or paper/computer work. > Light a lamp for Annapurna in my kitchen and offer Her a flower with Her mantra. > Cook dinner > When I am just about done cooking, I pause and do evening aarti in my shrine room to Ma Kali and Mahadeva, using the Kali Maha Mantra and the Panchaksara. > I offer a small amount of the non meat dishes to Annapurna with Her mantra. (I have tried to be vegetarian, but wind up being sick if I do not eat a minimum of flesh foods) > Have dinner > Listen to music or watch TV or a movie > More computer time > Do some more japa at my shrine. > Retire > > For myself, I need to engage my body and do ritual actions along with the mantras. So I tend to have small shrines everywhere and to do little rituals before doing important things to make connections with Deity. That is the most vital thing to me, the connection. I like the idea of chanting an appropriate mantra to invoke deity before doing something, but I think that most activities require more concentration than I can spare to constantly chant mantras except for walking or washing dishes. However, I am getting better at this, so perhaps it will come at a later date. I welcome any lists of mantras to begin activities with. > > The most obvious ones I can think of are: > Ganesh mantra before starting any activity or when things seem stuck. > Annapurna mantra before cooking and serving food and before eating. (or a stanza from the Annapurna stotram would be good) > Panchaksara (Om Namah Shivaya) when I need extra energy and strength or determination. I repeat this especially when I am walking sometimes, since this can be painful and I need Shiva to help me keep going) > Durga mantra or Kali mantra when feeling fear or being unable to work a problem through. I might use a Skanda mantra also, if I knew one. > Lakshmi for similar situations as Annapurna. Acknowledging Kubera and Lakshmi when working on my accounts or money situations, although I don't know a mantra for Kubera. When going shopping would be a good time, too, or banking. > Gauri Shakara (Om Gauri Shankaryai Namah) when waking up or concerned about my husband or how we are getting along. > Saraswati mantra when working on some creative endeavour or studying. > I suppose these could be replaced by the bija mantras for the deity, like Swamiji using Hring as a mantra. > > Thanks for getting my creative juices flowing on ways to add God Consciousness to my life! Perhaps a way to do this in unity would be to pick a time when we would chant a particular mantra everyday. > > Jai Shree Maa and Swamiji > Jai Kali Ma, Om Namah Shivaya > > Kumari > > > , " n_ramya108 " <n_ramya108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody! > > > > Thanks for your interest! > > > > Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning! > > > > Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together. > > > > What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > ramya > > > > > > , devi <student61754@> wrote: > > > > > > In response too: > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities > > > we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or > > > after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, > > > for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > > Yes! Sounds like good fun. > > > Jai Maa > > > > > > > > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu > > > > > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram > > > > > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@> wrote: > > > > > > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@> > > > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You! > > > > > > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Everybody! > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > > > > > > > > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration! > > > > > > > > > > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra. > > > > > > > > > > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > > > > > > > > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting " Om Ganeshaya Namah " , when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says " Hrim " -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > > > > > > > > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this. > > > > > > > > > > > > Does anybody like to try? > > > > > > > > > > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra! > > > > > > > > > > > > Swamiji translates mantra as " man trayate iti mantra " -- That which takes away the mind is mantra. > > > > > > > > > > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > > > > > > > > > > Jai Maa! > > > > > > > > > > > > yours lovingly > > > > > > ramya > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 Namaste Ramya, I am elated at the very thought of this action as it gives us all the opportunity to become more alert. On awakening (either) – Om namah Shivyai or Kali mulmantra. Showering - Gayatri. Preparing meals – Annapurna mantra Before partaking of meals – Brahama pranam Entering vehicle and most entrances – Om Gam Ganapatye namah Travelling to work – Peace mantra 2009 Travelling home (evening) – Peace mantra and Kali mulmantra Household chores - Gayatri Feeling sad – Narvana / Durga mantra or Shree Maa, Shree Maa please come Feeling joyous – Sita Ram, RamaKrishna's mantra Guru day – Shree Maa Gayatri, Om namah Shivyai The four categories which you listed pretty much describe the day's activities. Whereas obstacles do present themselves in some of the categories due the nature of the work, I think that my own habit of not remembering causes me to be easily distracted. Cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry are areas I would like to make a sankalpa where these activities are consistently japa intensive. Pranam Kalia , "n_ramya108" <n_ramya108 wrote:>> Namaste Everybody!> > Thanks so much Kumari, Linda, Devi and Krishna for sharing all your activities and inspiration! i was making a list of my activities and realized that they fall in four categories:> > (a) Pretty mindless (routine), do alone -- e.g. cooking, walking, cleaning the floor, ironing> > (b) Pretty mindless, do with others - e.g., washing dishes, serving dinner, cleaning temple> > © Using mind, alone -- e.g. posting on Devi Mandir , computer work, writing, reading, studying, typing, organizing> > (d) Using mind, working with others -- e.g. meetings to organize and plan events, classes.> > So the questions i am asking myself - and please tell me if you think they would help you too - and if we can use these to formulate a nice sankalpa to add more japa-on-the-job for all of us > > 1. How can i increase my japa when i am doing work by myself which is not intensely mental? How much time do i do this type of work and how i can make it more japa-intensive?> > 2. What is the category i spend most of my time in -- what are obstacles to doing japa for me in each category - is it the nature of the work, or my own habit of not remembering?> > 3. If there is one category or activity to which i can add japa CONSISTENTLY what would it be - e.g. i am going to do japa for sure every time i do cooking for the next 7 dsys...i am trying to figure out the activity that is the lowest-hanging fruit..does this make sense?> > If we each try to introspect and look at our lives, we can see where there are loopholes - We can make those holes Holy with God's Holy name > > Does this make sense - would you like to think about these issues and come up with one or more specific activities to which you can add japa? The key is to make the japa consistent - so when we do that activity our mind will do japa -- and offer to God -- and soon we can expand to other activities.> > Please tell me if you think this might be a way to proceed further. Also, we can then think as Kumari suggested of a way to do one little practise (like maybe a mala of japa) so we all do the sankalap together.> > Once we figure out which activities will work for each of us, we can formulate a sankalpa.> > Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you all!!!> > Praying for Mother's Grace upon all of us to come closer to Her every moment! Jai Maa!> > > > , "mjfisher2005" mjfisher2005@ wrote:> >> > Let's see on a typical weekday:> >> > I awake in the morning, wash up and get dressed> > Get offerings together while my husband gets ready for work.> > Perform puja of the day and chant my personal mantras at least 108 times.> > Eat breakfast.> > Check my mail and group messages.> > Wash the dishes and get the evening meal prepped.> > Do whatever chores I have time for in the morning.> > Eat my lunch with my husband when he comes home> > Walk to the mall and pick up anything I need at the store. I take along my lap counter to count my personal mantra while walking.> > Do laundry or other household chores or paper/computer work.> > Light a lamp for Annapurna in my kitchen and offer Her a flower with Her mantra.> > Cook dinner> > When I am just about done cooking, I pause and do evening aarti in my shrine room to Ma Kali and Mahadeva, using the Kali Maha Mantra and the Panchaksara.> > I offer a small amount of the non meat dishes to Annapurna with Her mantra. (I have tried to be vegetarian, but wind up being sick if I do not eat a minimum of flesh foods)> > Have dinner> > Listen to music or watch TV or a movie> > More computer time> > Do some more japa at my shrine.> > Retire> >> > For myself, I need to engage my body and do ritual actions along with the mantras. So I tend to have small shrines everywhere and to do little rituals before doing important things to make connections with Deity. That is the most vital thing to me, the connection. I like the idea of chanting an appropriate mantra to invoke deity before doing something, but I think that most activities require more concentration than I can spare to constantly chant mantras except for walking or washing dishes. However, I am getting better at this, so perhaps it will come at a later date. I welcome any lists of mantras to begin activities with.> >> > The most obvious ones I can think of are:> > Ganesh mantra before starting any activity or when things seem stuck.> > Annapurna mantra before cooking and serving food and before eating. (or a stanza from the Annapurna stotram would be good)> > Panchaksara (Om Namah Shivaya) when I need extra energy and strength or determination. I repeat this especially when I am walking sometimes, since this can be painful and I need Shiva to help me keep going)> > Durga mantra or Kali mantra when feeling fear or being unable to work a problem through. I might use a Skanda mantra also, if I knew one.> > Lakshmi for similar situations as Annapurna. Acknowledging Kubera and Lakshmi when working on my accounts or money situations, although I don't know a mantra for Kubera. When going shopping would be a good time, too, or banking.> > Gauri Shakara (Om Gauri Shankaryai Namah) when waking up or concerned about my husband or how we are getting along.> > Saraswati mantra when working on some creative endeavour or studying.> > I suppose these could be replaced by the bija mantras for the deity, like Swamiji using Hring as a mantra.> >> > Thanks for getting my creative juices flowing on ways to add God Consciousness to my life! Perhaps a way to do this in unity would be to pick a time when we would chant a particular mantra everyday.> >> > Jai Shree Maa and Swamiji> > Jai Kali Ma, Om Namah Shivaya> >> > Kumari> >> >> > , "n_ramya108" <n_ramya108@> wrote:> > >> > > Namaste Devi, Linda, krishna and Everybody!> > >> > > Thanks for your interest!> > >> > > Linda - i can try to put together a list of possible mantras. Thanks for a great beginning!> > >> > > Should we start by listing our activities - we can share them here (e.g. cooking, driving, computer work...) Then we can make list of mantras and figure out how we will REMEMBEr and keep track And share and grow together.> > >> > > What do you all think? Please join in filling all our lives with the name of God - and God's sweet eternal love > > >> > > Jai Maa!> > >> > > ramya > > >> > >> > > , devi <student61754@> wrote:> > > >> > > > In response too:> > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities> > > > we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or> > > > after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa,> > > > for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this.> > > > Yes! Sounds like good fun.> > > > Jai Maa> > > >> > > >> > > > tana mamavatu tada vaktaramavatu> > > >> > > > avatu mam, avatu vaktaram> > > >> > > > --- On Thu, 4/23/09, n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@> wrote:> > > >> > > > n_ramya108 <n_ramya108@>> > > > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Living with our soul : Shree Maa - Thank You!> > > > > > > > Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:28 PM> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Namaste Everybody!> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Thanks Sergio, Jill, Krishna, Devi, Kali, Prasana, Vish, Kumari and Linda for sharing your beautiful inspiration with connecting to your soul. > > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > As i was reading your emails i was remembering the verse from Chapter 5 in the Chandi where Mother says that She is everywhere - if we are able to see that, She is with us always! Thank you all for sharing your inspiration!> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Jill - i share your feeling too about the struggle to remember the Divine through out the day and one way that Maa and Swamiji show us to do this is with the mantra.> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > It is not just repeating one mantra - but They repeat different mantras at different times > > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > E.g. when Swamiji enters a room we hear Him chanting "Om Ganeshaya Namah", when He turns on the car engine the Navarna mantra, sometimes in the computer switching to a different program He says "Hrim" -- i feel like He colours the day with mantras, in the midst of work! > > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > A fun project would be to make a list of all the different activities we do and think of which mantra we can use (either before, during or after the activity). We make such a list and try to take a sankalpa, for a day, a week or a Navaratri (9 days!) to do this.> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Does anybody like to try?> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Please let me know and we can work together to fill our lives with mantra!> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Swamiji translates mantra as "man trayate iti mantra" -- That which takes away the mind is mantra.> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Vish, Linda - you were speaking about how we can do Navaratri together - should we try with this practise for 9 days - Saturday is the beginning of a new month in the Hindu calender and we could try to the first 9 days? > > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > Jai Maa!> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > yours lovingly> > > >> > > > ramya > > > >> > >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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