A beginning of chanting mantra during tasks

[Guest guest]

Dear vish ~ please excuse me for chopping up your post; I wanted to use these things you quoted from "The Guru and the Goddess" to share what my experiences with adding mantra chanting to my daily tasks. It does (this insertion of chanting a mantra) help me not react to what is external, and already it has become a great gift.

 

So far, when I have been doing my morning, what ramya described as, "routine" tasks not requiring too much thought of attention, it is there that I have begun with the chanting of the mantra. Until the group comes up with a collective mantra for various times and tasks, I am using Om Namah Shivaya.

 

What I have noticed is that, first of all, it has been easier to insert mantra to these early morning routine tasks than I expected, but likely because I was already doing that periodically. What I have noticed, secondly, is a great gift.

 

Who would have thought...

I am making coffee, Om Namah Shivaya; I am feeding Pepper, my dog, Om Namah Shivaya; I am getting my daily ration of grapes together, Om Namah Shivaya.

What happens is that sometimes, in the chanting of the mantra, the mantra and the chanter disappear, and there is only "making coffee." Who is making the coffee? I can only compare this to the idea of mindfullness or to the experience of meditation.

 

The mantra becomes a meditation, and then, "poof," I am gone. This only happens for seconds because as soon as I realize I am no longer chanting the mantra, it brings me back to normal awareness (which is a good thing, because we don't want Linda scalding herself with the coffee or spilling the dog food all over the floor). But for these brief seconds of "just beingness," I am exquisitely thankful.

 

So to ramya who proposed the idea and to all members of the digest who have responded with interest, I thank all of you with the utmost gratitude. I can't wait to begin inserting chanting mantra during other tasks. Jai Maa!!!! Jai Swamiji!!!!

~ Linda

 

 

vish wrote:

Namaste Kumari and all: this is the biggest problem for all of us. I have been thinking about these issues too, and was glad to read your post. To gain another perspective, I turned to the Kasyapa Sutra, P. 13-14, from the book: SHREE MAA THE GURU AND THE GODDESS, because I wanted to trace the cause of my errant behaviors...Every action has a reaction. As you sow so shall you reap. So how to get off the seemingly endless cycle of action and reaction?...On P. 20, Swami says: ""I will think, before I respond." As we cultivate this habit of discrimination, we find that anger, passion, greed, lust, avarice, and ignorance all dissolve into discrimination."Shree Maa says: "Remove the ego and attachment from the performance of all activities for which you are responsible. Go to your places of work, etc., and carry yourselves as a great renunciate. Inspire people to act in truth....." Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the web. Get the Radio Toolbar!