to ramya ~ it all makes sense

[Guest guest]

Dear Ramya ~ it seems to me, from reading your list of activities that the first place to easily add japa would be the routine and mindless activities, like in the first entry on your list; probably for you, letter b would also be a place to do japa, and maybe you can bring the other people cleaning the temple in to this sankalpa for this task. Everything you say here makes sense. We have only to pick the activites and the mantras. And to reiterate what I wrote above, perhaps the best place to add japa would be the routine, relatively mindless activities. I'm not sure this is part of my list, but feeding my dog in the morning, getting my grapes ready for the day*, and making the morning coffee would be a good place to add japa. So far it seems like the beginning of the day activities are a good place to begin.

Jai Maa Jai Swamiji

~ Linda

*I am only able to tolerate certain foods, and when I tried to vary my diet by adding "raw" foods, grapes were the only thing I was able to tolerate, so I eat bunches of grapes throughout the day; in the morning, I pick the grapes off their stems and put them into small zip lock bags. I have also been able to add blueberries. Now I'm working on pizza. LOL : )

 

 

ramya wrote:

....(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! Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the web. Get the Radio Toolbar!