Guest guest Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Thanks Latha! I, too, have been getting ALOT out of this group chanting experience. I have resolved the email overload by choosing option 1. Thanks for making it clear. Much love, Lynne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Dear Group, I am still feeling (not to be self-deprecating, however) like I am taking baby steps with the Chandi. My practice is to read it, and read it, and read it. I have almost completed reading it for the second time. And I will begin again. My question for the group is this: do you all chant the Chandi every day, or do some of you, as Swami has sometimes suggested, take parts and work with those? Do you chant the Chandi in Sanskrit or English? Do you use the Chandi tapes that Shree Maa and Swami made as an aid to your chanting? Lots of questions, and I know different people's answers will be different, but I look forward to hearing about your practice, whatever you are willing to share. Shanti ~ Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 The Chandi is such a wonderful sadhana! As you keep working with Her, you'll notice the blessings coming along. Chandi is truly a lifelong endevor, and that's one thing that's so great about it. All of the approaches you have mentioned are good. Some people stick to one approach, while others use several or all of them. I've tried everything you've mentioned, and it seems that no one way is better than the others. It seems the goal would be to do the entire Chandi everyday, but it's best to start out with baby steps and then increase it, or to make one's practice fit and work with one's particular life situation, as far as how much time is available, and whether it's possible to be very routine with it, or if one has to be flexible with the hours in the day. It's a lifelong sadhana that just gets better and better as the months and years go by! Good luck, and may Ma Chandi and Shree Maa and Swami ji's blessings keep flowing to you! Nirmalnierika (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote: Dear Group, I am still feeling (not to be self-deprecating, however) like I am taking baby steps with the Chandi. My practice is to read it, and read it, and read it. I have almost completed reading it for the second time. And I will begin again. My question for the group is this: do you all chant the Chandi every day, or do some of you, as Swami has sometimes suggested, take parts and work with those? Do you chant the Chandi in Sanskrit or English? Do you use the Chandi tapes that Shree Maa and Swami made as an aid to your chanting? Lots of questions, and I know different people's answers will be different, but I look forward to hearing about your practice, whatever you are willing to share. Shanti ~ Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 hi linda!!!!!!!! swamiji says sadhana expands and contracts and i must certainly say it is true for me. there were times i did the chandi in one long recitation like devnath [but it takes me much longer!] ... now i do a chapter or so, plus this week reviewing the short section for the saturday class. there have been weeks where i could do no external form of sadhana at all. this has nothing to do with personal inclination. swamiji and shree maa both say: 'do what you can.' i believe, it is up to us to decide what that is. there are times when, you might want to push yourself, see how far you can go. this is good. but the Goddess asks for many tasks to be done, and the chandi is but one of them. again, this is steve speaking, i am not representing anyone, so swamiji might say something different, this is my understanding and personal experience. some people can be a sadhu, destiny has provided that combination of will and circumstance, or they have a particular capacity for working with will and resistance both internal and external. others have that circumstance called heroic by ramakrishna: 'householder.' this requires you to ask at all levels: 'what is truth, now, in this circumstance?' we are not measured alone by 'how much or how long' we sit ... however the more we can arrange our lives to extend that capacity, the better. i feel it is an ideal to strive for, but it the Goddess gives us other challenges, we accept that, and adapt, and continue to find ways to serve and progress in God. steve , nierika@a... wrote: > Dear Group, > > I am still feeling (not to be self-deprecating, however) like I am taking > baby steps with the Chandi. My practice is to read it, and read it, and read it. > I have almost completed reading it for the second time. And I will begin > again. > > My question for the group is this: do you all chant the Chandi every day, or > do some of you, as Swami has sometimes suggested, take parts and work with > those? Do you chant the Chandi in Sanskrit or English? Do you use the Chandi > tapes that Shree Maa and Swami made as an aid to your chanting? Lots of > questions, and I know different people's answers will be different, but I look > forward to hearing about your practice, whatever you are willing to share. Shanti > ~ Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Dear Linda, I think you raised a topic close to the hearts of many people in the group - thank you. My Chandi chanting is currently atleast once on Sundays - the entire book . I also squeeze in a few chapters - Kavach , 32 names of Durga, Siddha Kunjika Stotram during the day. It says in the Kilaka Stotram of the Chandi - when the blessing of the Goddess is prosperity , love, good health, why will people NOT chant the Chandi ? I think we "forget" to chant because life happens ... and the sadhana is to keep constantly remembering, constantly reorganizing our priorities , so that we can devote more time to practice. I have personally felt the benefit of consistent practice. I take inspiration from Swamiji - who with his extremely busy schedule, still devotes a substantial amount of his time to formal sadhana almost to set an example for us, and from fellow students like Devnath who though a householder with growing children still makes it a point to chant several texts everyday. They are an inspiration for us all , wherever we may be in the spectrum of growth. I think you have got the bhav (attitude) already - you WANT to chant and want to know how to go about. Well, my dear, hang around with people that WANT to chant , keep reading the English and ask questions on the Chandi, educate yourself on the Chandi in all possible ways, keep testing the waters - a Kavach one day, a few chapters the next, listen to the tapes, read the entire book in English, chant the entire book - SO MANY variations on so many different days.... but keep at it.. Eventually you will find the golden mean for yourself and will know when to expand the practices... Jai Maa dear Linda and May you continue forward in your love for Chandi and share with us. Latha , Nirmalananda Saraswati <nirmalananda1008> wrote: > Namaste Linda, > > The Chandi is such a wonderful sadhana! As you keep working with Her, you'll notice the blessings coming along. Chandi is truly a lifelong endevor, and that's one thing that's so great about it. > > All of the approaches you have mentioned are good. Some people stick to one approach, while others use several or all of them. I've tried everything you've mentioned, and it seems that no one way is better than the others. It seems the goal would be to do the entire Chandi everyday, but it's best to start out with baby steps and then increase it, or to make one's practice fit and work with one's particular life situation, as far as how much time is available, and whether it's possible to be very routine with it, or if one has to be flexible with the hours in the day. It's a lifelong sadhana that just gets better and better as the months and years go by! > > Good luck, and may Ma Chandi and Shree Maa and Swami ji's blessings keep flowing to you! > > Nirmal > > nierika@a... wrote: > Dear Group, > > I am still feeling (not to be self-deprecating, however) like I am taking baby steps with the Chandi. My practice is to read it, and read it, and read it. I have almost completed reading it for the second time. And I will begin again. > > My question for the group is this: do you all chant the Chandi every day, or do some of you, as Swami has sometimes suggested, take parts and work with those? Do you chant the Chandi in Sanskrit or English? Do you use the Chandi tapes that Shree Maa and Swami made as an aid to your chanting? Lots of questions, and I know different people's answers will be different, but I look forward to hearing about your practice, whatever you are willing to share. Shanti ~ Linda > > Sponsor > > > > Links > > > / > > > > > Terms of Service. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 My chanting of the Chandi is evolving. jai Maa! at this point I am chanting though the full Chandi path a little each day. I do it once only in Sanskrit and then the next time I do it in Sanskrit and the English (which helps me get the meaning). I am now also chanting the Seedha Path at least once a week (I use Friday mornings for that regularly). jayadeva , nierika@a... wrote: > Dear Group, > > I am still feeling (not to be self-deprecating, however) like I am taking > baby steps with the Chandi. My practice is to read it, and read it, and read it. > I have almost completed reading it for the second time. And I will begin > again. > > My question for the group is this: do you all chant the Chandi every day, or > do some of you, as Swami has sometimes suggested, take parts and work with > those? Do you chant the Chandi in Sanskrit or English? Do you use the Chandi > tapes that Shree Maa and Swami made as an aid to your chanting? Lots of > questions, and I know different people's answers will be different, but I look > forward to hearing about your practice, whatever you are willing to share. Shanti > ~ Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Our minds are such that they like to believe themselves to be the center of our universe. To that end they have a bunch of ways of maintaining that self image. The ways range from too much and to too little to self agrandizement and self deprecation, just to name a few. These mental skisms are in reality blips or bubbles in our consciousness. They are empty and without shape or meaning. They are the result of the mechanisms of the universe coming to fruition in a lifeform. Place no stock on the thoughts that come into your mind about Chandi. There is no thought that can understand her or her magical ways. You cannot perform the Chandi incorrectly. You cannot make mistakes. You cannot do anything wrong as long as you sincerely wish to know her. She loves you absolutely, completely, and she shows her love by helping you come closer to her. Do the Chandi as little or as often as you like. Do it when its raining or when the sun is shining. Do it with anger, resentment, love, hate, desire, attachment, or any other human hang up, for mother does not care about any of those things, she only wishes to liberate your consciousness from the cage it has built around itself. In reality, all it takes is one mantra to set you free. OM AIM HRIM KLIM CHAMUNDAYE VICHE NAMAHA. Repeat that over and over in your mind, in your heart, in your body and in your soul and she will come and she will set you free from all attachment and identifications. Read the Chandi in English or Sanskrit. Read it aloud or to yourself. Shout it or sing it. It does not matter, she will come. She works on us through our desire for her. The more we desire her the more she works on us. While she's working on us we become aware of our closed closets, our deep dark basement, and our atic of old "collectables". She asks us to watch as she cleans our houses, to show us all the things we no longer need. All we have to do is watch, listen, hear, feel, and even taste these past memories, these old habits, these stirred emotions, and the old pains and pleasures of this life and others. She begins to unravel our habits and show us our unhealthy ways. This is her function, she who tears apart thought is the liberator of consciousness. When we see aspects of our self that is unpleasant, there is a temptation to resent ourselves. Or if we see an aspect that is noble there is a temptation to feel holier than thou. These reactions are mental traps created by a mind who does not wish to be purified. Pay them no attention, give them to her, and accept the amazing amount of feelings, thoughts, desires, fears, and other things that her digging around in our basements causes. As Chandi brings them up, Kali soaks them in and they stop being something separate from us, as we accept the positives and negatives and give them to Kali, then she purifies them and gives them back to us while at the same time becoming one with us, or visa versa depending on your perspective. The process is normal. It is natural. And a whole lot of people are going to be doing it in the next 100 years. You are a pioneer, blazing trails into consciousness for the rest of the world. Goddess bless you over and over again, Brian "In the begining, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy Radio Program. --- On Thu 09/02, < nierika > wrote: [ nierika] </ul> </tt> </br> <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --> </BODY></HTML> <p> _____________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com''>http://www.myway.com'>http://www.myway.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 pranams brian-ji!!!!! here is a little poem ... ===== i don't do enough sadhana; shanti, shanti, shanti! i do too much sadhana; shanti, shanti, shanti! she says i do too much sadhana; shanti, shanti, shanti ... he says i don't do enough; shanti, shanti, shanti ... the right sadhana; the wrong sadhana; in all things, shanti; shanti; shanti. s - In > </ul> > </tt> > </br> > > <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --> > > > </BODY></HTML> > <p> > > _____________ > No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. > Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com''>http://www.myway.com'>http://www.myway.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Sorry about the words being run together... I guess its time to give myway.com the axe... This is a test to see if my carriage returns make it to the group. Brian _____________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Repost, and hopefully more readable. I think the trick is I have to make sure there is no html in my plain text posts or the interpretor assumes I'm writing in html and runs all my sentences together... Sorry for the inconvenience. Our minds are such that they like to believe themselves to be the center of our universe. To that end they have a bunch of ways of maintaining that self image. The ways range from too much and to too little to self agrandizement and self deprecation, just to name a few. These mental skisms are in reality blips or bubbles in our consciousness. They are empty and without shape or meaning. They are the result of the mechanisms of the universe coming to fruition in a lifeform. Place no stock on the thoughts that come into your mind about Chandi. There is no thought that can understand her or her magical ways. You cannot perform the Chandi incorrectly. You cannot make mistakes. You cannot do anything wrong as long as you sincerely wish to know her. She loves you absolutely, completely, and she shows her love by helping you come closer to her. Do the Chandi as little or as often as you like. Do it when its raining or when the sun is shining. Do it with anger, resentment, love, hate, desire, attachment, or any other human hang up, for mother does not care about any of those things, she only wishes to liberate your consciousness from the cage it has built around itself. In reality, all it takes is one mantra to set you free. OM AIM HRIM KLIM CHAMUNDAYE VICHE NAMAHA. Repeat that over and over in your mind, in your heart, in your body and in your soul and she will come and she will set you free from all attachment and identifications. Read the Chandi in English or Sanskrit. Read it aloud or to yourself. Shout it or sing it. It does not matter, she will come. She works on us through our desire for her. The more we desire her the more she works on us. While she's working on us we become aware of our closed closets, our deep dark basement, and our atic of old "collectables". She asks us to watch as she cleans our houses, to show us all the things we no longer need. All we have to do is watch, listen, hear, feel, and even taste these past memories, these old habits, these stirred emotions, and the old pains and pleasures of this life and others. She begins to unravel our habits and show us our unhealthy ways. This is her function, she who tears apart thought is the liberator of consciousness. When we see aspects of our self that are unpleasant, there is a temptation to resent ourselves. Or if we see an aspect that is noble there is a temptation to feel holier than thou. These reactions are mental traps created by a mind who does not wish to be purified. Pay them no attention, give them to her, and accept the amazing amount of feelings, thoughts, desires, fears, and other things that her digging around in our basements causes. As Chandi brings them up, Kali soaks them in and they stop being something separate from us, as we accept the positives and negatives and give them to Kali, then she purifies them and gives them back to us while at the same time becoming one with us, or visa versa depending on your perspective. The process is normal. It is natural. And a whole lot of people are going to be doing it in the next 100 years. You are a pioneer, blazing trails into consciousness for the rest of the world. _____________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 How are you? Like your post. My daily sadhana includes the Kavach, Narvana Vidhi, ksama, 32 names of Durga and Siddha Kunjika Stotram. I also try to chant an Episode (most times) or at least a chapter either in Sanskrit or in English. There are times when I use Maa and Swamiji's tapes depending on the time factor. Since the retreat held recently, I take the Chandi CD with me to the office and listen to it at much as I can. It helps to keep the mind from rambling also silently chanting a mantra. It also help for me to have a tape or CD of Maa and Swamiji when performing the household chores. I too started the Chandi by reading and re-reading the English so that I understand what is happening when chanting. You heart seems willing and determined, the two main ingredients for commencing any effort. May Mother bless your effort and guide your path. Jai Maa Kali Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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