Success in Mantra Meditation
Live Temple Room Satsanga: 1st May 2005: 10.15 - 11 pm, Indian
Standard Time.
The text part of today's
live session with Swami Gaurangapada is as follows:
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Nityananda!
Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shrila Prabhupada! Pranams and Blessings to
everyone!
- Matus Kmit says:
Nityananda
Gauranga Hare Krishna Shri Swami Gaurangapada
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So
it is time for our evening Live Satsanga 10.15 to 11 pm my time.
- Matus Kmit says:
Haribol
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Today's
discussion will be on how to perform Mantra Meditation with full success
- Matus Kmit says:
All
Glories to the Holy Names!
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The
most important while chanting is "where is our mind" during chanting
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The
Sound Vibration of the Holy Names manifest the Spiritual Form and Presence of
the Lord
- Matus Kmit says:
I
have the Maha Mantra Yoga site on my screen.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Are
we absorbed in that Presence of the Lord while chanting, or are we absorbed in
our disturbing mental thoughts which plague us during the day?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The
Holy Names are full with unlimited spiritual variety
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
That
should be tapped by us while Mantra Meditation
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Shrila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura states: While turning the beads with the fingers and
reciting the Mantrarajas and Maha-mantra, one should search out the meaning of
the names with the mind.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Since
in the neophyte stage the meanings of the Holy Names
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
will
not manifest spontaneously
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
so
we have search them out
- Matus Kmit says:
I
think there is our imagination in the game too...isn't it?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
in
the beginning one has to imagine the Lord's form, qualities and pastimes while
chanting, but gradually they will become more and more real and the Lord will
spontaneously arise in our heart in His true form.
- Matus Kmit says:
My
experience is, that I "switch" between the methods while I'm
chanting: concentrating on the meanings, sometimes on the sound vibration,
another time on the forms, sometimes pastimes.... is it ok?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
Matus, that is perfect.
- Matus Kmit says:
I
mean all these methods I apply while my chanting session...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
In
the beginning stages of Mantra Meditation, meditation or visualization of the
Form and Pastimes may be difficult
- Matus Kmit says:
I
ask myself, if it isn't better to just fix myself on one of them...
- Matus Kmit says:
methods...
- Matus Kmit says:
but
it's difficult anyway..
- Ronald McCarthy says:
Nityananda,
Gauranga, Hare Krishna
- Ronald McCarthy says:
Please
accept my obeisance’s
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Nityananda!
Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Pranams and Blessings Ronald!
- Matus Kmit says:
ok,
thank You Gurudevaji
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Fixing
one's mind on the Sound of the Holy Names is non-different from fixing one's
mind on the Form and Pastimes of the Lord because from the Sound will come all
the other characteristics of the Lord.
- Matus Kmit says:
Yes,
but sometimes meditating on the Forms, f.e., can bring one's concentration from
the Sound away....
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The
Sound of the Holy Names is not a material sound vibration, but it is transcendental,
it directly descends from the spiritual world from the pastimes of the Lord.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Shrila
Jiva Goswami says in the Krama Sandarbha above web page which you are reading
in your browser: “In this way, by constantly hearing the transcendental sound
of the Holy Names gradually the transcendental form of Lord Gauranga Krishna
awakens within the purified heart along with the chanting.
- Matus Kmit says:
Yes
- Matus Kmit says:
ok,
so one needs to just PRACTICE....
- Matus Kmit says:
again
and again
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
In
the beginning, since one needs to make an effort to remember the Form of the
Lord while hearing the Sound...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So
one may feel a little distracted, but by practice, the Sound of the Name will
become one the Form and the Form will become one with the Name. The Sound of
the Name will seem to be coming from the Form and the Form will seem to be
coming from the Name. This is beginning of self-realization.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
At
such a stage, the chanter will start to experience bliss, this is beginning of
the unlimited ocean of spiritual happiness.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
What
is it when one sees the Deities and then seems to be nothing existing
around...like a merging. Can not really hear or realize that which is going on
around you.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Ronald,
one should never forget to chant and hear the Sound of the Holy Names while
seeing the Deity of the Lord, because ultimately the Holy Name will give us the
spiritual eyes to see the Deity in truth.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Even
if you forget everything while seeing the Form of the Lord, but please don't
forget the Holy Names.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Because
the Name will take you beyond the Form and then to the Qualities and Pastimes
of the Lord.
- Guilherme Nunes says:
Spiritual
eyes = third eye?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
Gui, it the spiritual eyes of our soul
- Ronald McCarthy says:
ok.
That makes sense. And, chanting is the primary focus.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
The
holy Names are foremost and encompass the form and attributes of the lord.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
And
the heart is the center of all realizations while chanting, because the soul
resides in the region of the heart.
- Matus Kmit says:
So
than we could assume, than if there is love in our heart, in fact is a
attribute of our soul...
- Guilherme Nunes says:
im
working here, but im listening and reading the messages 
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
the real spiritual love for the Lord will manifest when we hear the Sound
Vibration of the Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas and the Hare Krishna Mahamantra
with rapt attention and absorption.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
There
is no other way to manifest our dormant and natural love for the Lord except to
hear the Holy Names regularly or constantly.
- Matus Kmit says:
Hari
Hari
- Matus Kmit says:
Nityaaaaananda
Gauraaaaanga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
The
more constantly and the more meditatedly one chants and hears the Holy Names,
the faster the soul will awaken the spontaneous love for the Lord which is
lying dormant from time immemorial, from the time we became conditioned in this
material world in this material body.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
“When
the form of the Lord is firmly established within the heart while chanting then
gradually the sixty-four qualities of the Lord arise within the heart and get
established there."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
“As
the Lord’s qualities fully manifest themselves, His different specific
characteristics and those of His eternal associates gradually awaken."
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
“In
this way when the Lord’s form, qualities, and characteristics are manifest in
the heart in their full splendor while chanting the Holy Names, the ultimate
transcendental pastimes of the Lord gradually appear and gradually impart the
chanter with the qualification of directly participating in those loving
pastimes with the Lord.”
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
You
see the Pastimes comes as Waves from Name, Form and Qualities
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Unless
one realizes the Name, Form and Qualities are one while chanting, the ultimate
vision of the Holy Pastimes of the Lord cannot be factually achieved.
- Matus Kmit says:
Ok
, so better step by step..
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
it is like when you see a train from far, you cannot the activates of the
people inside the train
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
You
need to come closer and closer to the train, see the form of the train, then
the features, then the people inside and then the activities
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
it is like when you see a train from far, you cannot the activates of the
people inside the train
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
You
need to come closer and closer to the train, see the form of the train, then
the features, then the people inside and then the activities
- Matus Kmit says:
Are
the 64 qualities same for Lord Gauranga-Krishna and Lord Nityananda-Balarama?
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
64
Divine Qualities of Lord Krishna and 25 Divines Qualities of Shri Radha
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
And
They combine in the form of Lord Gauranga
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
So
we have a few minutes to go for tonight's spiritual lesson, any last questions?
- Ronald McCarthy says:
Isn't quality of chanting as important as the
number of rounds?..pronouncing each word and syllable...
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
sure Ronald, if one chants with Quality, then one will want to increase the
Quantity too because one will never be satisfied with Relishing the Nectar.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Quality
does not only mean pronouncing each syllable properly Ronald, it means deeply
meditating on the transcendental meaning of each syllable and Name
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Someone
may be properly pronouncing the Holy Names but the mind is elsewhere, wandering
in the material world.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
Very
true... and that is not beneficial
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Yes,
that is not Quality Chanting or Quality Mantra Meditation
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Simply
Hearing the Name is surely beneficial though
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
But
more benefit is there when the Chanting is accompanied by Meditation on the
Meanings of the Names.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
and..by
chanting we hear it as well as meditate upon it
- Ronald McCarthy says:
This
form of meditation is different from what I was used to..and it is easy to see
that it is much more beneficial.
- Matus Kmit says:
So
Lord Gauranga has together 89 qualities and what about Lord Nityananda??
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Lord
Nityananda Balarama is most merciful Matus, but we do not find a number for His
unlimited divine qualities in the revealed scriptures.
- Ronald McCarthy says:
Thank
you, Gurudeva for this wonderful and helpful lesson. This certainly is blessing
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Thank
you all for being here.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Meet you in the next spiritual
lesson.
- Swami Gaurangapada says:
Nityananda!
Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Jaya Shrila Prabhupada, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta, Shrila
Bhaktivinoda, Shri Shri Nitai-G Bhakta Vrinda and Shri Shri Radha Krishna
Bhakta Vrinda! Jaya Jagannatha! Pranams and Blessings!