The Body Is Scared, The Body Is A Temple

 "Upasana helps one to grow spiritually and it also helps to understand that everything is Isvarah, the infinite intelligent cause of the whole universe.

Resolving the individual into the total one will see there is no more individual, this ultimately becomes jñanam and culminates in the final knowledge which is “I am Isvara” but until I totally understand the equation “tat tvam asi” That thou art, I need to gain a certain relaxation and nourishment through prayer. Repeated chanting and understanding this prayer will give this priceless nourishment." Swami Vagishananda

Transcription is below  - please excuse some typos which may be there

Sit comfortably, yet alert. So let your trunk and neck be aligned, close your eyes gently and take a deep breath to get settled down…….. ……… ……….

Now make a sankalpa to affirm your intention and commitment to meditate. Acknowledge the fact that you have many unfulfilled responsibilities and issues that need to be addressed. Since you don't want to be distracted by those things during this meditation, you can give yourself permission to set all those concerns aside just for the duration of this meditation. You can even imagine a box into which you put all your concerns, close the box and place it at your altar or anywhere else…. You can open the box and address your concerns after this meditation……….

With progressive relaxation we relax the body.

Let’s start by turning your attention to your feet. Become aware of sensations there. Notice a sense of pressure as your feet press down….. …….

Now become aware of any tension that might be held in the muscles of your feet and let go of that tension……. Allow those muscles to relax completely…….If you find it difficult to release the tension, just imagine you are breathing into them…. And they will relax….. ……

Next, turn your attention to your ankles and calves. Notice if there is a sensation  of pressure…. Notice  the touch of your clothing …. Any  warmth or coolness……Become aware of any tension held in the muscles of your ankles and calves and let go of that tension completely…… ……

Next, turn to your knees and thighs…….Notice the weight of your hands or arms where they rest on your thighs…… Notice any other sensations. ……Become aware of any tension held in your knees and thighs and let go of that tension completely…..

Next, turn to the trunk of your body. Feel the weight of your body pressing down on the seat…….Feel the firmness of the seat beneath you……. Let go of any tension……..

Next, turn to your lower back and stomach together…….. become aware of the sensations there……… Let go of any tension. If you find it difficult to let go of the tension, simply breathe into it gently….. imagine you are breathing into that tension very gently………

Now turn to your upper back and chest together……….

Become aware of sensations and let go of any tensions that are there…. ……

Become aware your neck muscles and shoulders. We tend to hold a lot of tension here. Become aware of any tension here …. let go of it completely …. If you find it difficult, breathe into it gently…….

Be aware of your arms …. Let go of any tensions you may be feeling there……

Now become aware of your face, the muscles around your eyes, at your temples and across your forehead. …..Let go of any tension.

Now become aware of your breath … just be aware … we are not regulating it. Relax and simply listen to these words, without concentrating …. Just allow the meaning of the words to take place.

………………………….

This body-mind-sense complex that you are endowed with, is a manifestation of Ishvara’s Grace …. It is sacred …. It is the home of Ishvara … it is a devalaya.

Dehah devaalayam proktah : deha is the body devalayam - is an abode of deva – who is deva – the Infinite Lord. The body, all bodies are the temple of the infinite Lord. The body is looked upon as a temple of the infinite Lord.

……………. ………. …………. Take a deep breath and let it out very slowly…..

Jiva Deva SanatanaH  …. Since time immemorial Ishwara  dwells in this temple, that we call the body…..

In this meditation…. we try to understand this truth……

…….. …….. ……… ………

Our shastra has this vision that Ishvara being the creator of this universe as well as the created universe, every part of my body is sacred because it is pervaded by Ishvara….. so a devata is associated with each and every part of the body. It is only because of ignorance that we are not alive to this reality. So we now consciously invoke their Grace by remembering them.. ….A devata is a manifestation of Ishwara, governing a specific function in the universe. In the Laghu Nyasa of Vedic Chant, the Rudram, reveals the devatas governing different aspects of this body.  

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I will be saying a few chants from this portion of the  Rudram, which points out the different devatas…. associated with the different parts…. of the body.

Through these chants we invoke the Grace of the devatas and  allow ourselves to recognize how sacred and blessed this body is.

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प्रजनने ब्रह्मा तिष्ठतु । Prajanan -In the genital organs from where all creation begins -   may the Grace of Brahma, be invoked. I see my genital organs as sacred because the grace of Brahma is here…… Unto Brahma my Salutations

पादयो-र्विष्णुस्तिष्ठतु । In my feet -  may the grace of Vishnu be invoked.  My feet are sacred. The grace of Vishnu is ever-present here…… Unto Vishnu my salutations……

हस्तयो-र्​हरस्तिष्ठतु । In my hands and all that I do with my hands … may the grace of Hara be invoked. Hara is a form of Lord Shiva….. Unto Hara my salutations….

I see that the intelligence that pervades these parts of my body is the intelligence of all the devatas, the cosmic intelligence that pervades the Universe warp and woof, like the threads that make up a fabric.

बाह्वोरिन्द्रस्तिष्टतु । In my arms, in the strength,…. the power they are capable of…. May the Grace of Indra be invoked … It is by Indra’s grace that these arms are endowed with their capacity, their strength and power. …. Unto Indra my salutations.   

जठरेऽअग्निस्तिष्ठतु । In the jaathara agini, the digestive fire that is present in the stomach …may  the Grace of Agni be invoked. And because of the grace of Agni,  this body functions. The body gets hungry and gets nourished because of the food that's digested  in the stomach by Agni’s heat. I allow myself to see this grace operating….. Unto Agni my salutations.  

हृद॑ये शिवस्तिष्ठतु । In my heart the Grace of Shiva abides…. I invoke that Grace by my remembering….    Shiva is in my heart … ever present as the sense of  ‘I am’…. Shiva means  all auspiciousness, all blessing…. and it is that all-auspiciousness, all-blessing that is ever-present in my heart…. When I can see that, it  allows me to  accept life and flow with it ……. Unto Shiva my salutations……

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कण्ठे वसवस्तिष्ठन्तु । May the Grace of eight vasus or devatas of nature  be invoke  in my throat  … because of their Grace, I can swallow, speak, sing….express myself. … Unto the Vasus, my salutations.

वक्त्रे सरस्वती तिष्ठतु । May the Grace of Saraswati, the Goddess of speech, of knowledge reside on my tongue…. With her Grace I express myself appropriately, I  receive knowledge ….I allow myself to see this…… Unto Saraswati my salutations……

नासिकयो-र्वायुस्तिष्ठतु । In my nostrils, may  the Grace of Vayu be invoked…. Whose Grace  allows the air to be inhaled and exhaled. And in this simple process with inhalation I am energized and with exhalation I relax…. Because of the Grace of Vayu, life flows in me….. Unto Vayu my salutations. …..

नयनयो-श्चन्द्रादित्यौ तिष्टेताम् । In my eyes may the  Grace of the sun and the moon be invoked. They are the luminaries that bless us with Light. It  is because of the light that I see. I see this Grace operating. …. Unto Chandra and Aditya   my salutations…..

कर्णयोरश्विनौ तिष्टेताम्  May the Grace of the twin Ashwini Kumars be invoked in my ears – it is because of their Grace that these ears are blessed with the capacity to listen, to hear, to absorb, to understand. The twin Ashwini Kumars are the Vedic Gods symbolizing the rising and setting sun. They are associated with bringing treasures and medicines to man. I see their Grace because of which I am able to listen. ……Unto the Ashwini Kumaras my salutations……

ललाटे रुद्रास्तिष्ठन्तु । In my fore-head may  the presence of the many Rudras, their Grace be invoked….. Unto the Rudras my salutations …..

मूर्थ्न्यादित्यास्तिष्ठन्तु । In the back of  my forehead, may  the blessings of the 12 Aditiyas, the solar deities, be invoked. May they bless me. Unto the Adityas my salutations……

शिरसि महादेवस्तिष्ठतु । In my head the Grace of  Mahadeva be invoked…. Om Mahadevaya namah…..

शिखायां-वाँमदेवास्तिष्ठतु । In the back of my head, the portion where the Shikha is, may i the presence of Vamadeva be invoked…. Om Vaamadevaaya Namah….

पृष्ठे पिनाकी तिष्ठतु । my entire back… is presided… by Pinaki.. referring to Shiva holding his bow….. He holds power, He holds and wills maya saktih . Unto Pinaki my salutations……

पुरतः शूली तिष्ठतु । The entire front is presided by Shuli,  who is Lord Shiva bearing the Trishula…. Unto Shuli my salutations……

पार्​श्वयोः शिवाशङ्करौ तिष्ठेताम् ।  My left side, my right side are presided over by Shiva and Shankara. Unto Shiva and Shankara my Salutations……..

सर्वतो वायुस्तिष्ठतु । May the Grace of all-pervading Vayu be invoked in every cell of the body and outside the body. May I see His all-pervading Grace at all times. Unto Vayu my Salutations …….

ततो बहिः सर्वतोऽग्नि-र्ज्वालामाला-परिवृतस्तिष्ठतु । When I recognize how Ishvara pervades both the outside and this entire body-mind-complex,  it is like Ishvara as the fire of knowledge pervading the entire creation in endless sacred circles of fire

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सर्वेष्वङ्गेषु सर्वा देवता यथास्थानं तिष्ठन्तु । May all the devatas abide in  their respective parts … so that I am alive to their Grace in all my angas, in each and  every part of my body.

माम् रक्षन्तु । May all the devatas protect me …. By gracing me with the capacity to recognize them and not take them for granted. ….. Unto all the Devatas my salutations…..

सर्वान् महान् जनान् रक्शन्तु  may all the people mahan janaan the protectors of Dharma may they all be protected,  to do fulfil their role in this great cosmic offering.

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In this vision my body mind sense complex is scared. I can accept this body-mind as it is…... This body is a Devalaya,…. it is a temple presided over by all the devatas, filled with their Grace, pervaded with their blessings……I can invoke their grace by choosing dharma in what I do……

With Shiva, all auspiciousness, ever-present in my heart, this body is an ever-flowing manifestation of grace,  of auspiciousness ….. ….. …… May I be alive to this reality. May this body be a temple for me…. In whom all auspiciousness resides… because Shiva is in my heart…... When this vision is there, there is auspiciousness.

I try and see this vision again and again…. The very fact that I try is also nothing but Ishvara’s Grace. …..

I see clearly that it is Ishvara’s intelligence, the cosmic intelligence because of which this body-mind-sense complex functions…. …… ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …… ….. …… …… …… ….. …… …….

Ishvara is in my heart and the body is a temple. … it is sacred ….. it is all Ishvara …..I see this…. …. ….. ….

Om….. Om….. Om…..

Shri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram

Om Shantih Shantih Shantih

Aids to Japa - Swami Tadatmananda

Mantra Japa is generally done silently, although it can be helpful chant aloud. When chanting silently, your mind will naturally be more susceptible to distractions.  There are several ways to minimise this problem. One way is to recite your mantra more rapidly, when your mind begins to wander. By speeding up, your attention will become more intensely focused. After a minute or so, you can return to your normal speed. Another method is to recite the mantra more loudly or forcefully in your mind. This is done by simply imagining the voice in your mind to get louder.  After your attention is again fixed on the mantra, you can return to your normal level.

About Mantra Japa - Swami Tadatmananda

Below is a transcription of the above video

An alambana, is a suitable object of meditation, on which you concentrate your attention. Of all the alambanas commonly used for meditation, mantras are perhaps used more extensively than any other. Mantras are sacred invocations, usually in the ancient Sanskrit language that are repeated mentally for meditation.

The word japa means recitation or repetition. Mantra japa is one of the most widely used meditation techniques, probably because it's extremely powerful. And yet it's quite simple to practice. The meaning of the word mantra, derived from its syllables ‘man’ and ‘tra’ is a tool or instrument for the mind. Mantras are mental devices for focusing your attention.

The purpose of focusing your attention on a mantra or any other object of meditation is to reach Dhyana, the 7th of the eight limbs, or angas of yoga, defined by Patanjali. Dhyana simply means meditation. According to Patanjali, Dhyana is the result of practicing concentration. Dhyana prepares you for the final limb samadhi absorption.

Patanjali defines Dhyana as तत्र प्रत्यैकतानता ध्यानम्। a continual stream of identical thoughts -tatra on that on the alambana, which means a stream of thoughts directed towards the object of meditation. Dharana is a series of identical thoughts, or vrittis, an unbroken flow that's not interrupted by extraneous thoughts. When practicing mantra japa, dhyana is a state in which your attention is focused on the mantra alone, without any distractions whatsoever. Another definition of Dhyana used by traditional teachers is sajatiya vritti pravaha, literally a current or flow of identical vritti or thoughts.

They describe the state using a striking metaphor. Suppose you pour cooking oil from a vessel. If you pour it slowly and steadily, it will form a delicate ribbon of oil that appears to be motionless, like a solid band of liquid suspended in space. Even though the oil inside the ribbon is constantly moving, the ribbon itself seems perfectly still. This example is used to describe the state of Dhyana. When a perfectly steady stream of identical thoughts flows in your mind, you'll ironically experience it as a state of stillness, for example, while practicing mantra japa. If each mantra is followed by an identical mantra without any deviation or interruption, you'll feel a sense of deep silence. It's a wonderful feeling.

In meditation workshops, I'm often asked which mantra is best. If one particular mantra was truly more powerful and effective than any other, this question could be easily answered. But the fact is, there's no such thing as a best mantra. On the other hand, there are Vedic mantras and mantras from other ancient scriptures like the Puranas. There are short mantras and long mantras. There are mantras that incorporate sacred sound symbols, and mantras that invoke God with thousands of different names. None of these mantras can be considered best, yet each has its unique qualities.

To help us explore the relative merits of all these mantras, let's return to the elephant story. A mahout leads his elephant to a rural construction site where it'll help move heavy trees and boulders. On the way, they have to pass through a bazaar filled with stalls overflowing with various fruits and vegetables being sold. The mahout wants to prevent the elephant from reaching out with its trunk to grab a bunch of bananas. So before they even reach the bazaar, he gives the elephant a stick to grasp with its trunk. The elephant obediently holds onto the stick, and this clever trick prevents it from grabbing any bananas.

Like the mahout gives his elephant a stick to grasp, in the practice of mantra japa, you give your mind a mantra to repeat, and that prevents your mind from wandering.

Now, based on this analogy, asking which mantra is best for meditation is like asking what kind of stick is best for the elephant. Should the mahout give it an elegantly carved piece of sandalwood or a costly silver plated stick? In fact, neither of those would restrain the elephant's trunk any better than an ordinary stick picked up from the roadside. The elephant doesn't really care about what kind of stick it's given. It has no preference.

The mahout, on the other hand, would certainly prefer a silver plated stick rather than an ordinary stick, or even one of carved sandalwood. The mahout's preference for one stick over another represents our preference for one mantra over another. In principle, any mantra will work just fine. Yet we're naturally inclined to choose a mantra we think is best or most valuable. That's really significant, because the more valuable we perceive something to be, the more tightly we'll hold on to it. An ordinary scrap of paper will quickly be thrown away, but not a $100 bill.

For this reason, a mantra you consider valuable will hold your attention better than one you consider ordinary. So a mantra's effectiveness depends in part on how valuable you think it is. But what is it that truly determines a mantra's value?

Every traditional mantra possesses shakti, an inherent power or capacity that we'll discuss shortly. But what if you lack the knowledge needed to evaluate and appreciate the shakti of a particular mantra? Its value isn't obvious, it has to be discovered. For example, a dilapidated old chair might look like a useless piece of junk to you, but someone who's an expert in antique furniture might know that it's worth several hundred dollars. So to misquote an old saying, value is in the eye of the beholder. This principle is clearly shown by a traditional story about a young student who approached a guru and asked to be given a mantra.

The guru said, Come back next month. A month later, the student returned. But the guru said once again, come back next month. Each time the student returned, he was told to wait one more month. After twelve long years had passed in this way, the guru finally gave him a mantra.

Why did the guru make him wait so long? Well, if he got a mantra immediately, the immature student might have assumed that anything obtained so easily must be quite ordinary and of little value. With that attitude he would have found it more difficult to concentrate on the mantra in spite of its inherent power or shakti. The long wait made his dedication grow strong and when the mantra was finally given, he received it as a precious gift.

Having to wait a long time instilled in him a tremendous value for the mantra and that helped him concentrate on it. This story shows how your attitude towards the mantra determines in part how effective it will be as an aid for concentrating your attention.

Another example of this principle is seen in a well-known spiritual organization that charges a fee for giving you a mantra. No traditional guru would demand payment for a mantra. So why is this done? One reason might be that the organization is guided by a familiar western saying you get what you pay for. A mantra that's given freely could be considered worthless, but if you have to pay for it, you're likely to consider it more valuable. Charging a fee or making you wait twelve years are methods used to instill in the minds of meditators, significant value for the mantras they are given. But most gurus have no need for methods like these. Instead, when they give you a mantra, they also teach you the mantra's true value, the value born of its inherent power, its shakti.

Traditional mantras possess an inherent power or capacity to attract your attention during meditation. That capacity is the mantra's shakti, it's power. Several factors are responsible for that shakti.

First of all, traditional mantras are drawn from highly revered sacred scriptures. And most of those mantras are short invocations or prayers addressed to various aspects of God. Any form of prayer connects us to a power infinitely greater than ourselves. And that infinite power is invoked when traditional mantras are used for meditation.

In modern times, a number of non-traditional mantras have also been used. An American physician named Herbert Benson researched the use of mantra japa in clinical settings. He instructed his test subjects to repeat the word one as a mantra. Another example is the spiritual organization mentioned before that gives mantras they themselves describe as being meaningless syllables. In both cases, a deliberate effort was made to remove any religious elements from the practice of mantra japa to create a purely secular practice. It's certainly possible to concentrate your attention on the word one or on meaningless syllables. But those mantras are not prayers and as a result they fail to connect you to the infinite power of the divine source of the universe.

According to Patanjali, mantras should be meaningful. In the yoga sutras he prescribes that a mantra's meaning should be reflected upon during mantra japa. He says तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम्। taj-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam| A mantra should be repeated and tad aratha bhavanam -its meaning should be contemplated upon.

Traditional mantras have profound meanings worthy of deep reflection, and knowing the meaning of a mantra will increase your value for it, making it more effective, as we discussed before. On the other hand, reciting a mantra without knowing its meaning can lead to mindless mechanical repetition, which is a serious problem for the practice of mantra japa.

Fortunately, most mantras aren't difficult to understand. Many follow a common pattern. That pattern usually begins with om, a sound symbol that represents God or absolute reality. As explained before, many mantras also include the word namah, which is generally translated as salutations. Namah is derived from a Sanskrit root that means to bend or bow. So namah suggests bowing with reverence, or with an attitude of surrender. Due to rules of grammar, namah often becomes namo, namas, or namah, depending on the word that follows it. The most important word in a traditional mantra is a name for a particular deity, a form or manifestation of God. When that deity's name is joined to the word namah, its ending is changed to mean salutations unto that deity. For example, om nama shivaya means salutations unto Shiva. Om namo Narayanaya means salutations unto Narayana, a name for Vishnu. Any of the thousands of Sanskrit names for various aspects of God can be used in a mantra.

Most mantras are quite short. Some have just three words, like in the previous example. Others, including the well known, Gayatri mantra, are longer. Mantras of all lengths are effective, but for beginning meditators, short mantras might be easier to use at first. On the other hand, longer mantras demand more attention, and they can sometimes be more effective in preventing your mind from wandering, even though they're more difficult to learn.

Practically speaking, if your mind wanders a lot with a short mantra, try using a longer one. The mantra om alone is usually not recommended for mantra japa for several reasons, including the fact that it's too short. Your mind can easily lose hold of it and wander away. Some mantras include one or more sound symbols known as seed syllables or bijaksharas. These are syllables like SHRIIM, HRIIM and AIM. These seed syllables are often associated with particular deities. For example, SHRIIM usually represents Lakshmi, goddess of wealth is associated with prosperity. HRIIM represents  Durga, the  goddess of power. And AIM is used for Saraswati, goddess of knowledge.

A mantra has shakti, not just because it's a prayer from a sacred scripture, but also because of the very sounds of its Sanskrit words. Sanskrit is called Deva bhasha, the language of the gods, and it's believed to be of divine origin. For this reason, Sanskrit mantras are revered as sacred sounds. Even if you don't accept this belief, Sanskrit is indeed an extraordinary language. It's an ancient scriptural language not derived from any other. It has a precise system of pronunciation, a vast vocabulary and an unusually sophisticated grammar. All of these qualities make Sanskrit,  unique among the world's languages and perfectly suited for Mantras.

Nididhyasana - Contemplation Steps

 

In Mundaka Upanishad, the following verse can be used for contemplation. 

दिव्यो ह्यमूर्तः पुरुषः स बाह्याभ्यन्तरो ह्यजः ।

अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो ह्यक्षरात् परतः परः ॥ Mundaka Upanishad २.1.1॥

He is the self-luminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure and higher than the supreme Imperishable.

Here the rishi reveals divyah amurtah purushah - purushah the conscious being, the truth of who you are, is divyah shining consciousness, amurtaH formless- that which has no form, that which has no edge or boundary and there therefore sah bahya- abhyantarah it is present bahya outside and abhyantarah within – meaning it is all pervasive, it is inside and outside, he indeed it is ajah – unborn.

Atmabodha verse number 32 picks up from the Mundaka Upanishad saying

अमनस्त्वान्न मे दुःखरागद्वेषभयादयः।
अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्र इत्यादिश्रुतिशासनात्।। Atmabodha 33।।

I am other than the mind and hence, I am free from sorrow, attachment, malice and fear, for “HE is without breath and without mind, Pure, etc.”, is the revelation of the great scripture, the Upanishads.

This Atmabodha verse is for contemplation. It is pointing out, that conscious being, (meaning you), is apranah free from prana, independent of prana, hi amanah free from the mind, independent of mind, shubrah shining, pure, utterly unaffected by the defects of prana and mind. And he indeed is aksharat parataha parah beyond everything,  transcendent.

In contemplation or nididhyasana we address the habitual identification. For example, one can feel I am getting old. Age is reflected in prana, in the body. I have conceptually understood that I am sat-cit-ananda atma. However habitual identification with the body, with prana being there - it is to be addressed.

So the first step is to identify which habitual identification one wants to address. Here as an example, it is the feeling of being older.

The next step would be to take to a meditative practice that quiets the mind. What works for me is simple observing and resolving whatever is observed in Ishvara. Then the mind becomes very still, silent.

The next step is to reflect on that silence. Right now, the experience is of being older. However in that silence is there any age, any feeling of being older? In that silence, there's no oldness, there's no age, there's no birth, death, there's no time. So these few moments of silence gives one the opportunity to confirm what we have conceptually understood and ascertained to be true. 

With thanks to Swami Tadatmananda for pointing out these three steps of contemplation. 

Om Tat Sat