In my last message I wrote about how
focusing on a sacred word or phrase
(called a mantra or mantram in some
traditions) can help quiet the mind
during meditation. However, the
power of the mantram expands when
you carry it out of your meditation
time and into your day to day life.
Do you ever experience impatience
while in a long line at the store?
Anger over another person's
behavior? Do you ever feel hurt by
the apparent indifference or
inconsideration of family and
friends?
In the past,
when you felt such emotions arising
you probably allowed them to sweep
you away into minutes or hours of
self-inflicted misery. With the
mantram, however, every inner
experience, from boredom to
irritation to rage, becomes an
opportunity to create peace within
yourself.
As we discussed yesterday, your
mantram is a sacred word or phrase
that you return to again and again
as a form of mind training.
Choose it with
some care because it will hereafter
be the boat that will carry you
gracefully over the choppy waters of
life.
[Let me say; however, that if you
are the sort of person who would
normally allow a task like choosing
a mantram become an impediment to
ever actually using one, recognize
your indecision as a trick of the
ego and just force yourself to pick
something. Get started. Ghandi
used the word "Rama" (Sanskrit for
"Lord") as his mantram, and Eknath
Easwaran, one of my favorite
meditation teachers, says "you can't
go wrong with Rama!" So if you're
stuck, just go with that.]
The mantram is
a way of calling the Divine into
your life moment to moment. In a
sense, each time your inner voice
speaks the Holy Name you are
clearing out the clutter and making
a space for peace.
Next time you find yourself waiting,
washing dishes, walking or doing any
other mindless activity, turn
inward. Begin silently repeating
your mantram.
If you find
yourself struggling to fall asleep,
reach for the mantram instead of
sleeping tablets. When you are
tempted to send off an angry note or
email to someone, get out your
journal and write your mantram fifty
times. When you think your partner
or child is going to send you over
the edge, head outside and take a
brisk walk, repeating the mantram
with each step.
The mantram calls your attention to
what really matters. It reminds you
that you are more than your volatile
emotions. It opens your heart to
the truth that each one of us, every
messy and imperfect person on the
planet, belongs to one family--the
family of God.
You never
know when the
next occasion will arise to disturb
your inner peace (usually, you won't
have to wait long!) But using the
mantram is a way to remind yourself
that you are called to be a channel
of love for yourself and others.
If you would like to delve more
deeply into the potential of the
mantram or sacred word to transform
your life, my favorite books on this
subject are
The Mantram Handbook and
Meditation by Eknath Easwaran
and
Open Mind, Open Heart by
Thomas Keating.
In the next message, Kim will offer
you another powerful meditation
tool. Until then, peace to you.
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