- Moving through the mystic into the light involves an internal journey of shedding the constructed self and stepping into a greater, self-aware understanding of your place in the universe.
- Mantras, when properly used, make YOUR QUIET MIND drop to a subtle level of stillness, followed by new known thought experiences in your clarified mind.
- The statement accurately describes the traditional and experienced effects of mantra practice during meditation. The repetitive nature of a mantra serves as a tool for the mind.
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Mantras that can help calm the mind include “Om,” “Om Shanti,” and “Om Namah Shivaya”. Other options are “Om Mani Padme Hum,” which enhances compassion, and the Gayatri Mantra. Alternatively, simpler affirmations like “I am at peace” or “I invite peace and calm into my life” can also be used.Traditional mantras
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Mantras are a key component in many contemplative and spiritual practices, used to focus the mind and facilitate a transition to deeper states of awareness [2, 3]. The process you described aligns with common descriptions of mantra meditation.
- Focus and Repetition: Initially, the repetition of a mantra (a word, sound, or phrase) serves to occupy the conscious mind, helping to reduce mental clutter and distract from extraneous thoughts
- (Quieting the “Monkey Mind”: The repetition provides a focal point, which helps interrupt the constant stream of distracting thoughts and negative self-talk (the “monkey mind”).
- Subtle Levels of Thinking: As the mind focuses and the repetition becomes effortless, the mantra itself fades or “self-refines,” guiding attention to quieter, more subtle levels of awareness.
- Experiencing Stillness: Eventually, the mind settles into a profound state of inner stillness, or “transcendental consciousness” (often referred to as “the gap” between thoughts), where normal mental activities cease and a deep sense of calm prevails.
- New Thought Experiences/Clarity: This deep rest and clarity allow the practitioner to access deeper layers of consciousness, which can lead to new insights, enhanced intuition, creativity, and a connection with a “universal consciousness.” These experiences are the “new known thought experiences in your clarified mind,” arising from a place of deep, non-judgmental awareness. Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond the active process of thinking the mantra and “let go of the desire to observe the stillness” to fully experience a deep, unbounded state of awareness.
- The 3-3-3 rule for anxiety is a grounding technique that helps you stay in the present moment by engaging your senses. To practice it, name three things you can see, three sounds you can hear, and then move three parts of your body. This simple exercise can interrupt anxious thoughts, release tension, and bring your focus back to the external world instead of internal worry.
- The mantra does not act as a focus for the mind as in other forms of meditation, but as a ‘vehicle’ upon which the attention gently and innocently rests. This allows the mind to settle into increasingly subtle levels of thinking, and finally the mantra itself is transcended and we settle into silence.
- There are two qualities of the Transcendental Meditation mantra that are important for this process to occur:
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It is a meaningless sound. Using a word with meaning would keep the mind on the surface, thinking about the word, and not allow it to transcend (go beyond) that level.
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Its vibration has a resonance with its source in the primordial hum (Om) close to the silent, blissful level of the mind, which gives it a tendency to fade in that direction. This attracts and charms the mind, which itself is always searching for greater happiness, so the mind settles with the mantra towards silence.