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Go
Deeper into
Meditation
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Chanting
Quiets the Mind
from Wave
of the Sea: Chants of Yogananda, Kriyananda, and Ancient India
The purpose
of chanting is to quiet the mind and prepare it for meditation.
As a means of accomplishing this monumental task chanting stands
alone. As Yogananda put it, "Chanting is half the battle."
If we practice chanting with the consciousness intention of going
deep in meditation, it can take us very deep very quickly.
By first chanting
out loud with lots of enthusiasm, the physical, mental, and emotional
energies are engaged. As the chanting becomes quieter, we are drawn
away from the outward perimeter of our consciousness into a more
inward state of mind: Our many thoughts become drawn to a focus
on the one thought of God, the body becomes still, the heart beats
more slowly, the breath becomes nearly imperceptible—all attention
is focused at the spiritual eye.
As the chanting
draws to a conclusion, the words and music have moved from being
an external experience to an internal one; there is a dynamic stillness
that can be tangibly felt. At this crucial moment, we have the opportunity
to take the vibration set up by the chanting and dive deep into
meditation.
Talking or physical
movement of any kind can collapse the delicate vibration that has
been set up by the music, destroying the subtle, but very real,
effect that chanting has created. If we think of chanting as a
part of meditation, and not as something that happens before
the real meditation begins, it is easy to set the scene so
that individuals meditating alone or groups of people meditating
together can receive the full benefit. Prayers, an introduction
to the proceedings, even the double breathing and tensing and relaxing
exercises can be done before the chanting begins so that [you] can
go directly from chanting into the silence of meditation.
Back to: How
to Chant
Back to:
Techniques to Enhance Your Practice
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