Regular Practice Options

Here we have representatives of different disciplines. I primarily practice Qigong, or at least I do Qigong exercises daily. Other members may have another form of practice, be it some form of meditation, making offerings, the Middle Pillar, LBRP, etc. It requires self discipline and motivation to begin or to maintain. There are armchair magicians of course, but this is considered somewhat insulting to be called an armchair magician. Practicing regularly and building up practical experience is a key part of developing as a master or adept. Yes, some people are naturally gifted but it only takes you so far, sorry. You still have to practice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dumbells.gif)


What I was thinking is that we post some tips about what works for you. Tell us how you began a regular practice (if you do so), and how you manage to maintain it. You might want to post something that inspired you to continue or to start. I am hoping that there will be some constructive suggestions that will be useful to others. I will add my two cents, but I thought I would let someone start off; how do you do it? What works for you?

Interesting stuff, Vagrant. A few questions, if you have the time::

I do japa usually three times a day - on the way to work, right before eating lunch, and on my way home - and I chant constantly in my mind while doing any kind of session.

What mantra do you use in this japa and chanting? I'm interested in the practice of japa, but I'm having a difficult time finding in-depth - or instructional - material.

Because of this ongoing process of attempting to maintain constant awareness and concentration on the flow of energy [...] Originally I simply took out time every day as often as I could to open myself up to the flow of energy.

Can you expand on what you mean by "flow of energy"?

Interesting stuff, Vagrant. A few questions, if you have the time::
What mantra do you use in this japa and chanting? I'm interested in the practice of japa, but I'm having a difficult time finding in-depth - or instructional - material.

In the morning I chant Gayatri Mantram, at midday the Apadamapa, and in the evening Asatoma Sat Gamaya. During sessions I chant the Apadamapa mentally.

Gayatri because I am communicating to the universe, and to myself, "please allow me to become more enlightened this day" essentially. The apadamapa because I work in a healing profession, and I chant this as a way of asking "allow those that come to me today to recieve healing". Asatoma Sat Gamaya is a mantram of deliverance, at the end of the day to say "please allow me to be freed from the illusions I have created today."

I have been told two things about japa. The first is that mantram, like a hymnal, is not supposed to be spoken thoughtlessly, but willfully, as though you are saying something devotional to the Gods themselves, with love and joy. If your heart is sincere in this, I was instructed, then you will benefit from mantram even if you say it once - but it is better to do repetitions for several reasons, the least of which is that the sounds themselves are intended to affect the spiritual body.

The other bit I was told, was that there is no way to teach the use of mantram in depth at all - that you must make a mantra part of you before you can ever 'use' it at all. It changes you over time, and then becomes a tangible part of you that you can draw upon for the qualities it embodies.

I cannot say that I am to the point where my chosen mantra are a part of me, but saying them, or singing them, now, gives me joy and fills me with calm, compassion, and a sense of closeness to the universe, and that was not true for the first year or so of fairly dedicated practice.

So my suggestion is that you find a mantra, just one to start with, that resonates with you in a real way - don't stop searching until you KNOW you found it - and begin with that one. Play with the cadence, the intonation, and the melody if you want to sing it. Some schools of thought in vedic tradition make it clear there is a very precise way to recite a mantra - other schools of thought consider this a very personal thing as each of us has not so much a unique spirit, as a unique 'key' to that spirit.

Can you expand on what you mean by "flow of energy"?

This is used interchangeably with The Force, but what I specifically mean is the current of causality that connects everything (which is within 'the force' as manifestation of the work implied by the word 'force'). The current of energy that is animating your body and mind right now, is part of the same current that initiated the creation of the universe as we know it. It is a part of the current that will eventually include - or already does include - the end of the universe as we know it. It is on the one hand a literal kinetic current in the scientific sense, and on the other an overarching spiritual continuity as well. From one 'angle' this causal chain is a current flowing through the present moment, or perhaps we are moving along that chain, either way it is a unifying Force. Meditation on this current, for me, helps to initiate an altered state of consciousness. Really, meditation on anything eternal or intemporal is sufficient to trigger the expansion of awareness and consciousness - for me this is something that can be made really really vast or fairly localized and still capture a quality of transcendental existence.

Hopefully that clarifies rather than confuses.

peace