Welcome to Day 7 of our 40-Day Retreat, 2008.
We are in an exciting phase…but I’m sure the entire retreat will be exciting…where the subject is “Mantra.” It is a subject very dear to my heart, because I believe it’s a very powerful tool in the human experience. I think it’s misunderstood too.
Mantra is a powerful technique
The mantra is a very powerful technique, a universal technique. Mantra is not just a prayer; it is a technique that works in many dimensions. Yesterday I was trying to show you how to use mantra as a tool for developing concentration and for holding yourself in the present moment. And I said that one of the sublime meanings of mantra is “that which protects you” or “that which saves you.”
I was very happy with the response yesterday, where people became very excited about the practice. Today I want to take it to another level.
Our Consciousness can expand infinitely
What I want to say to you…which I’d really like you to think about…is that our Consciousness has the potential to expand infinitely. That quality of our Being…to be aware, to be consciousness…has the power to expand itself infinitely. It has the power of omniscience, omnipresence. But this is difficult to understand when you are identified with the human body.
Identifying with the human body…the Consciousness that has the potential to be so expansive…thinks it is this fragile human body. So in our Being, in our Consciousness, we need to go into a more expansive awareness. In fact that is the goal of meditation, that is the journey to Self Realization…it is an expansion in Consciousness, and expansion in Being.
The Expanding and Contracting Qualities of Consciousness
The amazing thing, the powerful thing, is that the Consciousness has the quality of contracting into whatever it identifies with, and has the quality to expand infinitely if it begins to identify with that place inside that is infinite. And the place of ‘Guru inside’ is that infinite space.
I want to hold this thought in your mind, this idea, this principle, “that my Consciousness can contract to wherever I put it, wherever I take it”…into an emotion of anger that limits me, into the emotion of thinking or the feeling that “I am the body”…which again limits me.
And it can become very expansive in the feeling that “I am at Oneness with my Universe. I can connect with all Beings in the Universe; I can connect with the collective energy of our Universe”. And in that way it becomes expansive.
Mantra – used to Journey to that Inner Consciousness
This is important because we are so heavily identified with the idea that “I am this body. So I’m only here in this location, but the truth is, our Inner Being can go beyond this body; it can experience life beyond this body. I can experience a connection with a person in Australia even though I’m situated here in Trinidad. Mantra can take us on that journey into that inner Consciousness.
And we have been learning that the mantra ‘Guru’ is a powerful tool for taking us inside. And I’ve been saying to you that ‘Ru’ in Guru identifies with that expansive Being. And the ‘Gu’ in Guru is the limitation.
Guru Principle Operating in Human Instruments
When the Guru Gita…which is the book of wisdom on the Guru Principle…speaks about Guru, it speaks about this expansive state inside…not a physical body. The book of wisdom will challenge us to see that Principle operating in human instruments – whom we call “Gurus”. But not limited by those human individuals. The Guru Principle is so great.
The challenge for all of us, which I’m sure I’ll explain later on, is that even when we see the Principle at work in a human being, we have to open our awareness to know that it is the Universe that is operating through the human being…that’s important to know.
In the Western world with think… “Guru is a person”…in the philosophy of Guru Gita it says “Guru is not the person, Guru is a Principle operating in the person and there’s an essential difference.” When we think of the person as Guru, we are thinking in limited terms. If we think of the Principle that is operating in the person as Guru, then we think in expansive terms.
Today’s Practice
This mantra “Guru”, challenges us to think in an expansive way and that will bring us into the practice of today. I’m going to give you another practice of mantra which can take you even deeper than yesterday.
Yesterday the practice was to remain in focus, to identify… “Gu-ru, Gu-ru, Gu-ru” or if you use the power word of Om the primordial sound… “Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru” as a tool to hold you in the present and to develop your concentration, so you become identified with the speaking of the mantra and that is very good.
Repeating the Mantra Aloud
Someone was asking me yesterday, “Should we repeat the mantra aloud? What is the difference?”...I said yes, you can. But it’s not every time that you can repeat a mantra aloud everywhere that you are. You don’t want to draw the attention of everybody where you are by repeating the mantra aloud. If you can, fine.
When you repeat the mantra aloud, it holds you a little more in terms of your attention; it grounds you a little more in saying it. But it limits your awareness of what you are doing, so you become just the person who is saying it… “Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru.”
And certainly when the mind is very wayward, when the mind is all over the place, then that kind of technique of saying it aloud is important… “Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru, Om Gu-ru.” …and it becomes a very powerful tool in grounding you.
Of course, if you think of a technique, you can use any word, even if you say “ha ho, ha ho, ha ho.” It can hold you in the present…that’s fine. But Guru allows you a huge subject to contemplate. Maybe you can also put meaning to “ha ho, ha ho, ha ho” and it becomes important.
But “Guru” is given a huge meaning that allows us to contemplate.
Mantra energy has power in the atmosphere
Also when so many people have been repeating a certain word, when so many people have been identified with a certain Principle, that energy is in the emotional and mental field of the Universe.
When we repeat this word, we are tuning into that collective energy that also supports us. So when you’re repeating ancient mantras, ancient formulas, you’re tuning into an energy that has been invested by people over hundreds of years and sometimes even thousands of years.
Some of these ancient formulas that were repeated by people over the years…they have power in the atmosphere. We may not be able to see that, but I was saying yesterday to our group, that if you were to bring a television here and tune it in, then you pick up what is being transmitted from a television station, the waves are right here. When we turn on the television set, we pick them up.
There are many waves of information right in our field here…and a wave is an energy. But only when we tune in…then we can pick it up. So when you repeat ancient formulas, you can tune into the energy that is in the Collective and that is amazing.
Guru Gita – Verse
I’m going to read to you another verse of Guru Gita and then I’ll take you in today’s practice. So it gives you another verse to contemplate. It says…
Guru Raadiranaadishca
Guruh Param Daivatam
Guru Mantra Samo Naasti
Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.
Guru Raadiranaadishca…means that Guru is first and foremost. And Guru is without beginning. So that challenges us to go into a deeper concept of Guru. And it says the mantra “Guru mantra”…Samo Naasti…that there is nothing higher than this mantra, it’s a supreme mantra. This mantra has been invested with so much power… “Gu”, “ru” a 2 syllable mantra. And it says… Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah…“I offer salutations to that Guru Principle.”
Using the breathe with the Mantra
“Guru” is a very powerful mantra. Yesterday I was showing you how to use it in your meditation…to use it with your breathing. And one of the techniques of bringing the mind into control and being able to manage the energy of your Consciousness is to co-ordinate the mantra with the breath.
Breathing out, you repeat part of the mantra or the whole mantra and breathing in, you repeat part of the mantra or the whole mantra. It’s exciting that when you repeat ‘Gu’ with the out-breath, ‘Gu’ stands for the limitation in this case, so you’re surrendering, you’re letting go and you’re cleansing, your out-breath is cleansing. When you repeat ‘ru’ with the in-breath, it’s expansive, it’s the Light, ‘ru’ stands for the Light. So you can develop a very effective practice just by repeating the mantra “Gu ru”, breathing out ‘Gu’, breathing in ‘ru’.
But what is even more exciting is that the sound of the breathe even allows you to listen to the breath as “Gu” and as “ru”. “Gu” (breathing out), “ru” (breathing in) and you get a very effective practice using “Gu” and “ru” with the breath.
Identifying with the Witness
Now the important thing is this…today I want you to identify with the Witness inside of you…the one who is observing…and that’s a very powerful inner posture. Now this opens up the Consciousness when you think of “Witness.”
When you think of just repeating “Gu-ru, Gu-ru, Gu-ru”, you can be in limitation…though you are creating concentration, you can be in limitation. When you think of Witness, then you think of listening and you think of observing…and that expands your Consciousness, your inner space. So the Witness must come into the experience.
SIn today’s practice when we go into the practice of the meditation, I’d like you to repeat “Gu” with the out-breath, “ru” with the in-breath…but listen, observe everything that is happening. You’re cleansing with the out-breath, you’re identifying with the expansive Being with the in-breath.
Guru Raadiranaadishca, is first and foremost without beginning….that is the “ru”.
Guruh Param…Guru is the Supreme Deity. So we identify with that Supreme One.
Guruh Param Daivatam…so we identify with the Supreme Deity within us.
The Supreme Deity means that very expansive Consciousness where everything comes from, that is Supreme.
Honoring “Guru” Inside of us
Now when we think of Deity, we think of an object of honoring, an object of what some may call worship. If you think of that expansive Consciousness of “ru” inside of you in “Guru”, that is worthy of being honoured. So when you breathe in ‘ru’, you think of that expansive consciousness. Now what happens here is that you’re not caught in a kind of limited practice like military… “Gu-ru, Gu-ru, Gu-ru”…now you’re caught in a beautiful expansive space of Being where mantra goes on within you. You can hear the movement of breath, you can listen to the sound of “Gu” and “ru” and you can feel the expansive space of peace and love. That adds another dimension to mantra, a very expansive dimension to repeating the mantra.
Post- Meditation Remarks:
I hope I have given you a lot of food for contemplation and practice. May you realize the greatness of this ancient practice. It is a powerful psychological and spiritual tool to empower our minds and to liberate our Spirit.
May the blessings of the Infinite be upon us all.
