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Introduction to Mantra

MANTRA

Heard by the rishis in a state of complete absorption with the absolute, Mantra is the complete revelation of Consciousness to itself.

Vibration

Take anything in the manifest universe, whether that is a bird, or a table; whether it is color, light, or sound; all of it, ultimately, is vibration. On a fundamental level, that is to say, the end point, where no further parsing or breaking down is possible, the manifest universe is vibration or energy.

This is considered fact by modern science through the discovery and innovation in the fields of quantum physics and technology. But what is a relatively recent discovery, made some time within the third quarter of a century-old field, is one of the cornerstones of Yoga, a holistic system of practice and philosophy aimed at the realization of Truth (bodha) and liberation (moksha).

Mantra is a form of this realization. Brought on by the relaxation, opening and expansion of their awareness, the rishis and great yoginis became immersed in the Truth. By cultivating stillness and silence, they were able to hear the One Consciousness, communicating, or speaking through all creation in the language of vibration. Mantras are the sounds that carry the subtle vibrations heard by the sages that reveal aspects of Consciousness.

Sarasvati: Desire & Creation

The One ultimate field that is reality, and the vibrations that arise and subside within it, cannot be separated from another, just as waves cannot be separated from the ocean. Consciousness displays an innate desire to revel in its own perfection. Infinite, whole, and free, it delights in itself through manifestation. The desire to know itself causes Consciousness to body forth into creation, vibrating various aspects of itself. Mantras contain these vibrations.

Of these vibrations certain ones are more fundamental to Consciousness; these particular vibrations are mantras that we call Divine Names.

Through the repetition of the mantra, awareness becomes suffused with the qualities, sensation, mood and feeling tone of the vibration. The anthropomorphization of the subtle vibration gives expression to the experience of mantra as conscious, or acting in this world.

Sarasvati is the creative aspect of Consciousness. It is the name or mantra that holds the creative essence which gives rise to the Universe. Personified in the female form, she is attended by a swan, dressed in white, seated on a lotus of the same color, and in her multiple hands she holds a veena, the Vedas, and mala. As vibration herself, she is both the esoteric form of the universe (vibration) and the power behind all mantras. To practice mantra is to seek the power of Sarasvati to reveal the truth.

Power of Mantra

The power of mantra to reveal truth lies in its ability to take us beyond the confines of our thinking mind. Etymologically, mantra is a composite of the words manas or mind, and tra which means tool of protection. Mantra is a tool that protects from identification with the mind, that is to say, from mind-created suffering.

Mantra sadhana is a way out of the mind-world we have become permanent residents of. This world is built on the concepts and images we have of reality, of others, and our own selves; concepts which are themselves products of our biological and socio-cultural conditioning. Mind-created suffering is caused when we mistakenly believe our representations for reality itself. Failing to see all that stands between us and the unique revelation reality presents in the moment, our concepts and beliefs, even the most innocent or altruistic ones, keep us from real connection, and experiencing the underlying perfection in every moment.

Through the repetition of mantra, awareness opens out of the contracted state of the thinking mind, into the ever-flowing, vibrational field of Awareness, recognizing that in truth, that there are no objects. Objects only exist in the mind. In reality, there is only vibration. And if there are no objects, there is no separation. The truth of our Being is the truth of all Being, that it is Being itself-- the One Consciousness, vibrating out of its desire to know itself.

Embodiment & Devotion

Because our hearing is the most subtle of all our senses, through sound we are able to move beyond the surface of our experience. It does so by calling the whole of the body-mind and the whole of the heart-mind. We have experienced the power of sound to evoke movement, memory, emotion, and that sense of spaciousness, openness and flow, all at once. Sound has the capacity to attune us to what is beyond the range of hearing, beyond the audible vibration, by calling the whole of our being. By entraining the different “parts” of us, we come into a fuller presence, and a higher intelligence, greater receptiveness, and capacity for deeper listening / knowing comes online. When that sound carries subtle vibrations, the way that mantras do, we can have, through a dedicated practice, a visceral experience of the wholeness of reality just beneath the surface.

The sweetness and full power of mantra sadhana is reserved, as it were, for the end of the practice, which is beyond words, because, as it were, it is the end of all compulsive thinking. When we first initiate a relationship with a mantra, our repetitions create some distance from the stories we tell about ourselves and others. Suspended and as it were, free, we shift from doing to being. And in this space we are truly intimate with whatever arises at that moment-- neither denying and grasping; out of the spaciousness of our own Being experienced in that moment, we allow; we allow with a very quiet joy, that arises from a deep, however brief, knowing. And it is from this spaciousness, that the Self comes through, to meet, truly meet, whatever it is as it is, and as it needs to be met at that time. The “action” that flows through you from this place feels intuitive, spontaneous, organic, and inspired.

Over time, this knowing sets into full recognition. That what is perceived is you appearing as that, in that moment. And even more, that spaciousness is the very You, within which everything that vibrates is held, held in loving awareness. Notice, it is only the mind that judges; awareness remains open, attentive, and spacious for everything.

The innate desire of Consciousness to know and to revel in itself is Love. Through the practice of mantra practice we tune into, cultivate and abide in Divine Love, which transcends deep liking, and causes everything, literally everything, to come to be, and then holds space for it. With each repetition we surrender a piece of that limited sense of self, as we merge into the ocean of bliss, that is our essence.