Introduction:

Before anything else, I wanted to share to you a chant, which I learned from the book Mantra Meditation and Self-Realization by JAGAD GURU Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa.  It says like this, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”

That mantra or a prayer means, “O Lord, O Energy of the Lord, please let me engage in loving service to you.” Therefore, not all mantras are bad.  Any mantra that give praises to the glory of God is good.  We are differ in culture so we should not always listen to the perfectionists who claimed that they are the only chosen ones by God.

If we define it into word by word, we can get the meaning.  Hare means energy of God.  Krishna refers to the Supreme Person Himself. Krishna is all attractive.  All attractive features are in fall in the Supreme Being.  Rama refers to God who gives great transcendental pleasure those who render loving service to Him.

Why do we need a mantra meditation? Well, it is a powerful tool for us to live in a material world.  As we all know, we are living in a material world that is polluted with irrational immorality as people do not know how to respect life. The author of this book defined human beings that are made of chemical particles and are spirit souls by identity and is dominated by position, which is parcel of Supreme Spirit Himself.

Summary:

The two common misconceptions we are considering to define ourselves are the mind and the body.  We are not the mind because we can control it by our senses and emotions.  We are not the body because we have both mind and the body that we can control.  But, due to the misidentifying ourselves as matters, we find happiness in matter such as making our bodies happy in material sense.  Indeed we need spiritual food because we are living beings.  That spiritual food we need is the taste of love for God.

The science of identity defined mantra meditation as an integral part that is meant to purify the mind from any hidden obstacles that leads to insanity.  A mantra is not something that anyone can make up but originated from the Kingdom of God and descended to the world through spiritual masters to their disciples.  A mantra is the Absolute Truth in the form of sound vibration to receive God.  Hearing and repeating such sound vibration have a gradual effect of cleansing the heart and mind so that person would experience his real identity.

A chant is possibly not a self-hypnosis kind.  People are tend to be hypnotized by their senses that control their minds.  It is a kind of wake-up call and a form of discipline according to the Filipino-Chinese who have personal experience on this.  We are all slaved by our senses.  We are truly free if we are able to discern the actual physical needs of the body.  If we are fully satisfied within, we know our real identity and is established in a lovign relationship with God.  Therefore, if we are regularly chant a mantra, we become free persons by knowing how to control our senses.

Self-realization is a continuous process because we are living in a material body in the material world.  We continually relate to others on bodily platform.  A yoga or a yogi is a person who is in constant remebrance of his real identity while living in the material world.  The aim is to remain in knowledge of your real identity and your relationship with God. You can be meditating by moving around or sitting down.

Atheists would define that mantra is separated from and would lose its power if it is revealed to others by chanting out loud.  It is wrong because they are covered by illusion and ignorance.  Mantras are the sound representation of God, and God will never loose His power over us.  In the Old Testament, there are scriptural passages that encourage people to chant the Holy Names and glories of God. See the reference in Psalms 54:1, Psalms 79:9, Psalms 124:8, and Psalms 108:1.

Conclusion:

For the part of conclusion of this book review, let me share to you the Vedic scripture, which is the primary source and foundation of mantra meditation and yoga practice.  It says like this, “Harer nama, harer nama, harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.”

That Vedic scripture means “Chant the Holy Names, chant the Holy Names, chant the Holy Names of the Lord.  In the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, there is no other means of deliverance.” 

A family friend of ours tried to console me in my depressing moment.  She said God is all powerful, and it is right to give Him another chance to show a miracle to my life.  Then, I give my spirituality another chance by going back to my habit of meditating on the Blessed Rosary of Blessed Virgin Mary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.  I am sure God will grant me another miracle to my life.

To conclude this book review, I find it easy to understand that humans are covered by illusion and ignorance so we lead quarrel and hypocrisy in the world we live in.  It is possible for us to have no attachment to this material world if we feed our minds with spiritual wisdom, and then we have strong bonds with our real identity and relationship with God.