Bronte Baxter wrote: > <snip> > Actually the "advanced" techniques are more like the traditional mantras > without omkara. But most TM'ers including teachers never step out > enough to learn mantra shastra to know that and MMY never taught mantra > shastra which is the science of mantras. Using bij aksharas as a > meditation mantra is very controversial among Indian sages and without > om even more controversial. > > Bronte: > Could you expand on that? This is a new area to me. What are bij aksharas > and why are they controversial? What are the two sides of the argument? > Bij aksharas or bija mantra are "seed" mantras (bij means seed). They are used to enliven longer mantras. They are seldom used to meditate on by themselves. The TM first techniques are all well known bij aksharas.
Using a planetary mantra here is an example: Om ing kling brihaspataye namah. The bij aksharas ing and kling enliven the sanskrit name for Jupiter: Brihasphati. This makes the mantra more powerful than just "Om Brihaspataye Namah." Likewise adding the bij mantras brang, bring, brown to a mantra for Rahu makes it more powerful: Om bring brang brown seh rahuve namah. (Rahu is the north lunar node). Though there may be a few Indian sects that use bij mantras by themselves outside of TM I really don't know of any. Most gurus give traditional mantras for "yogic meditation" which is meditation for the masses. When they initiate someone into their tradition they give the initiate the "guru mantra" which is a special mantra that has been passed down through the tradition and gains power with each generation. Guru mantras can enliven other mantras. It has been claimed that Maharishi originally gave out the shanti mantra "Ram" (or Jai Ram) when he started TM. Some think that he switched to the bij mantras to make TM unique as many gurus would have given out that same shanti mantra. I also observe that unlike more traditional mantras that transcend slowly bij mantras tend to dip vertically (just like the bubble diagram) giving quick tastes of the transcendent. Remember that MMY also wanted people to get the advanced techniques as early as a year and a half which are more traditional and keep you in the transcendent longer. Many gurus think that using bij mantras by themselves can cause problems because they are so powerful. Also it is very non-traditional to not use Om (omkara) with the mantra. Which is even a greater controversy since MMY got the idea that it causes poverty but look at all the Indian millionaires who practice traditional mantras with Om in them.
