> What, exactly, is a bija mantra anyway? > > > > Do bija mantras always have to be recieved in one-on-one > > initiation from a genuine tantric guru? Are bija mantras > > effective if you find them in a book? > > > > Why all the secrecy about bija mantras? > > >
*********** The thing about bija mantras (which are certainly not secret, being listed in several Vedic texts) needing their proper use to be taught by a teacher is because they are powerful. The ancient text Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (this is different from the Srimad Bhagavatam) says, after listing the bija mantras used in TM, that results will not be good for those who try to learn TM on their own (I can't cite the page, it's been too long since I read the SDB): http://tinyurl.com/e4q48 "Bija" means "seed" -- these are powerful mantras, which when planted properly, result in the growth of consciousness in the initiate, so their proper use needs to be guided by a teacher, just as you would check with an expert gardener if you had some seeds you wanted to plant and enjoy optimal growth of the plant.
