Absolutely agreed on all counts. Our limited ego *loves* to complicate things and make them "right" or "wrong" and so on... :-)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "claudiouk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I wonder about this obssession, genuinely felt of course, > concerning "correct" mantras - whether they are right for one's body > type or householder status or whatever. Is it more > about "reinforcement" for the EGO, to inspire and motivate it - it > needs to feel that it's doing something unique and special and > exclusive etc for it to perservere along the meditative path; same > with its "religious" affiliations - only ITS version is the TRUE > religion, meditation technique, mantra etc. > > What if this is another of Nature's tricks.. like love and sex - we > are catapulted into feelings and behaviours that serve quite a > different "purpose" (the SURVIVAL of the species). Suppose it doesn't > matter WHAT the mantra is - one is supported in the practice by the > BELIEF that it is the ONLY path etc - Nature's way of ensuring > regular practice and, eventually, the LIBERATION of the species. > > Although there MAY BE finer aspects of mantra choice that are more or > less facilitative for transcending purposes, I wonder if in the scale > of effects it is THAT important. I'm sure, for instance, that one can > have an OK life living in a building with a southern entrance. Guru > Dev's cave might not have been "ideal" (was it?) but then much of > life isn't.. one has to make do with imperfections and still move on. > > But the most persuasive argument, I think, is that even in the > ABSENCE of Vedic knowledge there have been individuals who did attain > higher states of consciousness and even siddhi powers from entirely > different traditions - Buddhist, Christian etc. > > If the process is mental with correlated physiology, perhaps no > matter what the "sound" impulse one takes as a mantra initially is, > it will get duly "refined" and result in transcendental > consciousness. In fact the more biological one views this human > capacity the less the cultural character of the vehicle for > transcendence becomes. > > The fact that Maharishi changed his mantras about and didn't give non- > householder mantras to people who effectively opted for the reclusive > lives etc further emphasises the flexibility, perhaps, of mantra > choice... To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/