--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Premanand" <premanandp...@...> wrote: > > There is a presumption in TM that one needs a mantra in order > to meditate, that a word (meaningless or otherwise) is needed > to be repeated in order to adjust the mind towards transcending. > I propose that the mantra is not only not necessary, but that > its function is other than its stated purpose.
Absolutely. The TM mantra is the spiritual counterpart to Dumbo's feather. Dumbo could always fly; he just needed a meaningless prop and a good sales spiel before he could realize it. Meditation -- which is essentially nothing more (nor less) than the stopping of thought -- is nothing more (nor less) than the practice of shifting one's focus. The silence -- the absence of thought -- is always there; nothing needs to be done to "achieve" it but to put one's focus there. But some have so little ability *to* focus that they need to be trained to focus on something *else* for a while. The purpose of this, IMO, is to reveal to them that they actually have the *ability* to shift focus. Once that possibility has been established experientially, the silence is revealed as having always already been present. Some, having realized this, realize also that the "magic mantra" was no more magical than Dumbo's "magic feather," and lose their attachment to it. Others cling to the notion of the magic mantra even more tightly. The former are called "meditators." The latter are called suckers. Examine your beliefs about mantras; they reveal what group you're in. Just my opinion...
