Over the years I have heard an argument professed by some former TM meditators who stopped practicing because they claimed they were deceived about the "meaning" of mantra-s. I have also seen similar declarations put forth by various disputant webrunners wishing to dissuade anyone from beginning any form of mantra meditation with roots in India.
The fundamental claim is that a mantra is the name of a Hindu god an assertion also put forth by many Indian nationals and ex-patriots. Therefore, the conclusion is that a mantra encapsulates a method for worshiping a Hindu god but that this fact is withheld from practitioners. Within the domain of this argument, the webrunners often will quote a webtext from a Hindu Tantra, which assigns a particular deity to a particular mantra and sometimes assigns a set of deities to each of the Sanskrit letters composing the written form of the mantric sound. This textual assignment is sometimes done haphazardly and sometimes is done in the classical Vedic format of rishi-deva-chhanda. Along with the quoted Tantric text, is often a statement by MMY, declaring that a mantra is a "sound whose effect is known". This argument sometimes quotes the TMO claim that a mantra is used in TM for the beneficial effects it produces in causing the spontaneous refinement of perception. This explanation is then paraded as an example of shameful exploitation of Westerner's ignorance of the "Hinduistic" foundation of TM and of any other Indian meditation which does not confess itself as a form of "Hindu devotionalism". This devotionalist criticism is compounded by various Indian swamis and cross-eyed "yogi-s" who make these very claims and arguments themselves. Some considerations about these claims: 1. Most meditating westerners are functionally ignorant about the nature, range, depth and complexity of Vedic, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain yoga-s. Most of them could not explain the difference between Vedic, Hindu and Tantric traditions of practice nor could they explain how these three streams intertwine in daily rites. They don't know vidhi from vedi. 1. Most swami-s and exported "yogi-s" are not Pandits, Indologists, or Sanskritists nor are they formally educated in the yoga traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Most are only trained in asana, pranayama and japa. A little bhakti here, a little jnana citation there and "om tat sat". 1. Most of us Westerners who meditate are therefore at a disadvantage when presented with claims that we cannot contextualize within an informed view. My point here is to give people a corrective to this misunderstanding by providing a short but authoritative quotation from an impeccable source about the difference between yogic mantra practice and devotional japa practice. Baba Hari Dass - On Mantra: Mantra is the repetition of sounds or words which have power due to the vibration of the sound itself. Japa is the rhythmic repetition of a name of God. It consists of automatic Pranayama, concentration and meditation. The main idea in doing Japa is to make the mind thoughtless. Then automatically body consciousness disappears. If your body consciousness disappears, it means your sadhana is going well. The body is the medium of sadhana and the body is the hindrance in sadhana. Japa is a formal method of worshipping God. It should be done privately and preferably with a mala, or rosary. Silence Speaks: from the chalkboard of Baba Hari Dass, 1977 (my talics). This distinction between the yogic sound-value of a mantra and devotional, religious practices using mantra-s is also found in the Tibetan Vajrayana (originally called Mantrayana) and was discussed by Lama Khenchen Thrangu, Tibetan Khempo and tutor to HH the 17th Karmapa. emptybill