ShivaShaktiMEdwards05
May 27, 2009
 
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Greetings and Namaste!

The word mantra is bandied about on TV, in the news, and the press as if it only meant someone's personal motto or obsession or even a campaign slogan. It was just reported that the campaign against Iran's current president has "the mantra, death to potatoes"!

This is not mantra. This is not the correct use of the word mantra and this degrades people's understanding of what mantra truly is.

Mantra is sublime. Mantra is the very throb of the Infinite moving from formlessness to form and back again. Mantra practiced with the highest understanding and the grace of the Divine serves as an unfailing vehicle for taking one to the unbroken awareness of one's true nature. The silenced mind, absorbed in Shakti, the true power of mantra which dissolves the countless tendrils of the ego-mind, no longer obstructs your experience of the Infinite expanse of your pure being/awareness. Like a broken gong, Buddha says, the silenced mind is extinguished, nirvana is known.

Follow mantra beyond the gross level of sound into the mysteries of true knowing. Merely uttering Om Mani Padme Hum or Om Namah Shivaya will not satisfy the ardent seeker of wisdom.

 Swami Muktananda - Mantra
 Commentary on Shiva Sutra 2/1, "Chittam mantrah." The mind is mantra.

Though there is much reverence for mantras and faith in them, we find that nothing much is gained by their practice. We remain in misery because we are ignorant of the true potency of mantra, and the mantra deity is not manifested....
Mantra should be contemplated within. Mantra is the undifferentiated, integral awareness of the nature of the Divine; it should not be regarded as separate from God. Being one with God it is full of bliss. It arises by itself. When mantra vibrates in God's mind, a universe springs into existence. The whole cosmos emanates from the mind which is itself mantra. Mantra is the protector of its practicer, the supreme means, the highest deity. The man who attains oneness with mantra by remaining in unity-consciousness, annihilates the world of dualities.

Swami Muktananda
Siddha Meditation: Commentaries on the Shiva Sutras and other Sacred Texts, pp. 48-49.


 


 Upcoming Programs
 Anam Cara Foundation, Bedford, NY


Saturday May 30th, Thurs. June 25th, Sat. July 25th - 7:30pm
Kirtan Night!
With Satya, Ma and Kalidas. Join us in this ancient and ecstatic practice of chanting the names of the Divine. Everyone is welcome!


Meditation Group Every Tuesday Evening:

Starts promptly at 7:30pm at our center at the Anam Cara Foundation in Bedford, NY. All are welcome! Directions are on the Anam Cara website. If you wonder whether the group is being held on a particular Tuesday evening there will always be a message stating if it is cancelled on that night on 914-234-4800.


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Thank you all for your notes of appreciation for our newsletter.

Everyone has the heart to be a true friend of the soul, an Anam Cara. By embodying that ideal ourselves we may serve to help another to find love and compassion within themselves.

Our highest nature is always manifest in relationship - to all other beings, to the environment, in relation to our own body and mind. Becoming mindful of the quality of our relationships allows us to learn where the light shines and where it needs to shine more. The ideal of Anam Cara is to continuously endeaver to expand the depth and the inclusiveness of the loving kindness we bring into every relationship, every moment, every breath.

If you have any suggestions, comments or sharings, for our newsletter please don't hesitate to e-mail me and I'll do my best to respond.

The Anam Cara Foundation is a 501 (C) 3, non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching meditative practices. Our non- denominational programs are open to all. There are free meditation instructions and downloadable audio files of guided meditations on our
website.

Thank you for the many ways you have shown support for The Anam Cara Foundation. Because of your gifts we can offer free programs and instruction to thousands of people. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation please send it to address listed below.

I look forward to welcoming you in person to our programs.

With all my appreciation and love,
I thank you all.

May all beings realize complete freedom from suffering and may all our actions reflect only wisdom, compassion, patience and loving kindness.

Lawrence signature
Lawrence Edwards, Ph.D.
Founder and Director
The Anam Cara Foundation

Lawrence on the Isle of Iona, Scotland
All newsletter contents copyrighted 2009


phone: 914-234-4800
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