Vidya is the Process and the Goal

How does regular mantrik practice quiet your mind and how does working with mantras connect you with the principle of vidya?

I was recently considering how regular practice with mantras gives one the opportunity to become more familiar with their sounds, vibration and feeling. The fact is, the more you feel connected with these elements the more at ease you will feel as you work with the deeper layers of their significance. One of the most powerful things mantras give us access to is yogic silence. Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati says, “Silence in yoga is not just the absence of speaking, it is the absence of thinking.”

I was reading a few articles the other day on mantra, and found this lovely article by
Swami Rama on the dynamic quality of yogic silence. First he said, “Silence is not lifeless or necessarily quiet.  It is a vibrant and very alive pulsation of all that is.” Then he explainedthat the process is such that you say the mantra and then watch your thoughts dissolve. When thoughts calm, you feel the dynamic silent core that you Are.

Swami ji explained, “It is not due to the meaning of the words that the mantra has its impact. It is the effect of the collection of sounds that helps the mind to become quiet where you eventually go beyond sound, and experience silence within.”

This statement resonated strongly for me, and the work we do at Luminous Soul because it describes how deeply mantras have the possibility to transform your consciousness into an energized tranquil state. When you spend time each day working with mantra and meditating, you feel inner silence. You feel a greater sense of ease in your life overall.

Defining Vidya

When you connect with this energized silence you will simultaneously access vidya or what is called pure shakti.

Vidya is knowledge. In Sanskrit, itmeans the clear light of the Self. Vidya signifies both the goal and the experience of our fullest expansion. On a daily basis, you can connect with vidya by engaging your life with wisdom and by staying close to your Self in all things. Living vidya means to live from the place of true grounding in that Self. Vidya is the process and the goal. I repeat myself on the important principles. When its important I repeat myself. Vidya is the process of expansion as an energetic being and it is also the goal of beingness itself.

Luminous Soul Mantra Vidya Practice:

The process is this: When you repeat a mantra, the thinking aspect of the mind calms and you feel the energized silence that underlies. As you remain with the space beyond your thoughts, experience the state of unified consciousness known as yoga.

• This month, 2 x’s per week spend time chanting your mantra.
• Repeat the mantra 54 x’s each time that you sit to practice.
• Work to gently stay with that quiet, don’t distract away from it.
• Watch your thoughts slowly dissolve as you continue immersing in the repetition.
• Work to stay connected and watch the space between the thoughts.
• Let the quiet reveal the meaning don’t move to make meaning.

Additionally:

• This month, contemplate each week for 5 minutes the topic of vidya in your life.

Additional suggested reading, Swami Rama’s lovely writing:
Mantra & Silence http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-mantra-silence.htm

© 2014 Luminous Soul/Sanskrit Studies & Manorama

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