Hare Krishna,
AGTSP! PAMHO!
I find it hard to chant on my japa beads usually. I get distracted by nitty gritty details like shape of beads, their grip or how much count I may have done... However, I find my chanting is fairly attentive with a timer. With a timer besides me, I am no longer bothered by these distractions, and usually have a desire to extend this time duration when my set timer is over. Is it a good practice to keep minimum time for japa, instead of minimum count?
Your servant,
Alakh Aggarwal
Replies
Probably an old thread... but I just got a new set of beads and I thought of this post.
As it says in Bhagavad Gita 6:5 "A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well." Prabhupada's purport is very nice on this verse.
The mind is under the control of maya. We need to regain control from maya. As you progress, or even try to progress, maya will throw distractions in your way. Get used to the beads and make them your friend. Do not let maya use the beads as a distraction.
The different feel of the beads, for me, makes my beads feel like home. I just thought of this post because I just had to replace my beads. The new beads do feel different. I am quickly getting used to them, but they are different. My old beads were rough carved when I got them, and over the years have smoothed out, but still each bead feels individual: different sizes, bumps, dips, etc. They were certainly not precision milled. The more I used the same beads, the more comfortable they became. The feel of each bead was no longer a distraction, but almost like an extension of my senses. The new beads have much fewer imperfections but are just ‘different’ than what I have been used to. They do not distract me, but are just not quite yet “my” beads.
As for the timer, I understand what you mean. On my walk around the river, one round of the river (3.5 km) is 9 rounds of chanting (measured with beads). That just happens to be my walking pace and my chanting pace. So, could I chant as I walk and not use beads? Maybe… but I know me, and it would be inattentive chanting. 2 times around the river would be 18 rounds – but probably not very good rounds. I know devotees that use a clicker counter, a digital counter, or count on their fingers. I have not heard of anyone chanting by timer only. Any chanting is better than no chanting, but I wonder if Srila Prabhupada would count that as japa.
My mind is easily distracted... very easily. For me, I see the beads as a way to engage more senses. If I chant on beads out loud, as we are instructed, I get much better results. My sense of feel is engaged with the beads, my mouth is engaged in chanting, my ears are engaged in listening. As my senses are engaged my chanting feels much better. To me it is kind of like distracting my senses, so my mind does not try to wander. (I doubt this is any official description, but the analogy works for me.) Involving more senses keeps me focused better. I tried the clicker counter, but my mind would wander too much. I tried chanting under my breath (subvocal) and my mind wandered too much. I chant quietly but audibly - on beads - and my mind does not stray, as much (I am not yet perfect ha ha). I can sing bhajans all day and not get distracted, but japa is different and requires more concentration.
Japa is difficult for some to get the real taste. There is no immediate sense return on your effort. Dancing in kirtan is fun, honoring prasad is great, and association with devotees is wonderful - even if you do not think of Krishna. They have an immediate physical benefit. Japa is just you and Krishna. The alone time takes practice and concentration. I am certainly no expert, but I have been chanting for almost 40 years... and I hate to say it... 2022 so far has been some of my best japa in a very long time. I feel a closeness with Krishna stronger than my enthusiastic, heady 'early days'.
Sorry, my post got longer than I meant it to. But now I think I will go write a 5 page blog post about it.
Thanks a lot Prabhu 🙏 This was very helpful. Your explanation of feel of each japa bead seems like a constant practice, where I have to make each japa bead as my friend. In that way, I'll have 108 friends, each of whom I would revisit atleast 16 times a day and chant one mantra to them, like doing Hari Katha with my 108 friends. It was a nice answer to instruct my mind about the importance of japa bead. Thank you Prabhu! Waiting for your blog post. Hare Krishna🙏
I did not know you were from Dallas... you may recognize the temple room in a couple of my pictures ha ha.
Thanks, I think i want to add more to it... but it is posted. https://tukaram.net/japa/
Hare Krsna
It is better to keep count of the number of Hare Krsna mahamantra that is chanted than to keep track of how long it has been chanted.
It is better to chant Hare Krsna mahamantra on timer than to not chant Hare Krsna maha mantra at all.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji,
Chanting with timer. How do you do it?
you have like a stop watch? Do you know one can do 16 rounds in 2 hours or 6 hours also in very very slow pace in kirtan style. some people who are fast can chant in 1:30 hr also. The time is not the matter here. How much you are able to focus ur mind on the syllables and on Lord form or with Lord. How much qualitatitve is you chanting is more imp.
you can on beads it is good for you. If you chant on a clicker It will record your number of chants. But I never came across someone who uses set timer. How can one set a time and chant?
Maybe you mean to say like you allot some 2 hours time and set the stop watch close ur eyes and chant and after 2 hours you when it buzzes you open ur eyes and you have not noted the japa but you have done some nearly to 16 malas. Is it that way?
Pls. give more details.
hare krishna.
Yes Mataji, it's more like that. Chanting for two hours with a stopwatch and trying to make my mind focus entirely on mantra only.
Try to do the same on Tulasi beads. There are many distraction it is well know our mind is notorious. But keep trying .. Tulasi japa is Shrestha. * uttama ( very beneficial).
Hare Krishna.
Sure, thank you Mataji, bless me. 🙏
Haribol!