Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
Lets talk individual's japa and sadhana (if you are comfortable to share that is).
1. How many rounds are you committed to each day?
2. How do you go about finishing the committed rounds?
3. What distractions do you go through during japa?
4. What are your plans to over come it?
5. What assistance do you need from fellow devotees to progress your spiritual journey?
My journey so far:
I am new new new to KC but have been reading Srila's books for the past few years (if that counts, then I am in KC longer, hehe).
I started just like any other devotee (I don't know if I can term myself as a devotee actually with so many anarthas in me) with one round just because I felt I had to. That start slowly progressed to 3, then 5, then 8 and then to 16. This transformation is not easy but can be achieved if one is determined. Have faith and the effects of Maha Mantra will show eventually.
Not all my rounds are attentive offensless rounds. One of the mataji suggested to go about chanting and the attentiveness will come and NEVER NEVER to stop chanting. We tend to evaluate ourselves and give up easily thinking that we are not able to concentrate on the Holy Name due to distractions. Distractions during chanting will show you how your mind is muddled up with non-important things which we worry about and causes stress. Distractions can in fact be beneficial if you identify them (maybe by writing it down and contemplate later) and try and rectify them. Its easier said than done, I know. This is where my 5th question comes into play. We all can help each other by offering suggestions and tips to improve our/others japa and sadhana.
Answers to my own questions:
1. How many rounds are you committed to each day?
16
2. How do you go about finishing the committed rounds?
I do 12 in the morning by waking up at 2:30 and doing 12 rounds after shower and morning arati. I come home and finish my remaining 4 rounds. Some days I chant more than 16 but the extra rounds depends on free time. (Never go less than your committed number of rounds).
3. What distractions do you go through during japa?
Everything imaginable - from family issues, work issues to facebook and watsapp messages to argument with my friends over Krsna's supremacy.
4. What are your plans to over come it?
Don't have a concrete plan but to try to concentrate more attentively on Lord's name and form.
5. What assistance do you need from fellow devotees to progress your spiritual journey?
Any tips to assist this neophyte will go a long way on the right path.
Hare krsna.
Replies
hare krishna,
Lord Krishna says in Karma yoga that we should concentrate three things in all our action. They are justice, honesty and utility.
The same rule applied to the japa meditation. How many rounds we chant not the question. How many times we chanted with full justice, honesty and utility. Without these if one can chant hundred rounds the benefit is nothing.
Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
Yes Krishna Prasad prabhu, number of rounds is insignificant, but just like how we practice more and more to get better at anything, chanting a (fixed) number of rounds is that practice to get to the justice, honesty and utility things you wrote about.
By comparing things done to karma yoga and apply it to bhakthi yoga is (according to me) not correct. Krishna himself said that bhakthi yoga is the highest perfection and Mahaprabhu showed us how to achieve that perfection, that is through chanting the holy name. By chanting the holy name repeatedly, ones mind, body and soul gets connected to the lord which automatically gives rise to honesty, justice and utility.
This is just my understanding and I am not trying to negate your response. Srila Prabhupada always insisted that Just chant and everything will fall in place. Infact Srila insisted that we chant 64 rounds and this was adviced to the westerners who had no taste for chanting. I dont think Srila was stupid to make comments like that without realising that these hippies cannot chant with full attentiveness on the holy name. Yet, he encouraged them to chant (even offensive and inattentive chanting), coz he knew the effects of chanting the rounds and they would eventually chant attentively and without offense and more importantly with love to krsna..
I am a hippie in my own way and I want to be happie.
Srila prabhupada ki jai..
Hare krsna
Hare Krsna!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada, our spiritual masters and devotees around the globe!
dear krsna dasa,
Thank you for making this posting - I think this is what this forum is for to answer some of these more difficult questions. Your post makes me more inspired to perform devotional service and chant the holy names of our beloved Supreme Lord Krsna.
here is my humble beginner's take...
I prefer not to count rounds, knowing that for me personally (at this moment of my devotional life) counting can quickly become a matter of "transaction" rather than unalloyed service.
1. +1 and counting :) - sometimes more and sometimes less - I always make up for the rounds I miss.
2. wake up around 4:30-5:00 am - the earlier I wake up the more likely I am to get as many rounds as possible before 7 am - when I leave for work... however I do feel quite overwhelmed toward the end of the week as I usually work 10-12 hour shifts (5 days a week)... Sometimes I chant a few rounds during lunch break and before going to bed (typically these are in addition to morning rounds).
3. every possible distraction - usually at the start of and with much less distractions toward the end...
I think these last two are more important questions to which most of us would like to find our personal answers to, therefore please forgive any clashing of views or opinions ...
4. what works for me is when I start to replace these distractions with Krsna Conscious thoughts and actions... or thoughts of bhakti. typically I will let any thought come and simply not fight their "invasion". However after being invaded and realizing how silly they are I try to concentrate on what is more appropriate - like taking shelter of Maha mantra and Krsna's past-times (lilas) or spiritual masters teachings. These new thoughts help me replace the old ones and help activate the true intent of chanting. I also noticed that active social life brings too much unnecessary distractions - therefore I simply avoid social interactions not centered on Krsna Consciousness. But even then I find that some times even when we think that our social interaction is Krsna Conscious it can quickly turn out to be a false assumption after the fact - sometimes I talk to devotees and only later realize that instead of talking to them about our past Krsna Consciousness experiences or thoughts I should have focused more on seva or deity worship or chanting - as I see that it is still a much more useful and practical approach (for me) to leading a KC life. In other words - not all activities are Krsna Conscious like WE may think they are....
5. so far the best assistance i have had was listening to Bhakti Tirtha Swamis lectures/talks on Madhurya Kadambini and other books by him like the Beggar Series - By far the best resource I have encountered so far for understanding the aspects of "devotional creeper" and anarthas... I think the best assistance is assistance of a spiritual masters - it would be nice to hear suggestions / advices from various Swamis (directly or indirectly) who have a vast experience in this... Perhaps more on how they overcame or overcome their own distractions... The only problem is that there is always a short, medium and a long answer to everything - so sometimes there is no such thing as a quick solution - and the best technique may be to simply practice more and more of what works for each person individually... Perhaps just noticing what works for you and practicing it to the fullest can help the best...
One very important thing that I noticed is to pay attention to your spiritual growth - sometimes we may not notice how we grew from a simple sprout to a young plant... Noticing this inner advancement can be the best encouragement in continuing and perfecting ones bhakti dev...
I hope and wait for more devotees to post their thoughts and experiences - it would much appreciated !
Hare Krsna!