Japa meditation - some essential information

Sri Ramakrishna the famous God realized mystic said: "Japa meditation means silently repeating God's name in solitude. When you chant his name with single-minded devotion you can see God's form and realize him. Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank. You proceed link by link holding on to the chain and you dive into the water and follow the chain. Finally you are able to reach the timber. In the same way by repeating God's name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him."

This practice is in the Hindu tradition. However in other religious traditions also there has been taught a kind of repetition of prayer that resembles the Hindu method. The Greek Orthodox Church, the Sufi mystics of Islam and some schools of Mahayana Buddhism prescribe repetition of the divine name as a means to enlightenment.

In the Bible also it is said (in the Gospel according to Saint John): In the beginning there was the Word, And the Word was with God, And the Word was God.

The word Om – in the Hindu tradition – has been referred to as the symbol of God.

I have not practiced Japa meditation myself and cannot tell you anything from my experience. But one thing I will stress on is that any person wanting to engage in the practice must obtain the mantra from a qualified Guru. You must not pick the mantra for yourself. In India and around the world the mantra for Japa meditation may be obtained from any of the ashrams of Ramakrishna Mission. If you are of the Greek Orthodox faith you may perhaps contact your church for a prayer to be repeated. Similarly Sufi mystics may perhaps be contacted but it may be difficult to do so since they are wandering mystics and not represented by any organization.

Transcendental meditation – taught by Maharishi Mahesh yogi – is similar to Japa meditation where also a mantra is chanted. Here also it is required that you contact a guru to obtain the mantra. Further information may be found at this web page on Transcendental meditation

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