CHANTING AND MANTRA MEDITATION

• Mantra:  ‘man’ means mind, ‘tra’ means deliver.

• We can safely conclude that all problems that are there in the world  are due to lack of control over the mind. There are so many ways of controlling mind. But chanting holy names of Lord is the recommended method for this Iron Age.

What do the major religions say about chanting the holy names of

Lord?• Christianity• Christ glorified the Lord’s holy name by saying “Our

Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.”• Hinduism• It also recommends repetition of the holy names of

the Lord, in form of mantra.• Islam• Muslims repeatedly chant the sacred name of God –

“Allah”• Sikhism• Guru Nanak prayed, “In the early hours of the

morning I meditate on the grace of the true Name.”

BENEFITS OF CHANTING Freedom from anxiety & stress Peace of mind

REAL HAPPINESS

PURIFIES HEART AND MANY MORE INCULCABLE SPIRITUAL

BENEFITS

What Bhagwad Gita Says…

AND… Yagyanam Japyagyosmi

BG,10.

WHAT THE VEDAS SAY ABOUT MANTRA MEDITATION

• “The sixteen words—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare—are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words. After searching through all the Vedic literature one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age.” (Kali-santaraëa Upanishad)

• A Clinical Test of the Benefits of Mantra Chanting was performed on three groups of sixty-two subjects, males and females of average age 25. They chanted the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra twenty-five minutes each day under strict clinical supervision.

• Hare Krsna Maha MantraHare Krishna Hare KrishnaKrishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare RamaRama Rama Hare Hare

• Results showed that regular chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra reduces Stress and depression and helps reduce bad habits & addictions. These results formed a Ph.D Thesis at Florida State University.

WHAT DO EXPERTS SAY ABOUT MANTRA MEDITATION

1. “It is as necessary to a life of growth as regular brushing is to dental hygiene.”

• Dr. John Heider, Psychologistfrom The Journal of Humanistic Psychology

2. “The ability to handle stress increases with the practice of meditation. In a culture like ours in which inner, spiritual growth is totally neglected in favor of materialistic pursuits, we might have something to learn from the Hare Krishna devotees’ meditational practices.”

• Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.Associate Editor Psychology TodayAuthor The Varieties of Meditational Experiences

Improved mental function in older ageA study by neuroscientist Sara Lazar Ph.D (who leads Meditation research at Harvard Medical School) showed that the part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex (critical in decision making and working memory) was thicker in people who meditated for as little as 40 minutes a day, compared with people who did not. It is possible that meditation may protect against age-related thinning of this part of the brain.

CONCLUSION