Tantra@cheerful.com [FairfieldLife]
2018-12-06 03:05:16 UTC
Effect of Om as a Mantra
(And the mechanics of advanced techniques, the hum, the light, the mystery that lies between unity and diversity)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ⢠Squaw Valley, Idaho ⢠August 1968
[Note: TM prices quoted are college student prices from 1968 when gas cost 25¢ per gallon.]
Question: A friend of mine has stopped meditating with his original mantra, and instead he uses om. He says it is deeper and more satisfying. He also encourages others to do the same and save $35. (audience laughter) He claims the use of om is a much purer form of meditation. Please give me some advice to pass on to him and comment on the ancient use of om.
Maharishi: Tell him to stop, just for the simple reason that one sound will not be useful for all the people. One sound may not be useful for all the people. It cannot. There must be some different sounds for different people. Who is to know what sound is for what person? Only the teacher. Guesswork in this field may be harmful. Suggest [it may] be harmful. Now, ask him to stop. First good advice is to stop.
Take the proper mantra, spend $35 (laughs) - don't lose that much some day. If he does (laughter)...if he does want to save $35, see that he doesn't LOSE more than 35. (audience laughter)
If he is...ask him to be on the watch - if he is growing in peace; is he also growing in happiness? Let him be on the watch. Put one or two friends on him to watch (audience laughter). If he is growing in peace, and becoming more serious, like that, more serious, less friendly to friends, more detached, lack of happiness on the face, lack of life on the face, and he feels more peace, then tell him this peace is not suitable to him. If he feeling peace, more life on the face, brilliancy, dynamism, greater waves of happiness with friends, then tell him it is good.
One more thing: ask him, if he's a student, whether he has started on the inclination of stopping to study, meditating longer time, don't want to go to market, don't want to purchase this and don't want to purchase this and it's enough whatever is there - something like a lethargic attitude, some lethargy, peaceful lethargy? If this is happening, ask him to stop. Ask him if he's developing some kind of aversions to those who are dear friends, dear members of the family, or something - aversion to them? Ask him if he's growing in a tendency to talk less, meet less people - don't want to meet, nothing? Thinking more? If this is increasing, then tell him he is growing lazy, and that this is the effect of om.
So now your friend's saving $35, and losing all charm of life. It's not a matter of $35, it's a matter of correct sound, correct sound. This is the gauge of correctness of the effect that one likes, that one has to have in life - brilliancy, dynamism, happiness, humor, harmony, liking, love, tolerance. If this is increasing, the effect is right. And this is what we want in life - peace along with dynamism. But if some kind of other effects are growing - dullingness is om.
For some it might do good, for others it may not, and therefore, we don't take mantras from books, and on our own. We don't experiment with different [sounds?]... (laughs) - mantras are not for experimentation. We don't experiment [on] ourselves, we don't experiment with other mantras. We take a mantra and then - because the time of life is so very precious - as soon as possible we want to come on to that level of fulfillment, rather than waste time in experimentation.
When we can have an expert advice, have an expert advice, and finish off, go ahead with maximum love. No use fooling around.
It's very good to raise such points.
See, there are huge volumes in India, huge, huge, where all kinds of mantras are mentioned. And the glory of each mantra is so fascinating. Having read the first page you'd be tempted to do this mantra. By the time you have read the second page, this is also equally well (audience laughs). By the time you have read the third page: "Oh I must do this". When you have turned the fourth page: "this is so marvelous" (audience laughs). Each mantra has its glory because, to whom it suits it's going to bring all that glory mentioned in the scriptures - but only to him to whom it suits. Not to anyone who could try. The glory of the mantra is so enormous; you read something, and all the glory of heavens and earths are mentioned there.
So, we take one thing, and go ahead, because in our case, it's not only the mantra that counts. After using a mantra for some time, certain advanced techniques are coming on, and the mantra that we are starting has to do something with our start, until we have found fulfillment. And mantra is a vehicle. So what happens to the mantra later on, this way or that way during advanced techniques, this the beginner doesn't know. And therefore, we just keep away from such sidetracks. It's very easy to sidetrack, but knowing the whole procedure, up to living unity in day-to-day life, knowing the whole procedure, clearly we don't fall out into these sidetracks.
It's very good to raise all such points, because they are very tricky points. And once you know the whole story, good to do it. And you have a stack of them.
Question: Is the hum the mantra changes into before transcendence, the sound of om?
Maharishi: It is that om. If you want to go into details (audience laughs). How many of you have read something about om or...? (audience laughs)
The other day I described that thing, hm? The lady on the question of the three gunas or something, some hum, which is at the finest layer of...somewhere here, nearest to transcending, maybe this line [the line at the bottom of the bubble diagram - the bottom of the ocean] is that hum. This hum is at the basis of all relative creation. When the Absolute starts manifesting, then this is the starting point of the manifested relative creation. This hum, therefore, is the basis of all creation. As long as the creation is to go on, it is the hum that is going to sustain all levels of existence, all layers of creation, from the subtle to the gross to the grossest. And therefore, this hum is very life-supporting, because from here everything is created, created. It's life supporting. What this hum is? Just "hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm".
You strike a bell, and hear the hum. And by the time it dies out, before dying out, just faint, much fainter than the ears can hear, very faint, but continuously going on, eternally going on, because at this end of this fine thread of hum is eternity, at this edge of this fine thread of hum is the relativity, all the relativity springing out from there and all kinds of things are being created, and the whole big creation comes on. So, at this edge of this hum is the relativity, at this edge of the hum is eternity. Therefore, the hum is to go on as long as the relativity is to go on. On and on and on, tremendously periods of time in creation. That is called hum, ni, om. That is not "om, om, om". This "om, om, om", is not this hum. This hum is called "om", which is life-supporting. And when we gain mastery in this region, then we gain mastery over the whole of creation.
Therefore, the om is... There is an Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, one whole Upanishad devoted to om. And om is the source of creation. It's the source of knowledge, it's the source of all experience, is the source of my existence, it's the source of everything. This big huge enormous glory to om. This om, which is eternally going on at the basis of all creation - [this] hum - this is 100% om. Now, there can be 75% om, and there can be 50% om, and there can be 25% of om.
But this 100% om is life-supporting. 75% om supports life, but it has a destructive quality too, because something that is eternally going on, that upholds creation; and some impulse like that, but broken, when it's broken then it will have the influence of breaking life, life-damaging influence to some degree. 50% om will have a more amount of breaking effect. 25% om will have more amount of breaking effect. This om - when we say "om, om, om, om" - this is 25% om. It has more breaking effect. And how does it break life? By reducing brilliancy, reducing dynamism, reducing interest in life. This is how it starts to break. Peace, deeper peace, deeper peace, deeper peace leading to inertia. This is how it breaks life. Not that peace of the infinite value which is in the transcendent area, but the peace which has its stand in the deep sleep, in the state of inertia. That is why we don't go for "om, om, om". All the glory of the om that is there, in the books - that all belongs to this infinite hum at the basis of creation, one with the eternity of Being. And not this "om, om, om".
It's very important to know the whole story. About the mantras, we just don't dissuade ourselves, we don't delude ourselves. And therefore, that om to which all the mantras are reduced, that is life-supporting and good, because it is one with the eternity. But not that 75% or 50% or 25% om. "Om, om, om" - repeating "om, om, om" - it's not good.
Question: I've been meditating very successfully for nearly a year. And I've had repeated clear experiences of transcendental consciousness, some of the them very prolonged, but I don't remember ever experiencing a hum, although a glow is there. Why?
Maharishi: With a little more practice, with a little more normalization of the system, details of that area near about that glow or some such, somewhere near about this area, will begin to be clear, and then you'll experience the hum, no doubt. Just somewhere here, just somewhere here. Where the sound turns into light, where the sound turns into light. That glow. There is that area of hum. One'll experience all these things as the clarity in this region increases.
Our sole purpose in meditation, in the beginning, is, to dive dee-e-e-p and come out, and dive deep and come out, and dive deep and come out. And this practice increases with the help of these advanced techniques, of which we are talking. The straight diving will be retarded, and then, the mind will begin to float, like that, like that, like that, like that, like that.
Overall will be in the direction of transcending, but a little bit of investigating into these [subtle] regions. With [a] little more practice and advanced techniques, little more diving, little more floating around, little more floating around, then more floating around, more floating around, and more floating around.
This is to make apparent, to make clear, the details of these fine regions, make the mind habituated to operate in the subtle fields, make the mind conversant more clearly with the finer regions. And the sole purpose is to make the mind very conversant of this finest region in the celestial world, field of life, in order to gain God consciousness, and then to know what lies here in between these two mechanics of nature, in order to know the mystery that lies between the unity and the diversity, to gain supreme knowledge. So, if the details of the subtle region are not appearing, we don't mind, we just keep going, and they will come by themselves.
(And the mechanics of advanced techniques, the hum, the light, the mystery that lies between unity and diversity)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ⢠Squaw Valley, Idaho ⢠August 1968
[Note: TM prices quoted are college student prices from 1968 when gas cost 25¢ per gallon.]
Question: A friend of mine has stopped meditating with his original mantra, and instead he uses om. He says it is deeper and more satisfying. He also encourages others to do the same and save $35. (audience laughter) He claims the use of om is a much purer form of meditation. Please give me some advice to pass on to him and comment on the ancient use of om.
Maharishi: Tell him to stop, just for the simple reason that one sound will not be useful for all the people. One sound may not be useful for all the people. It cannot. There must be some different sounds for different people. Who is to know what sound is for what person? Only the teacher. Guesswork in this field may be harmful. Suggest [it may] be harmful. Now, ask him to stop. First good advice is to stop.
Take the proper mantra, spend $35 (laughs) - don't lose that much some day. If he does (laughter)...if he does want to save $35, see that he doesn't LOSE more than 35. (audience laughter)
If he is...ask him to be on the watch - if he is growing in peace; is he also growing in happiness? Let him be on the watch. Put one or two friends on him to watch (audience laughter). If he is growing in peace, and becoming more serious, like that, more serious, less friendly to friends, more detached, lack of happiness on the face, lack of life on the face, and he feels more peace, then tell him this peace is not suitable to him. If he feeling peace, more life on the face, brilliancy, dynamism, greater waves of happiness with friends, then tell him it is good.
One more thing: ask him, if he's a student, whether he has started on the inclination of stopping to study, meditating longer time, don't want to go to market, don't want to purchase this and don't want to purchase this and it's enough whatever is there - something like a lethargic attitude, some lethargy, peaceful lethargy? If this is happening, ask him to stop. Ask him if he's developing some kind of aversions to those who are dear friends, dear members of the family, or something - aversion to them? Ask him if he's growing in a tendency to talk less, meet less people - don't want to meet, nothing? Thinking more? If this is increasing, then tell him he is growing lazy, and that this is the effect of om.
So now your friend's saving $35, and losing all charm of life. It's not a matter of $35, it's a matter of correct sound, correct sound. This is the gauge of correctness of the effect that one likes, that one has to have in life - brilliancy, dynamism, happiness, humor, harmony, liking, love, tolerance. If this is increasing, the effect is right. And this is what we want in life - peace along with dynamism. But if some kind of other effects are growing - dullingness is om.
For some it might do good, for others it may not, and therefore, we don't take mantras from books, and on our own. We don't experiment with different [sounds?]... (laughs) - mantras are not for experimentation. We don't experiment [on] ourselves, we don't experiment with other mantras. We take a mantra and then - because the time of life is so very precious - as soon as possible we want to come on to that level of fulfillment, rather than waste time in experimentation.
When we can have an expert advice, have an expert advice, and finish off, go ahead with maximum love. No use fooling around.
It's very good to raise such points.
See, there are huge volumes in India, huge, huge, where all kinds of mantras are mentioned. And the glory of each mantra is so fascinating. Having read the first page you'd be tempted to do this mantra. By the time you have read the second page, this is also equally well (audience laughs). By the time you have read the third page: "Oh I must do this". When you have turned the fourth page: "this is so marvelous" (audience laughs). Each mantra has its glory because, to whom it suits it's going to bring all that glory mentioned in the scriptures - but only to him to whom it suits. Not to anyone who could try. The glory of the mantra is so enormous; you read something, and all the glory of heavens and earths are mentioned there.
So, we take one thing, and go ahead, because in our case, it's not only the mantra that counts. After using a mantra for some time, certain advanced techniques are coming on, and the mantra that we are starting has to do something with our start, until we have found fulfillment. And mantra is a vehicle. So what happens to the mantra later on, this way or that way during advanced techniques, this the beginner doesn't know. And therefore, we just keep away from such sidetracks. It's very easy to sidetrack, but knowing the whole procedure, up to living unity in day-to-day life, knowing the whole procedure, clearly we don't fall out into these sidetracks.
It's very good to raise all such points, because they are very tricky points. And once you know the whole story, good to do it. And you have a stack of them.
Question: Is the hum the mantra changes into before transcendence, the sound of om?
Maharishi: It is that om. If you want to go into details (audience laughs). How many of you have read something about om or...? (audience laughs)
The other day I described that thing, hm? The lady on the question of the three gunas or something, some hum, which is at the finest layer of...somewhere here, nearest to transcending, maybe this line [the line at the bottom of the bubble diagram - the bottom of the ocean] is that hum. This hum is at the basis of all relative creation. When the Absolute starts manifesting, then this is the starting point of the manifested relative creation. This hum, therefore, is the basis of all creation. As long as the creation is to go on, it is the hum that is going to sustain all levels of existence, all layers of creation, from the subtle to the gross to the grossest. And therefore, this hum is very life-supporting, because from here everything is created, created. It's life supporting. What this hum is? Just "hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm".
You strike a bell, and hear the hum. And by the time it dies out, before dying out, just faint, much fainter than the ears can hear, very faint, but continuously going on, eternally going on, because at this end of this fine thread of hum is eternity, at this edge of this fine thread of hum is the relativity, all the relativity springing out from there and all kinds of things are being created, and the whole big creation comes on. So, at this edge of this hum is the relativity, at this edge of the hum is eternity. Therefore, the hum is to go on as long as the relativity is to go on. On and on and on, tremendously periods of time in creation. That is called hum, ni, om. That is not "om, om, om". This "om, om, om", is not this hum. This hum is called "om", which is life-supporting. And when we gain mastery in this region, then we gain mastery over the whole of creation.
Therefore, the om is... There is an Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, one whole Upanishad devoted to om. And om is the source of creation. It's the source of knowledge, it's the source of all experience, is the source of my existence, it's the source of everything. This big huge enormous glory to om. This om, which is eternally going on at the basis of all creation - [this] hum - this is 100% om. Now, there can be 75% om, and there can be 50% om, and there can be 25% of om.
But this 100% om is life-supporting. 75% om supports life, but it has a destructive quality too, because something that is eternally going on, that upholds creation; and some impulse like that, but broken, when it's broken then it will have the influence of breaking life, life-damaging influence to some degree. 50% om will have a more amount of breaking effect. 25% om will have more amount of breaking effect. This om - when we say "om, om, om, om" - this is 25% om. It has more breaking effect. And how does it break life? By reducing brilliancy, reducing dynamism, reducing interest in life. This is how it starts to break. Peace, deeper peace, deeper peace, deeper peace leading to inertia. This is how it breaks life. Not that peace of the infinite value which is in the transcendent area, but the peace which has its stand in the deep sleep, in the state of inertia. That is why we don't go for "om, om, om". All the glory of the om that is there, in the books - that all belongs to this infinite hum at the basis of creation, one with the eternity of Being. And not this "om, om, om".
It's very important to know the whole story. About the mantras, we just don't dissuade ourselves, we don't delude ourselves. And therefore, that om to which all the mantras are reduced, that is life-supporting and good, because it is one with the eternity. But not that 75% or 50% or 25% om. "Om, om, om" - repeating "om, om, om" - it's not good.
Question: I've been meditating very successfully for nearly a year. And I've had repeated clear experiences of transcendental consciousness, some of the them very prolonged, but I don't remember ever experiencing a hum, although a glow is there. Why?
Maharishi: With a little more practice, with a little more normalization of the system, details of that area near about that glow or some such, somewhere near about this area, will begin to be clear, and then you'll experience the hum, no doubt. Just somewhere here, just somewhere here. Where the sound turns into light, where the sound turns into light. That glow. There is that area of hum. One'll experience all these things as the clarity in this region increases.
Our sole purpose in meditation, in the beginning, is, to dive dee-e-e-p and come out, and dive deep and come out, and dive deep and come out. And this practice increases with the help of these advanced techniques, of which we are talking. The straight diving will be retarded, and then, the mind will begin to float, like that, like that, like that, like that, like that.
Overall will be in the direction of transcending, but a little bit of investigating into these [subtle] regions. With [a] little more practice and advanced techniques, little more diving, little more floating around, little more floating around, then more floating around, more floating around, and more floating around.
This is to make apparent, to make clear, the details of these fine regions, make the mind habituated to operate in the subtle fields, make the mind conversant more clearly with the finer regions. And the sole purpose is to make the mind very conversant of this finest region in the celestial world, field of life, in order to gain God consciousness, and then to know what lies here in between these two mechanics of nature, in order to know the mystery that lies between the unity and the diversity, to gain supreme knowledge. So, if the details of the subtle region are not appearing, we don't mind, we just keep going, and they will come by themselves.