Golden Rules For Mantra Meditation

1)      Chant the full Maha Mantra on each bead.

2)      Chant each syllable aloud and clearly.

3)      Concentrate on hearing the sound of the Maha Mantra as you chant.

Why Chant ?

In today's world, which is filled with so many distractions and anxieties, it would certainly be nice to have some peace of mind. The Maha Mantra,

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

is known literally as the "Great Chant for Deliverance", because by chanting this mantra, we can immediately revive our dormant spiritual nature. This Maha Mantra is not a false or artificial imposition on the mind. The Maha Mantra is a transcendental sound vibration, which directly addresses God.  It is the most effective method of calling on God so that we can return home to the spiritual world.

"Hare" is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord. "Krishna" and "Rama" are direct personal names of the Lord and they respectively mean the all-attractive person and the reservoir of all pleasure.

In the Padma Purana, an ancient Indian Vedic scripture, it is stated, "The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna's name is complete and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself".

In this age, God has manifested Himself in the form of transcendental sound vibration, and we can directly perceive Him through His name. Many of the world's revealed scriptures and religious traditions recommend the chanting of the names, activities, and glories of God as the best method for realizing Him.  In the Brihan-Purana, an ancient Indian Vedic scripture, it is stated :

"In this age of Kali there is no alternative for spiritual progress other than chanting the holy names of the Lord." This teaching is not only confined to the scriptures from India. The Psalms of King David in the Old Testament of the Bible, have as their recurring theme, the absolute necessity of glorifying the Lord, His fame and activities, of offering thanks and praise to the Lord in a joyful manner. Psalm 138 David promises "I will praise you, O Lord with all my heart. Before the gods I will sing Your praises. I will bow towards Your temple and praise You".

Meditating on the Maha Mantra is best accomplished in a quiet place or in the association of like-minded souls. But this is not absolutely necessary. The Maha Mantra can be chanted anywhere, anytime and by anyone. By chanting even in a very crowded or noisy place, one will become internally calm and peaceful. The Maha Mantra enables each of us to have a quiet place to retreat to whenever we wish. This Maha Mantra is for everyone, and the only thing that is required is the sincere desire to love and serve God.

Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement in the West, states: "We are not teaching any particular type of religion. We are simply teaching that you should learn to love God. And this is possible by chanting the Maha Mantra. This is non-sectarian and open to everyone."
 

What is Mantra Meditation?

Meditation is a means to fix and settle the mind, to make it peaceful. There are many varieties of meditation that may achieve the stated results of meditation, i.e. peace and steadiness of mind, to name but two. However, meditation is not always easy, as it requires that we rise above the everyday anxieties, which affect the mind. It is often asked what one should mediate on in order free the mind from its material anxieties.
 
To this it can be answered that mantra meditation offers a relatively easy method of achieving peace of mind through the repetition of sacred mantras. The word mantra is a Sankrit term and comes in two parts – "man" + "tra". "Man" means mind and "tra" means to deliver. The term mantra thus refers to a chant that gradually frees or delivers the mind from its anxieties. Mantra chanting, sometimes also known as mantra yoga, thus frees the mind from its excess mental baggage, making one's spiritual journey forward less problematic due to the fact that one has less baggage to carry around.

There are many mantras that a person may chant and meditate upon, with the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra being one of the most prominent ones and is as follows :

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

The chanting of this mantra will gradually purify the mind and thus help to free it from anxieties, and if cultivated properly, will gradually raise the practitioner to the platform of self realization.
 

How To Meditate On The Maha Mantra

One of the best ways to chant this mantra is on meditation beads, which is something like the rosary of the Christian or Buddhist faith. A string of beads consists of 108 beads strung in a circle, with one large head bead. The head bead is not chanted on, instead one should chant on the bead immediately following it.

Hold the first bead between the thumb and middle finger of the right hand and chant/repeat the complete mantra :

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

This mantra should be chanted on each bead until one has chanted on all 108 beads. Once finished, one simply turns around and repeats the process. When one has chanted on all 108 beads, one has completed one round. Generally each round takes between 7-12 minutes and if seriously and continuously practiced, will greatly help to improve one's mental state of mind.