Hindus Only: Alternative to Naam japa in Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta)

[sheru]

I used to do Naam Japa in the past but since I have come to know about Advaita this practice is unacceptable to my mind. I can't find it logical. Though I have experienced it's mind purifying benefits yet it doesn't satisfy my logical mind. Is there any way I can do something other than Naam japa for mind purification.

Let's say I take a word kindness and recite it every day with bhava and feelings. Won't it generate the same benefits as doing Naam japa. Will doing Naam japa provide any additional benefits than this self invented exercise of reciting the name of a quality?

I understand that one-pointedness is the main goal of mantra or Naam japa but I want to achieve this without using any name of God. The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji. Kindly guide.

 

[sayak83]

I used to do Naam Japa in the past but since I have come to know about Advaita this practice is unacceptable to my mind. I can't find it logical. Though I have experienced it's mind purifying benefits yet it doesn't satisfy my logical mind. Is there any way I can do something other than Naam japa for mind purification.

Let's say I take a word kindness and recite it every day with bhava and feelings. Won't it generate the same benefits as doing Naam japa. Will doing Naam japa provide any additional benefits than this self invented exercise of reciting the name of a quality?

I understand that one-pointedness is the main goal of mantra or Naam japa but I want to achieve this without using any name of God. The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji. Kindly guide.

Try meditation using Aum...

 

[Vinayaka]

I used to do Naam Japa in the past but since I have come to know about Advaita this practice is unacceptable to my mind. I can't find it logical. Though I have experienced it's mind purifying benefits yet it doesn't satisfy my logical mind. Is there any way I can do something other than Naam japa for mind purification.

Let's say I take a word kindness and recite it every day with bhava and feelings. Won't it generate the same benefits as doing Naam japa. Will doing Naam japa provide any additional benefits than this self invented exercise of reciting the name of a quality?

I understand that one-pointedness is the main goal of mantra or Naam japa but I want to achieve this without using any name of God. The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji. Kindly guide.

Who taught you that sex with your wife is bad? This sounds like the classic 'let's do both paths (renunciate and sannyas) at the same time conundrum. It's not a practical way to live life, and has cause way too many problems.

You can focus on your breath (pranayama) as a method of calming and reflections. Nine counts in and nine counts out is a good starting point.

 

[sheru]

Who taught you that sex with your wife is bad? This sounds like the classic 'let's do both paths (renunciate and sannyas) at the same time conundrum. It's not a practical way to live life, and has cause way too many problems.

You can focus on your breath (pranayama) as a method of calming and reflections. Nine counts in and nine counts out is a good starting point.

No, but once you start doing Naam japa. The mind purification process automatically starts and sex seems redundant or we can say less enjoyable. Moreover, I was chanting name of Hanuman Ji and he follows Brahmacharya so it was more confusing for me. Leaving non veg food was also a struggle. I want to get the benefits but without this guilt and I find Naam Japa very useful. That is why I was asking If I can Naam Japa a quality , say Love or Kindness. I have no problem doing it as it is easy and can be done anytime anywhere.
If you know any such reference kindly include.

 

[sheru]

Try meditation using Aum...

But I want to do Naam japa on a quality. Is that possible? Have you ever seen any gurus advice regarding this.

 

[Vinayaka]

No, but once you start doing Naam japa. The mind purification process automatically starts and sex seems redundant or we can say less enjoyable. Moreover, I was chanting name of Hanuman Ji and he follows Brahmacharya so it was more confusing for me. Leaving non veg food was also a struggle. I want to get the benefits but without this guilt and I find Naam Japa very useful. That is why I was asking If I can Naam Japa a quality , say Love or Kindness. I have no problem doing it as it is easy and can be done anytime anywhere.
If you know any such reference kindly include.

The beauty of Hinduism is that we can feel free to use what works for us, even if it's a bit untraditional. I've never heard of it discussed by a Guru.

 

[Valjean]

Advaita Vedanta is an ontology, not a practice. There are many neural disruptions that can induce its realization. I don't know of any study ranking their individual effectiveness.

 

[SalixIncendium]

But I want to do Naam japa on a quality. Is that possible?

Sure. As I see it, the purpose of repeating a name in a mantra is to focus the mind...to release it from distracting or intrusive thoughts that may arise. The meaning of the mantra is less important than the sound. I've simply used Om as japa in the past...and quite successfully. I see no reason you could not select a quality and use that as japa.

 

[Valjean]

Sure. As I see it, the purpose of repeating a name in a mantra is to focus the mind...to release it from distracting or intrusive thoughts that may arise. The meaning of the mantra is less important than the sound. I've simply used Om as japa in the past...and quite successfully. I see no reason you could not select a quality and use that as japa.

Agreed. It's misleading to confuse a specific Yoga with the insights it's intended to reveal.

The ultimate goal in Hinduism, medically speaking, is to induce a type of temporal seizure, altering perception. This is usually accomplished by short-circuiting the brain in some way, disrupting normal patterns of thought and perception.

The mechanism of psychic disruption is incidental. It's the mystical experience of Unity that's induced that's important.

 

[sheru]

Agreed. It's misleading to confuse a specific Yoga with the insights it's intended to reveal.

The ultimate goal in Hinduism, medically speaking, is to induce a type of temporal seizure, altering perception. This is usually accomplished by short-circuiting the brain in some way, disrupting normal patterns of thought and perception.

The mechanism of psychic disruption is incidental. It's the mystical experience of Unity that's induced that's important.

Well I don't see this scientific approach anywhere. Isn't there any single guru who has talked about this? Most of the people just say the same things that Mantras have special powers and they are invented by Rishis and so on.
If you know any such Guru, Book any reference with such scientific approach to this practice it would be great.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Isn't there any single guru who has talked about this?

Four, actually.

 

[sayak83]

Well I don't see this scientific approach anywhere. Isn't there any single guru who has talked about this? Most of the people just say the same things that Mantras have special powers and they are invented by Rishis and so on.
If you know any such Guru, Book any reference with such scientific approach to this practice it would be great.

This may help
Types of Meditation – Part 1 | Vedanta Society of Southern California

 

[Valjean]

Well I don't see this scientific approach anywhere. Isn't there any single guru who has talked about this? Most of the people just say the same things that Mantras have special powers and they are invented by Rishis and so on.
If you know any such Guru, Book any reference with such scientific approach to this practice it would be great.

LOL -- most gurus aren't scientifically inclined. I'm interpreting.

All the Brahmanic scholars, notably the Vedantists and Smartists talk about it, but from a more scriptural viewpoint. Brahman is a major concept in Hinduism, but not all sects delve so deeply into the metaphysics of ultimate Reality.

Hindu scholarship is often devolves into a baffling morass of Vedic minutiae and Sanskrit terminology. I'm trying to present it from a concrete, western standpoint.

Hinduism posits multiple, nested realities, perceptible from different levels of consciousness. Most sects concentrate on the less abstract, more approachable levels. Most prefer to proceed one step at a time.

 

[sheru]

Four, actually.

Four, actually.

And who are these?
I am confused why the name of Hanuman Ji made me confused after sometime. Does it mean the deity I chose for myself didn't align with my goals or my behaviour?

 

[SalixIncendium]

And who are these?

The four who offered you advice in this thread, who are well-versed in Hinduism and/or have had direct experiences with what you are asking.

Fame doesn't make one a guru. Wisdom does.

I am confused why the name of Hanuman Ji made me confused after sometime. Does it mean the deity I chose for myself didn't align with my goals or my behaviour?

Without knowing more about how you felt confused, it's difficult for me to answer why. However, the fact that you feel that you were confused simply means what you chose as a practice was not working for you at that time. Simply set that aside and try a name/quality you feel that would better help you to achieve an equanimous mental state. One has been offered to you in post #2 of this thread.

 

[sheru]

The four who offered you advice in this thread, who are well-versed in Hinduism and/or have had direct experiences with what you are asking.

Fame doesn't make one a guru. Wisdom does.


Without knowing more about how you felt confused, it's difficult for me to answer why. However, the fact that you feel that you were confused simply means what you chose as a practice was not working for you at that time. Simply set that aside and try a name/quality you feel that would better help you to achieve an equanimous mental state. One has been offered to you in post #2 of this thread.

I was also thinking of starting that. But I have so many questions. Like Aum is associated with Lord Shiva and won't my meat eating conflict with this?

 

[SalixIncendium]

I was also thinking of starting that. But I have so many questions. Like Aum is associated with Lord Shiva and won't my meat eating conflict with this?

While eating sattvic foods are optimal for spiritual development, eating meat won't conflict with this any more than it does in your day-to-day life.

Feel free to ask any questions you would like. That's what we're here for.

 

[sheru]

The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji. Kindly guide.

The four who offered you advice in this thread, who are well-versed in Hinduism and/or have had direct experiences with what you are asking.

Fame doesn't make one a guru. Wisdom does.


Without knowing more about how you felt confused, it's difficult for me to answer why. However, the fact that you feel that you were confused simply means what you chose as a practice was not working for you at that time. Simply set that aside and try a name/quality you feel that would better help you to achieve an equanimous mental state. One has been offered to you in post #2 of this thread.

I felt confused because of this :

The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I felt confused because of this :

The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family. Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji.

When you say you felt disconnected from your family, do you mean you were dedicating time to do japa at the expense of paying attention to your family? Or do you mean you felt disconnected as a result of doing the japa.

If you have a wife and family, I will conclude that you are living the life of a householder. There is no reason one cannot remain dedicated to spiritual practice while remaining engaged in the world. You might find karma yoga effective in this capacity.

In my opinion, it's important to find balance as a householder between dedication to spirit and commitment to family, and it's equally important to set aside self-judgment.

 

[mangalavara]

I used to do Naam Japa in the past but since I have come to know about Advaita this practice is unacceptable to my mind. I can't find it logical.

Advaita Vedānta was the philosophy taught by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, and it is still taught today by his successors. One of them, Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji of Sringeri Sharada Peetham teaches that nāma japa is suitable and beneficial in Kaliyuga. If Advaita and the practice of nāma japa are perfectly compatible to a Jagadguru/Śaṅkarācārya, could they also be compatible to somebody who is not yet Self-realized?

Though I have experienced it's mind purifying benefits yet it doesn't satisfy my logical mind.

Logic is necessary and helpful in mundane matters whereas direct experience is important in spiritual matters. Perhaps logic should be reserved for mundane matters apart from spiritual matters?

Is there any way I can do something other than Naam japa for mind purification.

I suppose you could manually let go of negative thoughts.

Let's say I take a word kindness and recite it every day with bhava and feelings. Won't it generate the same benefits as doing Naam japa.

When it comes to a word producing the same benefits as nāma japa, I don’t know if it could happen. What I do know is that the Śiva Purāṇa, for instance, states that Śiva nāma japa reduces mountainous heaps of pāpam to ashes, takes away worries, removes the fear of Yamarāja and Naraka, and is the raft that takes one across the ocean of worldly existence to liberation. The Padma Purāṇa says similar things about Rāma, the highest name of Nārāyaṇa. I haven’t yet found a scripture or Self-realized person who says such things about words such as maitrī, śānta, or karuṇā.

I understand that one-pointedness is the main goal of mantra or Naam japa but I want to achieve this without using any name of God.

There is always the practice of aṣṭāṅga yoga. Dhāraṇā or ‘one-pointedness’ is an aspect of it that follows pratyāhāra or ‘gathering toward.’

The reason behind it is that I used to do Japa of Jai Hanuman everyday. I became too engrossed in this japa that I felt disconnected from my family.

If that is your experience from chanting ‘Jai Hanumān,’ then that particular japa is not the best one for you if you don’t want to feel disconnected from your family.

Even after making sexual relation with my wife, I felt bad because I was not following the path(Brahmacharya) of my beloved Hanuman Ji.

The brahmacarya of Hanumān is not the brahmacarya of a husband. Dharmaśāstras and other texts teach that a married man is to approach only his own wife. That is the brahmacarya of a husband. Which would Hanumān approve of in you?