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"The mantra is the sound that harmonizes the vibration of the individual with the universal vibration and energy..." —Adesha, Founder, DASA Meditation
Written by Lorraine Alexander, August 2016
For many years we've seen rave reviews in the news, praising the benefits of silent-mantra meditation. But more recently, there have been articles that attempt to dilute the importance of the mantra, by encouraging the reader to "just pick any word or any sound." This suggests that anything will do. I call this "the fast-food approach to inner peace." But alas, any sound does not qualify as a mantra, and not all mantras are created equal. I can only assume that the author is sincere in their delivery, but they lack firsthand experience.
There is more importance to a mantra than one might assume. After all, silent mantra meditation has been taught teacher-to-student in the oral tradition for over 5,000 years. Given the mantra's rich history with meditation, shouldn't we consider that there might be something to be learned from this deeply rich tradition?
Why your mantra matters
For many years we've seen rave reviews in the news, praising the benefits of silent-mantra meditation. But more recently, there have been articles that attempt to dilute the importance of the mantra, by encouraging the reader to "just pick any word or any sound." This suggests that anything will do. I call this "the fast-food approach to inner peace." But alas, any sound does not qualify as a mantra, and not all mantras are created equal. I can only assume that the author is sincere in their delivery, but they lack firsthand experience.
There is more importance to a mantra than one might assume. After all, silent mantra meditation has been taught teacher-to-student in the oral tradition for over 5,000 years. Given the mantra's rich history with meditation, shouldn't we consider that there might be something to be learned from this deeply rich tradition?
Why your mantra matters
There is something beautiful and special about a traditional mantra; each crafted for effectiveness in the ancient Sanskrit (pronounced sæn-skrɪt) language. Within this age-old wisdom, the mantra was considered to be sacred; even the word itself 'mantra' is derived from Sanskrit. Its literal meaning is 'sacred utterance.'
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