Mantra Yoga                                             MANTRA05.TXT
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       Excerpt of Hidden Mysteries written by Joshua David Stone:

       Mantra Yoga finds union with God through the proper use of speech and
       sound. It is the power of the word to create or destroy that Mantra
       Yoga emphasizes. It utilizes the focus intent to make every word you
       speak be in harmony with God and with your own soul.

       Mantra Yoga also uses mantras as an indispensable part of the practice.
       In the East, the Mantra Yogi usually uses Aum, So Ham, Om Namah
       Shivaya, or Hram, Hrim as his favorite mantra. The most important
       mantra is the syllable Aum. It is considered the greatest of all
       mantras. After that, there is the Gayatry Mantra, which is considered
       the mantra of the eternal wisdom of the Vedas.

       Rhythmic repetition of a mantra called japa, which is why this type of
       yoga has also been called Japa Yoga. [...] Most spiritual teachers in
       the East and West integrate some from of Mantra Yoga into their
       teachings.
      
       The practice of Mantra Yoga requires constant vigilance over every
       thought you think and every word you speak, for every word you speak in
       your daily life, in truth, is a mantra and a word of power. There are
       different kinds of japa:

       Daily japa, which is usually done in the morning and evening;
       Circumstantial japa, which is usually done on festival days; Japa that
       is done for some specific desired goals; Forbidden japa, which is done
       without discipline and with wrong pronunciation. Japa that is done for
       penance. Moving japa, which is done through the day and which is what
       Sai Baba has recommended. Voice japa, which is done out loud for others
       to hear, if appropriate; Whispered japa; Bee japa, in which the mantra
       is murmured so it sounds like the hum of a bee - the lips and tongue do
       not move and the eyes are usually closed; Mental japa, which is done
       solely in the mind and is an indispensable method to use in your daily
       life; The uninterrupted japa, which is for those who have renounced the
       world. Japa is done continously; when tired; the yogi meditates, and
       when tried of meditating, he goes back to japa. When tired of both, he
       thinks of the Supreme Self; Japa that is done with beads or a rosary.
       (Many western religions knows this way very well)

       There are sixteen steps in Mantra Yoga:

       Devotion; 

       Purity; 

       Posture; 

       Observance of the calendar which is based on the astrological 
       understanding and which defines celebrations, fasts, and so on; 

       The ways of conduct; 

       Concentration; 

       The search for the inner divine countries. These inner countries are 
       considered the abodes of deities, masters, and gurus on the inner plane;

       Breath control;

       Gesture; 

       Water offering; 

       Ritual sacrifice (fruit); 

       Ritual worship, which usually utilizes scents, flowers, incense, 
       a lamp, and food of some kind; 

       Repetition of mantras, words of power, and names of God;

       Contemplation Identification (samadhi), which is achieved when the
       meaning of the mantra has been realized and the mind dissolves into the
       deity of the mantra. There becomes no separation between the seeker and
       that which is sougth. With identification, the seeker has achieved his
       goal.
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       Gerardo Romero grome@sparc.ciateq.conacyt.mx sent me following flyer:
       SWAMI GURU DEVANAND SARASWATI JI MAHARAJ founder of the International
       Society of Divine Fulfiments (SIRD "in spanish") he is an ascetic order
       monk from Shankara, India, he studied for a long time in the Hymalayan
       Mountains with a famous master Mauna Swami and then with until now Shan
       Kara Charya from Jyotir Math, Swami Santanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj.

       Swami Guru Devanand, talk throw the "SIRD", The life's philosophy and
       MANTRA YOGA MEDITATION (MYM). The MYM explain the key to the contact of
       the internal be, energy source, peace and happiness.

       The results of MANTRA YOGA MEDITATION practices are:

       Sico-Somatics problems elimination 

       Stability and welfare state growning

       Getting a true peacefulness 

       Removal of tensional and sentimental problems 

       Increases in the understanding of my own safety and trust of myself 

       Understanding of myself and the others 

       Develop all of levels ofindividual concience 

       Improvement of the concentration and memory

       Purification of the nervious system, involving drugs problem 

       Knowing of the Supreme Being [GOD]
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       All this information comes from the SIRD of AGUASCALIENTES MEXICO,
       CULTURAL CENTER OF YOGA "DEVANAND" If you requiered addisional Info,
       please let us know ING. C. LORENTE PRESIDENT OF THE SIRD San Julian num
       301 esq. Andes Apeninos Fraccionamiento Los Bosques Aguascalientes Ags.
       MEXICO Tel (49) 182721 Email: grome@sparc.ciateq.conacyt.mx