Properly using the human form of life is the most valuable thing. So let’s continue with our meditations – chanting on beads, Japa yoga. We talked about how important this is yesterday, regulating our life in such a way that we come in contact with spiritual sound every day.
Remember we will start with ‘GAURANGA’ on the head bead. For those new people the mantra we chant on the beads is the Maha-mantra. We chant the entire Maha-mantra on each bead, holding the beads between the thumb and middle finger. We chant out loud and as we do so we listen to the sound, meditate on the sound. We will chant ‘GAURANGA’ on the head bead which is this bigger bead with the tassel on it. Ok, everyone’s touching the head bead. I will say ‘GAURANGA’ then everybody respond ‘GAURANGA.’ Now the first bead:
HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE
HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA, HARE HARE…
HARIBOL!
All right, very good. Now let’s chant approximately one round privately. Remember we’re not trying to stay together. This is how you’re going to do it on your own. Try to get comfortable with doing this, go at a speed that’s comfortable for you, breath as you need to. You want to be comfortable in the meditation, not too loud, not too soft, just whatever is comfortable for you. We will begin with ‘GAURANGA’ on the head bead as always and then we will begin our private Japa yoga. We will chant until I say ‘HARIBOL.’ We’re touching the head bead – ‘GAURANGA.’
HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE
HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA, HARE HARE…
HARIBOL!
All right, so you should not let a day go by when you don’t do this but for that to happen you have to be determined. You have to make a commitment. We make all kind of commitments materially, but we don’t ever make any spiritual commitment. So many times I’ve seen people say, “Oh, I would like to come to the meditation tonight but I’ve already made a commitment to my friend to go out to dinner.” You see, dinner is more important than spiritual practice, “Oh, I’m committed, I’ve made a commitment.” So we have to also use our intelligence when we make our commitments.
We always must be intelligent people. So we should make a commitment – ’Every day I will do at least two rounds a day’ and then after that there may be another commitment. This is not to God, this is to yourself. Some people say, “Oh, you should make a commitment to God that you’ll do two rounds a day.” Absolutely not. I’m not going to talk too much on that but this is a commitment, “Ok, I’m going to do that,” and you do it. This is how you gain spiritual strength. This is where more determination and more enthusiasm and more commitment comes from. You make a commitment, it gives you strength, you make more, it’s gradual. But if you just remain not committed, “Maybe… maybe not…” where’s any spiritual strength? Zero, and you don’t go anywhere.
There is a science here. It’s a science, this is not just some whimsical idea. But if you don’t follow the science, you follow the way of the world and wind up with nothing, with just another karma filled wasted life. We don’t want to be like that.