We want to thank many people: the musicians, first of all, for a very nice musical presentation and all the theatrical activities. Very nice, very funny, very informative. Actually, this has given us something to think about. We will be talking about that a little bit. And, of course, we thank you very much for coming. Very nice to see you and know that you are interested in this idea of destiny.
Before we begin, we are going to do a little meditation. We are speaking from the platform of the yoga philosophy. One of the main activities in yoga is meditation. So we are going to introduce you to that. Tomorrow night we will give you a more complete presentation on meditation.
There are three main reasons why we are going to do this now. The first reason is that this will help us to relax, slow down, and be a little more calm. Second, it makes it easier to understand the subject that we are going to be discussing. Third, you get to learn the meditation and take it home with you.
The type of meditation we are going to do is called mantra meditation. Mantras are transcendental sounds descending from the spiritual realm. They bring with them spiritual power. When we come in contact with this spiritual potency, automatically we receive great spiritual benefit.
In the package that you received there is a card with the mantra GAURANGA. You can see it is divided into four syllables: GAU–RA–ANG–GA. Just to make sure we have our pronunciation correct, let’s all practice saying that now. First I will say the mantra and then everyone can repeat. Everybody ready?
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
(the audience repeats twice)
All right, very good. Our technique is quite simple. First we will breathe in through our nose very slowly, gently and deeply. As we breathe in, in the mind we will say GAU–RA–ANG–GA. When our body is filled with air, we begin to exhale. And on the outgoing breath we will say out loud GAU–RA–ANG–GA. Then we are going to repeat this several times.
Before we begin, we want to relax. To help us relax, we take a deep breath and let it out. While we do the meditation, we want to listen very closely to the sound and put the mind on the sound. In other words, we meditate on the sound. When we finish, we will sit quietly for just a couple of moments and feel the effect.
I will give you a demonstration so you can see exactly how it works. Then we can all do it together. Of course, we encourage everyone to take part in the meditation. Ok, here is the demonstration. I begin by taking a deep breath and relaxing. Now very slowly, gently and deeply I inhale.
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
Ok, it is just that easy. Let’s all do that now. It helps to sit erect in your seat; it assists our breathing. Remember to relax, meditate on the sound and sit quietly in the end. So just follow my guidance. Everybody take a big breath, let it out and relax. Now very slowly, gently and deeply inhale.
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
GAU–RA–ANG–GA
…
(repeated several times with the audience)