Contemplations from the 13th lesson on the Shiva
Sutras.
Sutra 12: CHITTAM
MANTRAH
Let your mind become the mantra…retrain your mind to
liberate itself from its self- imposed contraction.
YOGA SANCTUARY DISCLAIMER: This Sutra is for universal consumption, by
all earnest aspirants. No experience of mantra is required. We repeat, no
previous experience of working with mantra is necessary for the application of
this Sutra or for enjoying any and all benefits which may ensue… smiley
So mantra means a device which liberates the mind from its
own contraction. Mantra sets the mind free, allowing it to open from its
self-imposed tightness and expand accordingly. It’s often a syllabic
combination or stream of words ( OM NAMAH SHIVAYA, OM GAM GANAPATAYI NAMAHA or
I AM, for example ) that is designed to open and liberate your mind.
Why though is Shiva saying, ‘Let your mind become the mantra’ ??
In the early days of travelling the path to spiritual
liberation; and, to a lesser extent, later on during the journey, we encounter
the restlessness of our minds. This restlessness, this ceaseless churning and
chewing, seemingly random and inescapable, is, we discover early on, simply the
nature of ‘Mind’; pretty universal, just the purpose of the apparatus so to
speak. Problem solving, pattern spotting, analysis, judgement, vigilance,
protection and projection. The list of functions it autonomously performs,
chewing and churning, roiling and restless, just goes on and on and on... This is
not a problem per se, it’s simply what the mind has been conditioned to do. And
it’s gonna do it whether we want it to stop or not. Although in the long run,
some way down the path, it is possible to slow and sedate the mind’s thought
making process, at first and for some considerable time in the earlier stages
of treading the path, the mind’s momentum is essentially unstoppable. And
trying to still such a juggernaut can cause more problems than it solves. If,
for instance, there is a thought form which is repetitive and irritating,
wreaking havoc in your psyche, have you ever tried to stop it in its tracks?
What we discover is that the very attempt to resist and subdue the psychic
irritant has quite the opposite effect; that of energising the thought current
and amplifying it further still!! Moreover, by getting hooked into this pattern
with the mental tormentor in this way, our energetic frequency inevitably drops
and we then become subject to all kinds of thoughts that we would simply not
have, or at least be less affected by if our energy was higher ( see Sutra #1 CHAITANYAMATMA ). And so a
vicious downward spiral of energy leakage and inner turmoil ensues… not pretty
and not clever! So what to do!?
Well Shiva, the true teacher, has this to say on the matter smiley,
look, we can’t stop the mind just yet and it needs something to be going on
with, it needs to be occupied one way or another. That’s just the nature of the
beast, accept it and let’s start from there. Once we accept the inexorable fact
of the mind’s insatiable need for thought production, we can look a little
closer and notice that not only is it a relentless thought manufacturer, but
that ostensibly all the mind’s febrile machinations share a central theme. This
theme is a ‘me-centred’ superbias which never strays far from ‘I’ ‘me’ ‘mine’
and very occasionally certain other things, but only in as much as how those
certain other things affect or are connected to ‘I’ ‘me’ ‘mine’. So, says
Mahadev, the nature of mind with its tireless, me-centric momentum and its
refusal to be deterred from its raison d’etre ( i.e. thought production ) has
to be worked with not fought against. It needs to be finessed not forced. And
the prescription given by Lord Shiva for such a tricky task? MANTRA! Mantra as alternative. Mantra as distraction.
Mantra as awakener. Mantra as illuminant.
Shiva’s point here is
to give the mind something to chew on so it can leap off this me-centric
merry-go-round and then expand into the celestial realms beyond the cramped and
limited ego. Only then can it open out into something bigger than thinking
about yours truly over and over and over ad nauseum. So with this purpose in
mind, an alternative thought is given in the shape of a mantra. This can serve
as a distraction from the repetitive irritant or at least as an awakener to the
fact that we are caught in the mind rut. Or else as an illuminant to show up
just how and to what extent our mind has become occupied by this incessant
brain-bug.
Whichever way the mantra works within these approaches, it’s
a good thing as it has created some space between us and the thought pattern,
some vital space which wasn’t there before… this ushers in the beginning of
self-discovery and then, in time, self-mastery. No longer are we the impotent
captives of the mind, instead we have a versatile tool for liberation and
expansion; this tool is portable, rust-resistant and guaranteed for life…this
tool is mantra!
It’s truly a wonderful gift that such an empowering and
liberating method of mind moderation is ours to use in a variety of ways, but
perhaps its most effective use is to bring us out of the headspace and then to
drop us down a foot into the heartspace ( see
Sutra #9 HRIDAYE CHITTASANGHATTAD
DRISYASVARPADARSHANAM ). It can be any orthodox mantra ( e.g. OM NAMAH
SHIVAYA etc. ) or even just a thought form such as ‘How’s my breath?’ or ‘
where am I located right now, head or heart?’ really anything to jog us out of
the mind rut and into that higher awareness of our deeper truth and the
connection we have to God, Life, The Universe, call it what you will.
Shiva’s declaring that not only will the mantra effect immediate
liberation from the bondage of repetitive, often unwholesome thought-streams
but that over a sustained period of practice ( those loyal buddies patience and
perseverance weighing in again smiley ) we can actually use the mind’s
relentless and dogged nature to our advantage. We do this by transferring its
emphasis from the monotonous, often negative repetition of me-centric malarkey,
onto an inspiring, affirmative mantra for our upliftment and energetic economy.
He’s saying introduce this device for liberation of the mind and it can be
awesome First Aid for overworked brains, but that equally it can also be like a
course of antibiotics to help disinfect the chronic conditions of the psyche
which are bleeding energy like an open window in winter.
So ‘Let your mind
become the mantra, retrain it to liberate itself from its own constriction’. This
way expansion, peace and joy, with space for the higher intelligence to enjoy
dominion and expression can then manifest.
“LET YOUR MIND BECOME THE MANTRA”
“LET YOUR MIND BECOME THE MANTRA”
“LET YOUR MIND BECOME THE MANTRA”
……and repeat x108 :-)
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