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Before chanting my rounds today, I was meditating on the following senario:

You have been given 10 minutes before you have to leave your body...you have enough time to chant 1 round before leaving...how good would that last round be? How much concentration and attention would you invest in that last round?

I can say that there are many kinds of motivations to become better in our chanting.

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world....simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika das

This week in the Japa Room we were studying about the importance of admiting to ourselves the necessity of improving our japa.

This is a rather long post - and for that I apologise. However it has helped so much with my japa. It is taken from Mahanidhi Swami's book, entitled 'The Art of Chanting Hare Krishna.' There are prayers for before, during and after japa (although honestly I've thought of the prayers during japa of more of a mood). It helps keep me focussed and makes my japa more meaningful. I hope it will inspire and help others with their japa.

BEFORE JAPA:

This is a rather long post - and for that I apologise. However it has helped so much with my japa. It is taken from Mahanidhi Swami's book, entitled 'The Art of Chanting Hare Krishna.' There are prayers for before, during and after japa (although honestly I've thought of the prayers during japa of more of a mood). It helps keep me focussed and makes my japa more meaningful. I hope it will inspire and help others with their japa.

BEFORE JAPA:

This is a rather long post - and for that I apologise. However it has helped so much with my japa. It is taken from Mahanidhi Swami's book, entitled 'The Art of Chanting Hare Krishna.' There are prayers for before, during and after japa (although honestly I've thought of the prayers during japa of more of a mood). It helps keep me focussed and makes my japa more meaningful. I hope it will inspire and help others with their japa.

BEFORE JAPA:

I posted this on my blog seedofdevotion.blogspot.com but I wanted to share my experience with all of you.

If you are serious, and if you are intelligent, you will take it up. You will take it up. You will get japa-mala you will chant regularly on ja... How many people here chant japa-mala every day? Let's see a show of hands. Ninety percent: So, there's ten percent of you who aren’t chanting every day. My request to you is this: Don't become a hog in your next birth. Utilize this human birth to chant the names of the Lord. If you do so you will taste a pleasure that is very very very sublime. Very sublime. Instead of doing something like watching television, you see?

Here is a very lively talk given by Dulal Chandra prabhu...he explains about the offenses and talks of how the wandering mind is a problem during Japa.
http://connect.krishna.com/node/3531

"Everything starts by the aural reception, by hearing. We first hear about Krsna and by doing this process we become purified and then we may understand more about the philosophy and then apply it in our lives. Everyone starts by hearing.

Here is a very nice talk given by Dulal Chandra dasa...he explains about the offenses and gives some personal examples of how the wandering mind can be a problem during Japa.

Reading the Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Chapter 13, I found a very nice and important quote that I am sure can be very useful in our everyday devotional life. Here follows the quote:

When I chant japa in our temple I usually sit near to Srimati Tulsi-devi. Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami once said to us that one´s japa is 80% better if you chant under Tulsirani´s shadow. She is pure devotee, and all the holy tirthas and holy rivers are situated on her leaves.

While chanting morning japa in our Tulsi-room´s corner another day a though came: "All the troubles what my mind makes up have root in the mind´s wandering to the future or to the past."

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world....simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika das

This weekend in the Japa Room I got some nectar from the sessions.

As Janmastami progress's today and I chant extras rounds, I had this thought about Japa and how Krsna is very pleased when we chant the Holy names....if Krsna sees that our efforts are serious, then He reciprocates in a serious way - bestowing the nectar for which we are always anxious.

It is very Important to chant or 16 rounds very nicely but Qualitatively. Quality is a very important factor in terms of Japa. Prabhupad says that Quality is not cheap. But it does not mean that we should not strive for quality chanting.
One of the most important and practical way to improve our Japa IS TO GET UP EARLY IN MORNING AND COMPLETE OUR 16 ROUNDS BEFORE SUNRISE. Then this practise will in itself help us in quality chanting.

The days have been quite busy for the last month. Maha-cleaning of the
temple, festival management, distributing prasadam in the Etno Festival, cooking,
visiting sadhus, Ratha-Yatra, Millions of e-mails and phone-calls. Basically
everyday something new and unexpected appears, hardly any time for reading.

When I am not able to chant in the morning, my quality usually goes down.
When you have less time available, good chanting is a challenge but on the other
hand you become more appreciative for good time and a place for nice
chanting.

We already know how difficult is to apply the philosophy to our lives....like realising we are not these bodies, subdue our minds and acting in our constitutional position of eternal servants of Krsna.

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world....simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108@gmail.com

ys

Rasa Rasika das

Our Japa Room today was very nectarian, with lots of good realisations from devotees. We can see how each one of us can develop our chanting.

Chanting is done from heart, as a way of life. That is inoffensive chanting. It is not just a technique. You have in the past been victim of ur uncontrolled senses. You should pray to KRSNA when you chant "Please save me from MAYA. Please save me from raging senses. Please, Lord, engage my senses in your service.Please let me chant HARE KRSNA sincerely. Please do not let me go away from your LOTUS FEET INTO THE JAWS OF MAYA".

Over the last few days I have been having intense discussions about all the ins and outs of chanting Japa....it's been very satisfying and purifying for my devotee friend and I.