Mantras

[cbritton]

There is a book that has been widely popular among yoga practitioners in the United States for some time. Titled the Fountain of Youth, it details five yoga exercises that have been practiced amongst a society of Tibetan monks for thousands of years that promise extraordinary longevity. There is one chapter, however, that has troubled me for some time. Titled "Mantram Magic," the chapter describes a procedure for attaining one's desires by calling upon one's "supraconscious mind." The procedure is very simple. One simply recites in his mind: "I demand power right now" if what that person desires is power. The supraconscious mind is then activated and goes to work through its own energy and genius to bring you power.

Now, what is disconcerting is that being vested with this magic-like power to manipulate one's world in positive ways also allows one to manipulate his or her world in neutral or negative ways as well (right?). How easy it is for someone to inadvertently demand something harmful or negative for himself or another person. Suppose someone simply thought: "I demand (something) right now" where that something was a car crash or illness, for instance. One might then try to suppress these thoughts or avoid them, but that often tends to only inflame them. I have been experiencing this with anxiety for a while and would like to know if these thoughts should trouble me and if I should worry about them at all.

[Pandara]

Hi,

I don't think you should worry too much. I have read the book and can assure you as a practitioner of Tantra there are a few very important ingredients missing in that book. Further I personally consider the book to be a hoax, my reasons:

1. Tibetan Buddhism and yoga propagate detachment from the the body, not attachment to something impermanent such as eternal youth.
2. An authentic Tibetan practitioner, such as Milarepa for example, will always reveal and name the lineage of his master.
3. The seven chakra idea is not authentic to Tibetan Buddhists, they believe there are only five. Further Tibetan Buddhism view health as a balance and not a speeding up of the energies in the chakras.
4. And I can assure you at the time which the original book (1939) was written, the Tibetan monks wouldn't have shared this type of information with a Westerner, contact between the West and Tibetan was very limited and only to minor information.

That we can manifest certain energies with our words, that would be a concern for me, especially if the person who does it is ignorant and not properly prepared, but fortunately the Universe has it ways and means to deal with such persons as well.

Hope this helps.

[cbritton]

Hey Pandara,

Thank you for replying. Your response was very helpful. There is just one other thing I would like to ask you. Although the Fountain of Youth is probably not very credible and perhaps very misleading, I can't neglect the fact that I have tried the mantrams with varied results. The first time I tried this process I demanded great joy and happiness. Almost instantly I felt a significant transformation in my mood and did feel happier. On other occasions where I experimented with demanding various phenomena, the results were mixed.

Demanding a particular sensation in any localized part of the body does not yield results. Also, demanding the occurrence of phenomena outside the body does not yield any results either. The only demands where the results were at least ambiguous were those associated with mental states or feelings. These are precisely what the book asks the reader to focus on.

Now, I cant help but wonder if this is a clever gimmick where all that is necessary is a little faith or fear and the person by simply imagining or focusing on the object he desires can create the illusion that he is actually getting richer or happier or younger. If you are willing to try the exercise I would really like to know what you think of it and whether or not you think it is anything more than nonsense. Thank you Pandara.

Chris Britton

[Pandara]

Hi Chris,

I wouldn't say it is utter nonsense. I think it is a known fact that we can change our world by simply changing what and how we think about it. And using mantras or affirmations to change our thought patterns is a very old trick employed by humans. This is the basis of our existence for in that there is creative energy working all the time and we work it. By being negative you will create a negative world around you and the opposite is also true. And this is correct and appropriate as long as the individual focus the attention on him/herself. However, and this is the danger of magic and the word magic, people can easily be consumed by their new found "power" and the so called "powers" associated with the word magic and tantra. Sooner or later they will try it on other people around them, without think about the karmic consequences of their actions.

So, while I am not against the positive actions and outcomes this book propagates (when I started yoga, I realised that most of the exercises this book propagates are actually part of the whole yoga system), I am worried that in the wrong mind it might be wrongly construed and used, but then as I have said there are ingredients missing in the book, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Unfortunenately I read the book nearly twenty years ago and a few years ago I actually gave it to somebody whom I though could use the positivity in many aspects the book propagates, so I am speaking from a very faint memory about the book. What I can tell you, this book made no difference to my life at that stage 20 years ago, but it changed the life of my friend tremendously in that he lifted himself eventually out of a state of depression and an unsatisfactory job situation into a more positive way of life and a new job eventually.

Hope this helps.

[cbritton]

Pandara,

Thank you for answering my questions thus far. There is perhaps just one last question that I would like to ask you. Do you suggest that when such thoughts arise to, instead of negating them with opposite demands which would be fighting one's self, let go of them and let them pass like any other harmless thoughts? Thanks again.

Chris

[Pandara]

Hi Chris,

I presume that when you refer to "such thoughts" you mean negative ones. Sometimes it is unavoidable, we are challenged by our negative thoughts as well and it is part of human nature to get negative from time to time, depending on your circumstances and surroundings. In this there are also balance and we need to acknowledge it. The ideal would be to just let them (the negative thoughts) pass you by without giving them energy, but then that is easier said than done, I admit. Therefore I shall speak only from my own experience and that is when I am confronted by my negative thoughts, I try to acknowledge them and see them for what they are, part of maya and without wallowing too much in the that negativity. My own teacher used to say that every problem carries a solution on its back as well, I like to think that every negativity carries a positivity on its back as well and vice versa, we live on the planet of opposites.

However, there is also for me a difference between just feeling negative and having some negative emotions opposed to using negativity with intention. By negativity with intention, I mean that you deliberately go and use negativity with the intention to harm/change/influence a certain situation or person.

Best I explain per example: You had a girlfriend who is no longer interested in you, you sit one morning and use mantras and visualisations to get her back to love you again. For me this constitute what I explain above.

Trust this helps.