Is it better to chant alone or with a group?

[Hiwaunis]

Om Shanti,
I must say I love this forum. I believe I am swimming in the ocean of knowledge. Thank you all for contributing to my spiritual quest.

My next question is: Is it better to chant and meditate alone or with a group of people? Right now I am alone and do not know where to go to be with others that chant specific mantras.

I often wonder what would be the effect of a large group of people (somewhere around the amount of people that attend the super bowl) chanting for about 3 or 4 hours everyday for a week? How would the atmosphere be effected? Do the vibrations from chanting and meditating influence others in the immediate vicinity?

Namaste,
Hiwaunis

[Madhavan]

It is said that one should progress from dussangatvam ( bad company) to sassangatvam ( good company) to nissangatvam ( no company). Chanting in groups is better to start with as it will keep you motivated, and somebody in the group is always admired as a good bhakta and becomes a role model to follow.

Again, whether to retain good company or move solitary is largely dependent on one's tradition and the kind of religeous practice one is involved in. The final goal of all these is to bring about more concetration of the mind, from where it can be channeled into deeper spiritual experiences - some may benefit in a group and some alone , it depends on the person.

[saidevo]

Chanting alone is done for individual spiritual welfare and progress while chanting in a group is done with a specific intent. Vedas are mostly chanted in a group. In ashrams the disciples and the guru chant and sing together, as with the choir in the churches.

The effectiveness of the vibrations generated in group chanting depends on the 'involvement' of the members. With spiritually trained members, it could be very effective, as in the recent case of group chanting by Guruji MuraLidhara Swamy and his devotees bringing in torrential rains to the parched fields of Australia.

Group chanting is done vocally and loudly; chanting alone, once the correct pronunciation of the mantras is obtained, is best done within the mind, inwardly listening to the rhythm of inflections. With individual chantings it is said that when a mantra is uttered vocally it is adhama (least effective); when uttered with just lip movement, it is madhyama (effective) and uttama (most effective) when done silently within the mind with no lip movement.

These are some of the points I remember to have come across in my spiritual browsings; hope it would be of help.

[Agnideva]

Namaste Hiwaunis,


My next question is: Is it better to chant and meditate alone or with a group of people? Right now I am alone and do not know where to go to be with others that chant specific mantras.

I have always chanted silently by myself. I think group chanting and meditation are good for getting the know-how, but eventually we all have to self-disciplined and learn to do it by ourselves (my opinion only). I must say, however, that on rare occasions when I did get to chant in a group, it was a very powerful experience. When one learns to chant silently, many times it is the case that the mind wanders and thoughts go all over the place. In group chanting, the mind is more focused because the chanting is vocal, and you get into the rhythm with everyone else. The vibrations of the mantra fill the room, and you are completely taken over.


I often wonder what would be the effect of a large group of people (somewhere around the amount of people that attend the super bowl) chanting for about 3 or 4 hours everyday for a week? How would the atmosphere be effected? Do the vibrations from chanting and meditating influence others in the immediate vicinity? I do believe that mantras and chanting hold a lot of power, not only to affect the individual chanting it, but everything around us. In Sanatana Dharma traditions (both Vedantic and Tantric) we have a very complex theory called the theory of sound - meaning that the universe of multiplicity is a product of ever expanding sound emerging from the silence of oneness. Sound in mantras is therefore used not only to understand the evolution of the universe, but also to enable involution back to the Self. This is why mantras are said to hold so much power.

OM Shanti,
A.

[Hiwaunis]

Om Shanti,
The power of mantras are so obvious once practiced. Even though it is not the Hindu way to convert others, conversion should be tried with Christians. They don't know what they are missing.

Namaste,
Hiwaunis

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Hiwaunis,

I think that Catholic Christians should already understand, but since rosary japa is often used only as a kind of "punishment for sins" (the Christian version of "tapasya") there may be many who have been put off the practice.

[Hiwaunis]

Namaste Sarabhanga,
I agree with you concerning Catholic Christians. I was unaware that their rosary japa was used as a form of punishment. That's too bad because they really don't know what they are missing.

I think the conversion has already started with the heighten interest in yoga in the USA. Before a yoga class starts the teacher always says a prayer to a guru or a deity in Hindi. Even though most of the students probably won't admit their religious upbringing they will still repeat the prayer as requested by the instructor.

I believe most Christians are ready for the truth and the science of the self. But for some reason they are "trapped" in the habit of following those who entertain them, ie television evangalist.

Most Christians have never had the opportunity to be properly introduced to any form of Hinduism. It would be great if a Hindu temple preist would invite a Christian church to a gathering where one of the more common mantras (one easily translated) would be chanted. With all those divine vibrations flowing through them how could they not enjoy it and want to make it a permanant practice?

I know this is a great idea but who will make the first step? Maybe one day I will.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti,
Hiwaunis

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Hiwaunis,

After confessing their sins to a priest, penitent Catholics will generally be told how many repetitions of which mantra they must make to gain absolution from their confessed sins. This is clearly "punishment", just as the great tapasya of Christ himself is interpreted as his ultimate punishment for the sake of absolving all mortal sins.

And it should be noted that the translation of any mantra will necessarily change its nature, and most likely destroy (or at least greatly diminish) its original power.

[Hiwaunis]

Namaste Hiwaunis,

And it should be noted that the translation of any mantra will necessarily change its nature, and most likely destroy (or at least greatly diminish) its original power.

Om shanti Sarabhanga,

Are you saying that one should not chant the translated version of the Gayatri mantra, (Oh creator of the universe, etc)? or Shiva mantra, (With great reverence I bow down to Lord Shiva)?

Why is this? Does it have something to do with the power of Sanskrit words on our consciousness?

Namaste,
Hiwaunis

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Hiwaunis,

A mantra is the essential embodiment of a deity, encapsulating the ethereal resonance of that deity or one of its powers. The literal meaning is an important component, but the more powerful mahamantras are so pregnant with layers of concentrated meaning and potent intention that any translation is bound to be only a dim reflection of the original.

“With great reverence I bow down to Lord Shiva” is just one simplistic interpretation of the pancakshara mantra ~ entirely correct (and harmless), but with no content beyond simple adoration.

See this thread for a few fragments of what is actually implied by the original mantra ~ http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6 ~ all of which is discarded by translation into any modern language.