Mala Meditation - The Mystical Power of the number 108

Urvashee is a dear friend and the gifted creator of countless exceptional Malas. She has dedicated her life to Meditation and to helping others find their way to the light of their own Self with the help of her lovingly crafted Malas - the perfect support for your Meditation practice. In this post, Urvashee tells of the mystical, magical power of the number 108 and shares nine exceptional stories as to why a Mala is made of 108 knots.

I highly recommend you visit her website www.heartofallhearts.com, where you can see the beauty of her wonderful Malas for yourself. Urvashee is offering all readers of our Meditation Blog a special 18% discount on your first order. Apply the code ESSENCE18 at the time of check-out. Or, if you are inspired, ask her to create a Mala of your own unique design: this is her special delight. Email her at info@heartofallhearts.com to set it in play.

Urvashee, creator extraordinaire of Heart of All Hearts Malas

MYSTICAL 108 - by Urvashee Saakshee

Perhaps the most frequently asked question coming to me over the years of creating and tying Malas is: “What is the significance of 108?”

It’s a fair question, and one that invites innumerable replies. Depending on which friend is asking, as well as the mood of the moment, and most of all my memory, I’ll give an entirely different response each time. It’s not that I’m fabricating or making it up: there are literally 108 different reasons why a Mala consists of 108 knots.

I would love to share nine of them with you, both for joy’s sake, and to refresh my memory!

The first is my favourite. It has to do with the heart: no surprise there!

1) There are said to be 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them ~ Sushmanaa ~ leads to the crown chakra, the path to Self-Realisation. With each turn on the Mala and every repetition of Mantra, yet another of those 108 channels to the heart is opened. And the heart is that in which the whole universe is resting.

2) 108 is a Harshad number. The word Harshad comes from Sanskrit, and means joy-giver. A Harshad number is divisible by the sum of its digits.

3) 1 stands for oneness, highest truth, God. O stands for completeness in spiritual practice. 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

4) In Hindu mythology, there are 108 names of God. In the Stotram citing those names, each sound and syllable is Mantra, imbued with the power to release the one singing from the clutches of an identified mind consciousness. Even repeating one single name will bring about the freedom state, and as the Sage Charandass promises in the final verse, the one who sings 108 names of the Mala will become carefree, and will go beyond the net of the senses and the mind sense.

• Ajar | Unborn * Amar | Undying * Avigat | Ever Present * Avinaashee | Indestructible

• Alakh | Unseen * Niranjan | Pure * Swaamee | Highest Self

• Purush | Being * Puraatan | Ancient * Purushottam | Supreme Being * Prabhu | Lord

• Pooran | Perfect * Antara-yaamee | Omniscient

• Krishn Kanhai-yaa Vishnu Naaraayan | Names of Vishnu

• Jyotiroop | Form of Light * Vidhaataa | Lord

• Aparampaar | Beyond * Mukund | One Who Liberates * Muraaree | Krishn

• Deenabandhu | Brother of the Destitute * Brajanaathaa | Lord of the Gopis

• Yaadavapati | Krishn * Jagadeesh | Lord of the World * Chaturbhuj | Four-Armed, Strong

• Nirbha-ya | Fearless * Sarvaprakaashee | All Permeating Light

• Paarabrahm | Supreme Being * Praananako Daataa | Giver of Life

• Sabathaam Ghataghatavaashee | Indweller

• Nirvikaar | Formless * Paramayshvar | Supreme Lord * Giradhar | Holder of Mountain

• Maadhav Govind | Names of Krishn * Pyaaraa | Beloved

• Kamalanain | Lotus Eyes * Kayshav Madhusoodan | Names of Krishn

• Sabamayn Sabasay Nyaaraa | Unique in All

• Hrisheekaysh Muraleedhar | Flute Player * Mohan | Most Attractive

• Om | Praanav * Akhil | Whole, Complete * Ayonee | Enlightenment

• Bhagavat | Lord Vaasudayv | Vishnu * Bhagavaanaa | God

• Gyaanee | Knower * Dhyaanee | Meditator * Maonee | Silent One

• Deenaanaath | Lord of the Poor * Gopaal Hari Har | Krishn

• Garudadhvaj | Vishnu’s Carrier * Ghanashyaamaa | Blue/Black Krishn

• Bhaktavachhal | Unwavering Devotion *  Aru Dayakinandan | Krishn

• Karataa Sab Vidhikaamaa | Highest Desire

• Aadi Pradhaan | Foremost Leader *  Maadhuree Moorati | Sweetest Form

• Dharanidhar | Cosmic Serpent * Balabeeraa | Hanuman

• Nandanandan | Krishn * Aru Yashodaanandan | Son of Yashoda

• Sundar Shyaam Shareeraa | Most Beautiful Shyam Presence

• Parashuraam Narasinh | Names of Vishnu * Vishvambhar | All Pervading

• Achal  | Unmoving * Akhand | Without Limit * Aroopee | Without Form

• Eesh | Lord * Agochar | Inapprehensible * Aor Jagataguru | World Guru

• Paramaanand | Supreme Bliss * Bahuroopee | Multiformed

• Karunaama-ya | Compassionate * Kalyaan | Well Being * Anantaa | Infinite

• Da-yaasindhu | Ocean of Compassion * Banavaaree | Sustainer

• Dhaaran | Holder * Shankh | Conch * Chakr | Disc * Rukminipati | Golden Lord

• Aanandakand | Source of Bliss * Vihaaree | One Who Plays

• Kansanikandan Raavanaganjan | Destroyer of Demons

• Jagapati | Lord of the World * Lakhmeenaathaa | Lord of Supreme Blessings

• Jagannaath | Lord of the World * Aru Badreenaathaa | Vishnu

• Nirgun | Beyond Qualities * Saragunadhaaree | One in Whom All Qualities Lie

• Daamodar | Vishnu *  Raghuvar | Beloved of Vishnu * Seetaapati | Raam

• Raamaa Kunjabihaaree | Krishn

• Dushtadalan | Destroyer of Evil * Santanako | Eternal Rakshak | Protector

• Sakal Srishti Ko Saa-n-ee | Keeper of the Whole Universe

• Duhkhharanakay | Destroyer of Pain * Kaotuk | Cared For * Anagin | Innumerable

• Shaysh | Serpent * Paar Nahin Paaee | Could Not Go Beyond

• Sao Aru Aath Naam Kee Maalaa | 108 Names of Mala

• Jo Nar Mukh Uchchaaray | He Who Repeats

• Apanay Kulakee Saaree Peerdee | All His Pain Is Destroyed

• Aykarusaoko Taaray | Vision of Oneness is Invoked

• Guru Shukadayv | Sage * Mantr Nij Deenho | Sing Mantra

• Raam Naam | Name of Raam * Tat Saaraa | All Is That

• Charanadaas | Sage * Nishcha-ya | Worriless * So Japakari | Repeating

• Utaro Bhavajal Paaraa | Will Go Beyond the Senses

By the way, there are another 108 names of each of these 108 Gods. But that’s for another meditation.

5) If one’s meditation practice is perfected and he has attained a state of enlightenment, he may take just 108 breaths in one day.

6) There are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 x 9 is 108. Or at least there were. Nine planets. I’m good with the astrological houses but don’t, please, ask me to name the planets. One or two might be cited that got down-graded since my schooldays.

7) Astronomically, there are 27 constellations in our galaxy, and each has four directions. 27 x 4 is 108. In other words, the number 108 covers the whole galaxy, which is a metaphor for the whole of creation. On this one, I can do the math, but naming those constellations is definitely best left to the astronomers.

8) The diameter of the sun multiplied by 108 equals the distance between the sun and earth. The diameter of the moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between earth and the moon. The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth. This one is a wee bit beyond my grasp, but in meditation I can close my eyes, and imagine I am sitting on the sun and envisioning another sun in the far distance, and then sit on that sun and imagine yet another sun… well, you get the picture. And everything is happening in the imagination.

9) There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has a masculine and feminine counterpart. 54 x 2 is 108. Sanskrit or Dev Naagari ~ the language of the gods ~ is a transcendent language. Each letter sits beneath open space, just as an embodied being sits open to the sky.

I have also read in certain accounts that a Mala consists of 100 beads with an extra eight added in as a measure against forgetfulness, a precaution of sorts. For what, I’m not precisely sure. A Mala is not meant to keep one tied to the realm of form and name and numbers and tallies and totals. “Utaro Bhavajal Paaraa ~ you will go beyond the realm of senses, time and space.”

If even once you sing God’s name, He will come running.

And once He gets in your heart, He just cannot get out again.

#malameditation, #meditationtraining, #meditationmentoring, #meditationmentor

Whatever pattern of movement takes place in the mind - one becomes that

Today’s quote is from Yog Vashishth, one of my favorite scriptures that Swami Shyam has brilliantly revived for those who want to know the Essence or Truth of Life itself.

As described in many previous blogposts, the study of the mind allows us to become aware of its functioning and its limitations. One of the mind’s hardwired attributes is to be filled with information that churns through our head all day long. Depending on what is going on in our life, the mind will be filled with thoughts about that situation. These specific thoughts keep coming and going and repeating themselves incessantly. If, for example, we are preoccupied or worried about something, the worrisome thought will come up again and again during the day. Whether we like it or not, it will appear in our headspace uninvited - at times it might seem like an obsession that we cannot get away from. The more we want to be free from the worry, the more present it becomes in our thoughts. If the worry is about something that we have encountered in the past, then the thought is likely to be even more persistent. Repetition solidifies a thought pattern, to the point that we actually become what we are worrying about. It is as if the things we constantly think about become the reality we experience.

The good news is that we can apply the knowlege of how the mind works to our advantage. If repetition of worry-filled thoughts create the space we were worrying about, then the repetition of a thought that serves and uplifts us will change the space into something that works for us. It is quite literally like changing channels on a radio. If we don’t like what we hear or the reception is filled with static noise, we switch to a channel that comes through with clean sound and with content that suits us.

In the same way, if the content of our thoughts, their meaning and their vibration is not conducive to our well-being, then we have the possibility to shift to a different kind of thought. In my experience, the fastest and most effective transformation happens when we replace our habitual thinking with the Mantra “Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum”. In an instant the attention is switched from worry and agitation to the Highest Self. The sanskrit words Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum speak to our True Nature as the Self. Affirming their meaning: I am Pure Free and Forever - we affirm that we are the Self, the Source, the immortal and blissful Divine Essence.

In shifting our attention, we shift from involvement with the thinking process and its content, to That which is before any thought ever arose. This simple technique gives us a chance to transform our experience of life completely. The sense of being limited by the thoughts evaporates and makes room for the vast Presence of the Self. Through repetition, that sense of Presence becomes stronger and more immediately accessible. In fact it will become our true sense of identity.

Through this subtle but powerful process, we become aware that we were not just mixed but actually lost in our thinking. We notice that the patterns and beliefs built in our mind are not as real as they appeared to be. Most importantly, we realize that our sense of I is not tied to these thoughts, but it exists free from any content of the mind as the Knower of all of Existence.

Make your own experiment with this. You will notice a profound change when you do. As the awareness of the Self in you grows you will see that circumstances may remain exactly the same - but the way you live them, or where you reside in yourself as they happen - that will change in a very significant way.

You can find a short clip of the Mantra “Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum” chanted by Sampriya by clicking here.

#mantra #mantrameditation #onlinemeditationtraining #onlinemeditationmentoring #meditationteacher #awarenesscoaching

Meditation allows the caterpillar to know it is a Butterfly....

Just as a caterpillar doesn’t know it can fly until it experiences its own metamorphosis, most human beings are not sure of their Divinity. They doubt it, unless they are offered a moment of grace where life is experienced in an entirely different way from the habitual waking state reality. A distinct experience of a different dimension often helps us confirm what we may have hoped for or suspected for the bigger part of our lives: that there truly is more to us than what we see in the mirror, or what the world around us is telling us.

Most everybody has had such a moment at some point in their lives. It may have occurred during a breathtaking instant in nature, while experiencing the ecstasy of being in love, at the sight of a newborn baby or even during an accident, when time seems to stand still: The common denominator of such an experience is that the sky seems to open, the usual sensory perceptions appear as extremely heightened or even suspended - and only infinite peace, beauty and stillness remain. Most of the time these glimpses of a different reality are fleeting. They last for a short moment and then we fall back into the habitual human perception of everyday life.

Even though it may have been just a glimpse, something inside gets transformed irrevocably. To touch the space inside that is eternal and infinite leaves a mark in our consciousness. We are reminded of who we truly are: A Divine Being living in a human form for a time. Situations like these are Life’s gifts to help us remember our True Nature and to inspire us to cultivate and live that knowledge.

The normal waking state however doesn’t allow us to live the knowledge of our True Nature. The constant chatter of our minds and the ongoing perception of things and forms are covering the state of unchanging peace that is at the back of all our human experiences. If we want to live a different dimension, we need to cultivate a different state of being, a state that is not rooted in the activities of the mind.

That is what Meditation offers: In simply closing our eyes, we enter a different dimension. We notice that the chatter of the thoughts may still rise and fall like waves in the ocean - yet the ocean itself, the infinite water, is not affected by the waves, movement or objects moving in it. Ocean water remains ocean water, whether is is placid or whether it is churned by a storm. In the same way, we notice that with eyes closed, we are witnessing the coming and going of thoughts, but as the Watcher or Knower, we are not affected by the thoughts or their movement. Once we realize that we Are that Watcher, the thoughts become nothing more than innocuous flow of movement. We notice that our True Identity as that Knower is free from the thoughts and their content. Through practice, our identification shifts from believing that we are the thoughts to knowing ourselves as the Knower, forever Free and Blissful. Thus Meditation reveals that the Knower is infinite, pure and never ever separate from its Divinity - it reminds the caterpillar in us that we are, always have been and always will be Butterflies that fly free...

#meditation #metamorphosis #meditationteacher #meditationtraining #meditationmentoring #onlinemeditationtraining