Question
Hi, is it wrong to do laxshmi mantra japa for money?
I thought the point of meditation and mantra chanting was to release material desires....however I am doing it to get abundance and success. I know this sounds materialistic, but I am being honest about my intentions.
I have been doing mantra japa and have not come by any money as of yet - it has been 40 days continuous.. 108 chants.
Answer
Dear shanti, Thank you for your question.
I believe in answering questions honestly and plainly. I apologize in advance if my answer seems rude.
Most meditation methods do not work, including reciting/counting mantras. At best they can produce a little relaxation. The Placebo Effect takes over from there, convincing people that their practice is working.
The reason that most meditation methods do not work is that the practitioner is not yet at a level of consciousness that would allow them to work. Most of us have so much stored stress in our nervous system that its proper functioning is blocked.
It is necessary first to remove the block, the stresses. This can be done by exposing the nervous system to deep enough rest, deeper than sleep.
This is easy to do by transcending the thinking process. But this requires delicate instruction, so we can unlearn our tendency toward effort and concentration. Achieving Samadhi (unbounded blissful silence) is actually quite easy, but it requires knowing how to transcend thought systematically.
I recommend two teaching systems: Transcendental Meditation (www.tm.org) and NSR Meditation (www.nsrusa.org).
I hope this answer has helped. Please feel free to submit follow up questions, if needed.
David Spector
President,
NSR Meditation/USA
