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A Repeated Phrase is a Powerful Tool to
Transform Consciousness
Select
a repeated phrase that appeals to you. The repeated phrase has appeared in
every major religious tradition, West and East, because it fills a deep,
universal need in the human heart.
For
Christians, the name of Jesus itself is a powerful repeated phrase; Catholics
also use Hail Mary or Ave Maria. Jews may use Barukh attah Adonai;
Muslims repeat the name of Allah or Allahu akbar. Probably the
oldest Buddhist repeated phrase is
Om
mani padme hum.
And in Hinduism, among many choices, is Rama, Rama, which was Mahatma
Gandhi’s repeated phrase. Choose
whichever version of the Holy Name appeals to you; then, once you have chosen a
repeated phrase, do not change it. If you do, you will be like a person digging
shallow holes in many places; you will never go deep enough to find water.
Unlike
focused attention, which involves sitting quietly and silently repeating a
memorized passage, the repeated phrase can be repeated under almost any
circumstances, and it is so brief that it will come to your mind under even the
most agitating circumstances. (In fact, that is often just when you will want
it!)
The
repeated phrase is most effective when repeated silently in the mind. Repeat
the repeated phrase whenever you get the chance: while walking, while waiting,
while doing mechanical chores like washing dishes, and especially when you are
falling asleep. Whenever you are angry or afraid, nervous or hurried or
resentful, repeat the Holy Name until the agitation in your mind subsides.
It
is best to use a formula that has been sanctioned by centuries of devout
tradition. If you repeat it sincerely and systematically, it will go deeper
with every repetition. It can be with you even in the uttermost depths of your
consciousness, as you will discover for yourself when you find it reverberating
in a dream – or, deeper still, during dreamless sleep.
Other
books: Words
to Live by God Makes
The River Flow Adaptation
of an article by Eknath Easwaran
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