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Before we come to the point when we can re-connect with consciousness directly, and when we can use our natural non-dual recognition to subdue and eventually dissolve the mind, we must engage in more refined modes of thought and action to purify ourselves. After the principles of non-violence, selfless service and feeding, all of which use either action or non-action to bring purification and alignment about, the practice of chanting is the first method where we work directly with the mind, with our attention and awareness, to become gradually more aligned and centred.
Suffering persists in this world because we continue to think and conceptualise. This thinking and conceptualisation can be more or less harmful depending on whether we have decided to live by, for example, non-violent or benevolent principles. However, as long as thinking continues, the perspective of separation continues, and therefore suffering continues. Chanting is the first method that we are to apply to purposefully suspend our ordinary flow of self-centred thinking and, instead, replace that flow with an empowered stream of sound that also connects us to our tradition or spiritual guide.
If we unconsciously allow our mind to cycle through its usual grooves and patterns of thinking during the hours that we are awake (and then certainly whilst we are dreaming), then we will never be able to initiate the process of purifying, diluting and dissolving the mind. To begin this process, we must start poking holes in the ordinary flow of thinking, and the simplest way to this initially is through chanting and mantra recitation. After a period of concentrated chanting, the effects of that chanting will remain within the mind for a certain period of time. Thus, if, for example, we begin our day with a thirty minute session of chanting, the condition of our mind will be far more calmer and subtler for the rest of the day than it would have been if we would not have chanted at all.
If we can include multiple sessions of chanting within our day, and further, if we can continue to internally chant during our other daily activities, then we can begin to completely transform the ordinary flow of our thinking. In other words, we will become freer from the grooves of thinking that we are usually confined within. As our awareness ceases to be held so tightly within these cyclical grooves of thought, then we can get closer to the point where our awareness simply recognises itself without the self-reflective element of thought – that is, we recognise that we are not any kind of discrete self-identity that thinks or feels – we are actually the basic space of awareness within which all potential manifested activity arises.
It is not a light task to come to this point, but chanting is certainly a practice that sets us on this journey towards awakening and, later, to total dissolution and liberation.
Within the Datta Tradition, the role of chanting is three-pronged. Firstly, chanting is to be used as mentioned above, as a meditative tool – to begin to interrupt and gradually smooth out our ordinary habits of thinking.
Secondly, our chanting can bring about effects that are specific to the mantra that we are chanting. For example, the two primary Datta mantras (found below) that we recommended for aspirants to use on MyDattatreya, each have their own specific usages. When we use mantras like this, that are simultaneously empowered by their own energetic frequency and by the Datta masters who have blessed them to be used to create certain benefits and effects, then such mantras become like keys that we can use to activate certain elements within our consciousness.
Finally, the third usage of chanting within the Dattatreya Tradition, has simply got to do with connection and remembrance. When we are chanting the name of Datta, we are specifically connecting to the principle of Datta, the entire lineage of Datta gurus and avadhutas, and also we are practising remembrance – we are giving the name of Datta more importance than whatever other worries, anxieties, desires or concerns we are wrestling with on that given day.
Thus, until we come to the point when we can perceive the essence of Datta directly as the supreme consciousness of reality itself, then the practice of chanting is absolutely indispensable and massively beneficial.
The first three ingredients that we need to start the practise of chanting is a voice, a mala and a mantra. Assuming that we all have a voice, we will need then to acquire a mala, or a rosary, that contains exactly 108 beads plus the ‘Guru bead’ or the protruding bead that marks beginning and the end of the cycle of 108 beads.
We should first get used to passing the mala beads through our fingers by resting each passing mala bead on the inside edge of our ring finger and then rolling each bead backwards towards us with our thumb. Another way to do this to bring the tips of the thumb and ringer together to create a rest for the beads, and then to roll the beads using the tip of the middle finger. Once we learn to start rolling the mala beads, we can then start chanting.
When we are new to a specific mantra, we should initially start chanting it out loud to make sure that our pronunciation is correct. After that, we should, as a means of creating a bridge to the final internal form of chanting, recite the mantra quietly, almost as a whisper. Finally, we should only recite the mantra internally within our minds. The reason for this is that when we chant out loud we expel more life energy from our body into the external environment. This is helpful if we wish to charge an environment or empower others who are sitting around us, but if we wish to really dig into our own consciousness, then we should focus on keep our energies as inwardly contained as possible during this practice.
As we move from one repetition of the mantra to the next, we should focus on being absolutely present with each syllable that we recite. We should endeavour, at the beginning of our 108 repetitions, to be totally present for each one. If we realise that we have been chanting on ‘autopilot mode’ for a number of repetitions, then we should gently centre ourselves and again re-engage our attention to be fully focused on the sound of each passing repetition.
If we are actively committing to the Datta sadhana of chanting, then the absolute minimum amount of repetitions of a given mantra that we should recite is 108. Due to the energetically dense and heavy times that we are currently living in, if we really wish to create an impact with our practice, then we should try to chant ten rounds of 108 daily – that is, 1080 repetitions of a given mantra each day or even during a single session.
The first mantra that we recommended using on MyDattatreya is ‘Om Dram Shri Gurudeva Datta‘. The mantra is actually pronounced ‘Om Draam Shree Gurudeva Datta‘ and can be heard recited correctly in the sound clip below. This mantra is to be used to connect directly to Lord Dattatreya in all dimensions – from the most subtle as the supreme consciousness, to his gross manifestation in the embodied form of the Datta master. The meaning of the mantra is here further illustrated:
OM – represents the primordial sound that precedes and gives birth to all manifestation. All appearances and sounds that we see and hear around us have their root in ‘OM’ – the primordial hum of existence.
DRAM – represents the Datta Principle whereby that manifested existence becomes fully conscious of itself as both the substratum consciousness and as an apparently manifested elements or living beings.
SHRI – represents the luminous, magnificent quality of the guru and his ability to dispel the darkness of ignorance.
GURUDEVA – represents the spiritual master that is a direct representation of the supreme consciousness.
DATTA – this qualifies that guru as as Datta guru – one who has fully completed the dissolution process, merged into the supreme consciousness and now acts as a direct representative of that supreme consciousness, who is able to effortlessly guide anybody that comes to them. Whether that being is a man or woman – whether they are rich, poor, dead, alive, or even any kind of animal or extra-terrestrial being – the Datta guru is equally capable of guiding any form of conscious life within this creation to a higher, more fulfilling state of existence.
The second mantra that we recommend for aspirants within the Datta Tradition is the following:
Jataadharam Paandurangam
Shulahasta Krupaanidhim
Sarvaroga Haram Devam
Dattatreyam Aham Bhaje
This mantra is to be used to invoke the healing, pacifying aspect of Lord Dattatreya. Whether we are suffering from a physical, emotional or energetic issue, this mantra can be used to bring about tremendous relief. Here is the mantra again alongside a translation in English:
Jataadharam Paandurangam
With matted locks, the One who is Lord Vishnu
Shulahasta Krupaanidhim
Who bears a trident in hand and is an Ocean of Mercy
Sarvaroga Haram Devam
The Divine Remover of all maladies
Dattatreyam Aham Bhaje
Dattatreya, I worship You
Whereas the first mantra – Om Dram Shri Gurudeva Datta – is recommended for the general purposes of meditative training, connection and remembrance within the Dattatreya Tradition, we recommend using this latter ‘Jataadharam‘ mantra more for when we feel that we have a specific problem, issue or illness that we would like Lord Datta and the Tradition to support us with.
As with any other form of mantra practice, if we sit down to chant this mantra, we should always commit to chanting at least 108 times and in multiples of 108 until we get to ideal amount of 1080 repetitions. The correct pronunciation of this mantra can be heard below repeated nine times.
Written by Jack Barratt
© MyDattatreya 2021 All rights reserved
Designed by Tamara Lj.