Richard J. Williams wrote:
> Bhairitu wrote:
>
>> In India this is not uncommon at all. It was certainly
>> not unique with Brahmanada Saraswati. Many books from
>> India on meditation mention this method and some gurus
>> have extended it to the Ishtadevata being Jesus,
>> Mohammad and Buddha since this method would not work well
>> in countries where Hinduism was not a practice. Lacking
>> that many gurus give mantras based on the personality of
>> the individual or a shanti or Shiva mantra that works for
>> all.
>>
>>
> So, it is not uncommon at all for teachers in India to
> teach mantra meditation on Ishtadevata, and many books on
> meditation mention this method, namely mantra meditation on
> Ishtdevata. And Swami Brahmanand Saraswati taught mantra
> meditation on Ishtadevata; and Marshy teaches mantra
> meditation on Istadevata.
>
>
No he doesn't. When you teach by Ishtadevata you ask the student who
their favorite Ishtadevata is. TM doesn't do that.
> So, it must be that, since they all teach mantra meditation
> on Ishtadevata, all those teachers have left out one important
> teaching point: namely the *effortless* aspect of mantra
> meditation.
>
> Otherwise, you'd have millions of people all over India
> reporting effortless transcending by use of a mantra
> based on their Ishtadevata.
>
> Instead, you have millions of people all over India
> *concentrating* and putting *effort* into their mantra
> meditation, instead of practicing TM and transcending
> effortlessly.
Totally bullshit. Most teachers teach the student not to strain or hold
the mind on the mantra or what you describe as concentration. The teach
the very same thing that as soon as you notice you are not on the mantra
to effortlessly return to it. Some gurus may even label this
effortlessness "concentration" but it is not concentration as westerners
understand it nor what Maharishi described as "concentration" in his
lectures and books. Dream on.
