On 11/22/2014 3:48 PM, Bhairitu wrote:
>
I don't think anyone knows for sure where the beej mantras came from.
Those are lost in antiquity and undoubtedly commonly in use even at
the time of Shankara.
>
So let's review what we know about the TM bija mantras:
The Sankrit word "man" in Sanskrit means to think and "tra", means a
tool; "bija" in Sanskrit means a "seed". Bija mantras are seed sounds
used as a tools for meditation.
So, in TMer practice you just become aware of the seed syllable,
experienced just like any other thought; then you add a little
fertilizer; you just water the root and enjoy the fruit. It's not
complicated.
Are we agreed so far?
Now we can review the purpose of bija mantra:
There are several uses of bija mantras: for purification, acquisition,
propitiation, or in some cases, for protection.
But, according to Brooks, the most noble use of bija mantras is for
spontaneous meditation. Seed-syllables (bijasaras), are the purest form
of mantric sound - they do not make a request or praise a God - they are
natures purest expression of Being.
Now we can consider the history of bija mantra usage:
There are no bija mantras mentioned in the Rik Veda - bija mantras came
much later during the alchemical phase of the Nath Siddhas, after the
rise of Tantric Buddhism in the Indian Gupta period.
To sum up:
Meditation on a bija mantra seed syllables rather than words, transcends
such mundane considerations as semantic meaning. Accordingly, a
bija-only mantra meditation is not merely esoteric, but inherently superior.
However, "bija" mantras are not "meaningless" sounds; everything in the
cosmos has meaning. But, bija mantras are non-semantic sounds - they are
not words found in any standard Sanskrit lexicon. Bija mantras, by
definition, are esoteric.
Works cited:
*Auspicious Wisdon*
The Texts and Traditions of Srividya Sakta Tantrism in South India
by Douglas Renfrew Brooks
SUNY, 1992
p.95
On the origin of the TM bija mantras:
/"Bija mantras issued by TM are ''Sri Vidya'' bija mantras. To be fair,
I won't go into what they are, but if one listens to all TM mantras,
except for 2, they are 2 or 3 syllable, and this is a very important
component of the //
//technique..." /
From: Billy Smith
Subject: Re: Guru Dev and "Sri Vidya"
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental
Date: April 22, 2003
http://tinyurl.com/ye8my2
/
//"You are getting "warmer" when it comes to understanding TM's origins
with your posts regarding the Shankaracharya tradition and its practice
of Srividya..." /
From: James Duffy
Subject: Re: TM: Siva Sutra
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental, alt.yoga, alt.meditation
Date: September 21, 2003
http://tinyurl.com/yjwa2yr
