bill wrote: > When someone tells us such meditation is hindu worship > then they are simply misinformed, ignorant or ideologues. > For clarity, here is a definition of mantra, according to Swami Ageananda Bharati:
"A mantra is a quasi-morpheme or a series of quasi-morphemes, or a series of mixed genuine and quasi-morphemes arranged in conventional patterns, based on codified esoteric traditions, and passed on from one preceptor to one disciple in the course of a prescribed initiation ritual." According to Swami Ageananda, this definition does not include any reference to the purpose or purposes of mantra, for the statement of purpose is a material statement, which must be excluded from a definition, which is a set of formal propositions of exception less validity. If there is a single exception to a statement, then that statement forfeits its claim to being a definition. As there is a conceivable exception with regard to the purpose of mantra, purpose could not be included. Work Cited: 'The Tantric Tradition' Swami Ageananda Bharati Rider, 1965
