Japa (Sanskrit: जप) is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of God. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical For the 16th-century work by Ignatius of Loyola see Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken purely within the recitor's mind. Japa may be performed whilst sitting in a meditation posture, while performing other activities, or as part of formal worship in group settings. The practice of repetitive prayer is present in varied forms within most religions in the world, although the religions of India generally give more emphasis to it as a specific discipline. Indian religions, also called Dharmic religions, are the related religious traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, namely Hinduism,

Etymology

The Sanskrit word japa is derived from the root jap-, meaning "to utter in a low voice, repeat internally, mutter". ^[1]

Varieties of Japa

Japa Mala, or Japa beads, comprising of 108 beads in total + the head bead.

In most forms of japa, the repetitions are counted using a string of beads known as a japa mala. A Japa mala or mala (Sanskritsa माला mālā meaning Garland) is a set of Beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists Within Hindu traditions Vaishnava devotees commonly chant on beads made from the Tulsi plant (Holy Basil), held as a sacred manifestation of Tulsidevi; whereas Shaivites use Rudraksha beads. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and Ocimum tenuiflorum (also known as Ocimum sanctum, Tulsi, Tulasī (तुलसी‌ in Sanskrit and Hindi, ( Shaivism, also spelled "Saivism" names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Rudraksha (Sanskrit rudrākṣa) ("Rudra-eyed" is the name of the dark berries of Elaeocarpus ganitrus, used to make prayer beads (Sanskrit The number of beads in the Japa mala is generally 108, which has great significance in both traditions. It is not uncommon for people to wear japa beads around their neck, although some practitioners (such as Gaudiya Vaishnavas) prefer to carry them in a bead-bag in order to keep them clean. Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism) is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534 in India

Independent of all beads or prayer devices, many Hindus will recite mantras, either under their breath or in mental introspection, at any given time of the day. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical This sort of casual chanting is said to be a way of inspiring reflection on either the self or God at all times, thereby attaining a life which, though interrupted by daily chores and concerns, is a constant flow of prayer. The Ātman ( IAST: Ātman Sanskrit: आत्मन्‍ is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the Soul Brahman ( bráhman-, Nominative bráhma sa ब्रह्म is a concept of Hinduism.

Some Catholic prayer forms that involve repetition of prayers, such as use of the Rosary or one of various chaplets, could be classified as forms of japa, as with other Christian prayer forms (see Hesychasm). Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning "rose garden" or "garland of roses" is a popular traditional Roman Catholic devotion. The term Chaplet is used commonly to designate Roman Catholic prayer forms which use Prayer beads, but are not necessarily related to the Rosary. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Hesychasm ( Greek hesychasmos, from hesychia, "stillness rest quiet silence" is an Eremitic tradition of Prayer in Also Tibetan Buddhists include japa meditation as a large part of their religious practices. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness

Aims

The aim, or goal of japa varies greatly depending on the mantra involved and the religious philosophy of the practitioner. In both Buddhist and Hindu traditions mantras may be given to aspirants by their guru, after some form of initiation. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others Initiation is a Rite of passage Ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society The goal could be moksha, nirvana, bhakti, or simple personal communion with God in a similar way to prayer. In Indian religions, Moksha ( Sanskrit: sa मोक्ष mokṣa) or Mukti ( Sanskrit: sa मुक्ति literally "release" In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण Bhakti ( Devanāgarī: भक्ति) is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning devotion. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.

Popular Japa mantras

• Om
• Hare Krishna mantra
• Ram Nam
• Gayatri
• Om namo Narayana
• Pancha Tattva mantra
• Aum Namah Sivaya
• Om mani padme hum
• ShriRam Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram

Notes

1. ^ V. Aum (also Om) ॐ is a mystical or sacred Syllable in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions The Hare Krishna Mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra" is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well Ram Nam means "the name Rama " which can imply either devotion to Rama the avatar of Vishnu, or as a name to the ultimately formless all-embracing Absolute Gayatri (गायत्री gāyatrī is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary Aum Namah Śivāya ( IAST transliteration refer to Sanskrit for pronunciation Devanagari: ॐ नमः शिवाय is among the foremost Om mani padme hum (Derived from the Sanskrit, Devanagari ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ IAST Oṃ maṇi padme S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 447.

See also

• Japa mala
• Ajapa
• Prayer
• Meditation
• Pranava yoga
• Hail Mary
• Jesus Prayer
• Nembutsu
• Hesychasm
• Svayam bhagavan
• Maha Mantra

External links

• 'Hare Krishna' Japa Meditation
• Japa Yoga by Swami Sivananda