Continuation of the previous article: Secrets of Meditation...
In quantum physics, everything is just atoms, wave functions, pure energy. There are significant similarities between quantum physics, Vedanta, Yoga, and the Art of Meditation.
Adi Shankaracharya once said: “Everything you see does not exist.” One of the greatest scientists of our time, Dr. Hans-Peter Dürr, said: “I studied matter for 35 years only to discover that it does not exist! I had been studying something that isn’t there.”
With this knowledge, anyone can sense and experience the state of meditation. Everyone is curious—what is the secret of meditation?
In the Western world, what is shameful is kept secret. In the East, what is sacred is kept secret. There is a profound difference between the two. In the East, if you say something is a big secret, it must be very sacred. A shameful act is never kept secret—it is always confessed. But the mantra—this sound—is always kept strictly secret.
Why is this sound kept secret? It is said that mantras are like seeds, and seeds sprout in secrecy. You place the seed in the soil, cover it with mud, and then it germinates and becomes a tree. The ancient understanding of mantra is that a sound, when kept secret, grows and resonates within you. Any secret you keep within yourself never leaves you—it goes deeper into the subconscious layers of your mind.
The same principle applies to confession. Why does one confess? To ensure that what happened doesn’t sink deep into the consciousness. Your sins leave you once they are spoken. When you confess, they are released and no longer trouble you. But a mantra is a sound given by a master—someone who has attained and mastered deep meditation—and this sound helps you enter that state as well.
The sound (mantra) is given to another person, a student, with the words: “Keep it to yourself, this is your personal mantra, and let it grow.”
Here, the meaning of the sound is not important—only the vibration matters. Understanding the meaning is superficial compared to the vibration of the sound. It may be a sound known to many.
There was a time when there were four festive days in the year designated for giving mantras. All relatives and friends were invited when a child was about to begin meditation. The child would be placed on the back of a horse, and a procession would begin.
This was the ancient way of giving a mantra.
This spiritual procession was considered sacred, deeply personal, and a matter of honor. You receive a secret sound—a mantra—and it is a source of pride because the process itself is holy.
This text is part of a lecture series titled "Secrets of Meditation," delivered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on April 20, 2012, in California, USA.
