Julius Dodd:
Any of you knows or has been to Taizé? It's a charming community in France where my "becoming awake" started.
They have wonderful prayers (amongst other things) where they sing most of the time short songs, repeated many times, like mantra japa. I've strong feelings attached to these songs and the place they come from, one of my homes before I decided to be at home everywhere.
http://www.taize.fr/en_article681.html
listen to "da pacem cordium", it's one of my favourites.
my question: can you attain jhana while "singing" the melody mentally over and over again? or do you have to use "sacred syllables" in some ancient language, like maranatha?
Hi Julius,
I´m surprised someone mentions Taizé here! I´ve never been there but I find the song "Confitemini Domino" deeply touching. I don´t know the one you mentioned though but I´ll look for it.
I really feel that my personal spiritual development took a strong emotional emphasis. You may call it an opening of the heart or something like that. I regard it as very fulfilling compared to meditation. Anyone you understands what I´m talking about? I feel this is really the meaning of devotion, bakhti etc.
A year ago I had this extreme opening of the heart, I overflowed with love which was a general state of being, not directed at anyone and truly selfless.
If I listen to Gangaji or read "The 5 peopole you meet in heaven", look at a certain picture of Paulo Coelho I have acces to it.and sense where some people operate from....
Sitting Bull