Spiritual Practice > Dhikr, Nembutsu, Mantra & Jesus Prayer

n the cool, dew-drenched night are shining the stars:
At this hour are awake the devotees, lovers of God,
meditating each day on the Name--
Their hearts meditating on the lotus feet of God,
whom they forsake not for an instant.

ill extol thee, my God and my King,
and bless thy name for ever and ever.
Every day I will bless thee,
and praise thy name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

M! This syllable is this whole world. Its further explanation is: the
past, the present, the future--everything is just the word OM. And what-
ever else that transcends threefold time--that, too, is just the word OM.

For truly everything here is Brahman; this Self (Atman) is Brahman. This
same Self has four fourths: the waking state, outwardly cognitive... the
dreaming state, inwardly cognitive... the deep sleep state, unified, a
cognition-mass...and the state of being one with the Self, the cessation
of phenomena, tranquil....

This is the Self with regard to the word OM, with regard to its elements.
The elements are the fourths, the elements: the letter A, the letter U,
the letter M.

The waking state, the common-to-all-men, is the letter A... the sleeping
state, the Brilliant, is the letter U... the deep-sleep state, the Cog-
nitional, is the letter M... The fourth is without an element, with which
there can be no dealing, the cessation of phenomena, benign, without a
second. This AUM is the Self indeed.

ontemplate the Name yourself; inspire it to others;
By attending to it, discoursing of it, living by it,
obtain liberation.
The true essence, eternal is the Lord's Name:
By spontaneous devotion, says Nanak, chant the Lord's praise.

ontemplate solely the Name of God--
Fruitless are all other rituals.

o remember the name of thy Lord and devote thyself with complete devotion.

he Creator has many and diverse names:
Choose the name that comes to mind; thus do all the saints practice remembrance.
The Lord who endowed us with soul and body-worship Him in your heart ;
Worship Him by that name which best suits the moment.

onderful is the Name; it holds the truth of the three worlds.
Considering this, 0 heart, repeat it night and day.
Wonderful is the Name; let the heart never forget Hari.
Let his image dwell in the heart; cherish it with every breath.
When you cherish Him with every breath, one day He will come to meet you.
... Abandon all other means of approach, and devote yourself to the Name of Rama.

hile the mind is unstable, there can be no union;
When the mind becomes stable, He will be found with ease.
How can the mind remain firm without some resting place?
It merely keeps wandering here and there.
It will become stable only when you settle It on the remembrance of God.
Where you hold fast to His Name with a steadfast mindthere, says Dadu, is Rama.
Delight in the remembrance of Hari; then will the mind become steadfast.
When it has tasted the fellowship of love, it will not move away a single step.
When it is fixed on the One within, it finds no joy in other attractions;
Fixed firmly there, it does not wander anywhere else.
Like a gull, perched on a boat's mast in mid-ocean, the mind,
After it has grown weary of flying here and there, has found its resting-place.
Then only does my soul find peace and happiness, when my mind has become stable,
Steadfastly fixed on Rama. if only one could learn this secret!
The pure mind is stable; its joy is in the name of Rama.
in this way, you too shall find the vision of Him who is supreme and perfect Bliss.

he sun rising over the earth creates the daylight; and the venerable and holy name of the Lord Jesus, shining continually in the mind, gives birth to countless intellections radiant as the sun.