Conscious Paths

Interview / Entrevista with Mantra FM 91.9, during the transmission of EL PORTAL. Where we talked about the science of mantra, how to use it, what is the best approach to mantra practice, what is the reality of mantra music, and other information that is very useful to any people who are not from India and would like to learn more about the true science and practice of Mantra.

With Spanish translation / con traducción al español.

Learning music, and many other forms of arts in India is quite a different experience and requires a whole different approach and mindset than in the western learning path. I used to travel from Pune to Mumbai for hours in the slow and crowded trains to take my music lessons regularly, just because i knew the value of my teacher. And I would just get the direct attention of the teacher for about ten minutes each class... and I was very happy with that ! In six years, maybe the teacher told me two times, "good Manish!" and that was also perfectly fine. Nothing else was expected.  There were no expectations of any kind... just absorbing as much as possible the learning, under the proper guidance.

In India a lot is learnt by just being in the atmosphere of the Guru, the music Guru in this case. And it's not even a thought to give a certificate, as what is important is the understanding, not to hang a paper on the wall.

Another drawback in the process of learning that I have noticed in the west, is that everyone (adults) is in a hurry to perform or to share what they've learned publicly. This hinders the learning. One should not be in a hurry to start teaching. Let it be your truth before, otherwise it will be shared un-riped, hindering also the learning process of others. One important point frequently misunderstood, is that one should not be in the idea of "helping others"  - help yourself, grow yourself, focus on yourself, until you master yourself. Help can only happen when something is mature and integrated inside.

Through inspirational stories and anecdotes this subject is addressed and explained for all of those who come from other cultures and would be interested in learning traditions from India. Knowing how this learning approach works, can help to take the right decision, whether this is a path for one to undertake or not.

PODCAST link in website: www.manishvyas.com/podcast 

"The right music can smoothen the journey of a seeker without too much effort. If the person is available, if the person is not resisting, if the person is in a flow with an open heart, the right music can take the listener to a completely different dimension, effortlessly."

Listen to this truly interesting conversation between Martin Frischknecht, chief editor of Spuren Switzerland and Manish Vyas about Manish's ongoing work, his new album and the earnest approach to the public presentation of sacred music from India.

Link album Mantra: www.manishvyas.com/mantra 
Interview with video, Youtube link: https://youtu.be/ekHS3du5kgE

Most yoga-practitioners and asana teachers in the west use the word Yogi, as if a yogi would be an asana (exercise) practitioner with great flexibility and contortion skills. It is the nature of the ego to acquire more and more identities — and spiritual identities are just one more kind of them, "that i am a meditator, that i am a great yogi, that i am spiritual, that i am holy. . ." probably the spiritual being the worse kind of identity to bust the ego with, because many enter the game of "holier than thou" which is nothing more than the biggest self delusion. Beyond the games of the ego that always tries to 'be' or 'become' something or another, since the times when Yoga has started spreading from India to other cultures, the word Yogi has not been understood rightly and as a consequence it is highly misused. I think part of this misunderstanding lays in the fact that many people have not yet understood that Yoga is not exercise. When we refer to a yogi, we refer to a wise one, who often may have never practiced any asana except sukhasana, but who has become stable in the inner world, who has achieved the state of non duality, beyond any chains of identifications. And this is the true yogi and the true path of yoga.

Website link: podcast | Manish Vyas 

India is probably one of the richest sources of spirituality as well as a source of inspiration for spiritual growth in the path of any seeker. The core of spirituality from India is to be able to find the natural state, the true state of being, free from all acquired knowledge and outer conditionings. That is why the masters call it practical spirituality, as opposed to static philosophies and religions, which remain in the circumference but maybe don't reach the true knowledge through self experiencing, which is in the end what will lead us to the real. This is only possible by working on us, and not by reading books or attending talks and seminars.

Here Manish talks about spirituality from India, how it is seen and understood. And why sometimes what is shared in the west is not a reflection of what this bottomless world truly is.

One cannot "do" yoga or meditation, one can "be" in a state of yoga or meditation. 

If meditation is not bringing awareness into our day-to-day life, then there is no point to it. Meditation does not ‘end’ after that hour and then we can go back to our unconscious pattern in our life. Meditation is not an activity - it is a journey of growing into awareness, it is a journey of raising our consciousness, which needs to be applied in our day to day life.

This podcast if from an online course given via Yoga La Source Luxembourg.

Video: https://youtu.be/lonWze1NS4E 

Sanskrit has the capacity to express the inexpressible and that's how they came up with the word "Advait." Based on one of the mantras he composed, Shivswarupoham, Manish explains the meaning of the mantra and how it is deeply rooted to the ancient wisdom from India and all its manifestations. Shivoham, Shivoham, Shivswarupoham is an expression of the nature of consciousness in the best way it can be expressed in words, using the language of Sanskrit. A quick exploration of this wonderful sutra with Manish and his music in the background.

Music from CD Mantra: manishvyas.com/mantra

Also on video : https://youtu.be/ob0xdxYKZws

A mantra practitioner should have a clear understanding of how mantra practice works and what to expect, and what not to expect. Actually mantra practice should never have expectation, but instead faith.  The right attitude is to do the practice of the mantra with faith and with all the possible devotion, and not expect any outcome. The outcome is up to Existence (or God) —not up to us. That is why the first thing that a mantrin should understand is that the right attitude is that of trust and patience, or as Jesus said, the "thy will be done" attitude.

Mantras don't need music. The actual tradition of mantra chanting in India is not really elaborately musically based. So when one composes a mantra, and tries to put it to the music, it is a very responsible job, because the melody, the composition needs to bring and enhance the essence of a mantra — and that's where the element of Indian music comes in.