[Wckcvhsg]

Fellow Travelers,
Good morning! I hope you are all doing well.
I want to write a little about vibrations, and ask about anyone else's experience.
Over the past four months, I have been practicing reciting mantra (om mane padme hum) as a kind of "boot camp" for my spiritual life. "Just sitting" has been aggravating to me, so I thought I would try vocalizing as a way to start focusing my mind. Having let this mind wander unfettered all of these years has accumulated
so much noise that I felt I needed something more "active". I have always enjoyed singing, and the
vibrations created by the voice were of particular interest.
Early on, I was noticing a vibration moving from my throat downward into my chest. Soon, it was moving
to my seat, and after thirty minutes or so, starting to move out to my limbs. Finally it came back up my face
and through the sinuses, out of the Eustachian tubes until I could actually feel the vibration from my vocal chords in the back of my head. It is very soothing and peaceful, and there are moments when thoughts go away, and all that remains is the next inhale and vocalization.
Recently, I have added a period of simply "OM", long sustained sounds that make this vibration easier to hold
in one place. What I mean is that by reciting mantra, the voice is moving up and down a particular register,
so the vibration is coming from low, middle, and higher places, depending on the vowel. Holding OM, I am
able to keep the vowel at whichever space I choose.
So, that's the mechanics of it. I wonder if this practice, very simple and needs nothing but the breath and
voice, is a way of purifying the body through vibration. I see a lot of new-agey type of stuff about people
raising their frequency and vibration, but never tell you how to really do it, so it ends up in the realm of
quackery. But what if this simple practice, stripped of it's mystical associations, could actually be a
catalyst for real change? The Dalai Lama's description of the meaning of the mantra I practice states this
is practiced to transform this impure body, mind and speech into the pure mind, body and speech of a Buddha.
I can say that since I have started practicing, there is a notable change in my
ability to focus, in organizing thought, and in challenging troubling emotions. When I said I was in a sort
of "boot camp", I meant that I felt that I needed a change right now, and simply don't have the time to
wait ten years watching my breath to finally find some peace. As a stay-at-home father of three little girls, it is imperative that I get myself together as quickly as possible, as that they need a dad that is 100%.
They need a father who is focused, attentive, sensitive, and able to make rational decisions and remain calm
should an emergency arise. Also, it is important to be able to teach my children how to foster their
own Buddha-nature, and so to do that, I must become well acquainted with my own.
Does anyone have any experience with this kind of practice, and have any thoughts about this?
Thank you for reading this long entry, cheers!
-RT