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MANTRA AND MUDRĀ Most of the stanzas in this book are four-line mantras; a few are quite lengthy prayers. What makes a stanza a mantra is that it has been uttered by enlightened beings thousands of years ago out of the depths of their realization of truth. Their souls were so attuned with the cosmic energy that the sounds they emitted vibrated with universal meaning. Generation after generation, the mantras retain their authenticity, help us cut through ignorance and open our hearts to deeper insight.
Each mantra is a gift, a divine blessing. Upon accepting such gifts into our lives, we awaken ourselves to higher consciousness.
"Man" is a Sanskļit word meaning "mind," the actual origin of the English word "man." It carries the sense that to be born human is to be graced with a wondrous capacity: to use the mind in a thoughtful, reflective way -- so as to live as a blessing to the world and not as a cause of pain.
"Tra" means "to steer," as banks of a river guide the flow of water to its destination, the ocean. Mantras serve as a freeing as well as a guiding, an allowing of our living consciousness to flow according to its own vibrant pace toward its Self-realization, one with the macrocosmic whole.
Mantras work as a dynamic space capsule, potent with the pure energy of the Divine. When you recite the combination of sounds silently or aloud, you become attuned to the state which, in all the different traditions, is one with God, with perfect love and pure light. The space
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