I’m sitting here now in the countryside of Ontario, looking out the window seeing the beautiful snowflakes drifting down and it reminds me of a lady I was speaking to recently asked me quite an important question. She said, “I’ve been very nervous and anxious, I went to see my doctor and uniquely enough he prescribed meditation. And so I’m wondering what will I get from this meditation. What benefit would it have for me?”

And so my reply was very simple. I always speak from the authorized Vedic scriptures that have been handed down for thousands of years through perfect teachers so it’s not my opinion. And I have learned by personal experience that when a person actually adds meditation to their life, they get so many benefits.

Of course, this lady’s benefit will be her immediate reduction of her stress, her anxiety because it calms the mind, it calms the nervous system. As a result, her body will also experience more relaxation. All of this is very good, very, very beneficial, but the reality is we are the person inside the body. We have two bodies, our physical body and our mental body but we are actually the person inside, the spirit soul, the spark of spiritual energy, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. So we need to get something that is going to actually nourish us spiritually.

So there’s many types of meditations for the mind and the body like looking at the snowflakes fall, for instance. Beautiful scenes in nature, observing our thoughts, meditating on our breath and so on. And this has a relaxing, calming effect. It’s been proven scientifically that it reduces blood pressure, our brain waves slow down, our heart rate will be reduced, etc. Certainly positive results. But that doesn’t really do anything for me, the spirit soul. I am the one that am anxious really, the one that is unhappy, the one that is lonely and unsatisfied.

So these ancient teachings inform us that transcendental sound is the real solution. Transcendental sound that descends from the spiritual realm. And it has spiritual potency. Many different activities will have some material potency but spiritual potency is what I need. So the transcendental sounds, which are often referred to as mantras, actually nourish us spiritually. The potency is there, the effect is there automatically. It’s not dependent on my expertise in controlling my mind and controlling my body, finding a quiet place, having ample time so I don’t have to worry about going to work, going to school, you see. It’s not dependent on all of that because the potency in the sound does the work. And as a result I will get material relaxation. I will become more relaxed physically. My mind will become more calm and more peaceful. You see, all those benefits will be there but in addition--and this is the most important point--I, the spirit soul will experience some spiritual pleasure, some spiritual relaxation, happiness, fulfilment.

So we are regularly engaging in the repetition of, the chanting of transcendental sound. Our mantras are ancient mantras, this is not something new, this is nothing to do with new age, this is eternal sound vibration and it is so easy that anyone can do it from a very very young child to a person who is ready to leave their body, their last breath can actually be a breath which contains transcendental sound. So it’s all encompassing, it has nothing to do with ability to meditate, all we have to do is put ourselves in contact with this transcendental sound.

So we recommend this, one example is the mantra “Gauranga”. So easy and we can use this mantra in many ways. One way I recommend is like this: you simply take a deep breath and in your mind, as you inhale, you say, “Gaur-ra-ang-ga.” Then when the body becomes filled with air you exhale and on the outgoing breath you will repeat the mantra “Gaur-ra-ang-ga.” And as that sound is produced, you meditate on the sound. Now we have something for our mind to go to that is so beneficial, so purifying, so spiritually potent. Meditating on the sound. So you can try this on your own. You can start your day with it, you can end your day with it, add it to your life and you will see an amazing effect.

Thank you very much.