Satsang: On Japa
Disciple: Why do people sometimes cover their hand with a cloth bag as they do mantra repetition?
Guru: This practice of covering the hand with a cloth bag while doing japa is known as gaumukhi, which means ‘cow’s mouth’. The concept behind it is to keep the practice private. Your practice is not something that you expose to the world. In other words, you seek to retain the sanctity of your practice.
Disciple: Why is it recommended that we do spiritual practices in one place, on a stable asan, rather than moving from place to place?
Guru: When a mantra is repeated in a stable way on an asan (seat) on solid ground, the complete benefit, the complete energy, is attained. If it is done while you are moving around and distracted, then that maximum energy is not attained.
You may repeat the mantra when you are moving from place to place so that the mind constantly remembers the Divine, but technically, in terms of daily practices, repetition of the Guru mantra should be done in a stable way.
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