We all have a japa blueprint. You actually noted your blueprint when you evaluated your chanting in the last installment.

 

We have 85,000 thoughts daily, and most of them are the same. Have you ever noticed that when you chant your mind tends to think of similar things every day (what you have to do, what concerns you, what worries you, what bothers you, etc.)? Since we all are creatures of habit, the quality of our chanting tends to be more or less the same daily (which, of course, is a good thing if we are chanting well).

 

Chanting good japa consistently is possible for you. It’s a matter of making excellent japa normal. As poor or average japa tends to be a habit that is repeated daily, good or excellent japa can easily become a habit.

 

You can start to improve your japa blueprint by bringing more awareness to your current level of chanting. Notice what you habitually do that is either helpful or harmful to your japa. Then, improve upon what is already working for you, begin eliminating what is not working, and add practices and attitudes that help you.

 

Once you make improvements, it’s essential to maintain them daily. Otherwise they won’t become habits and you’ll likely revert to your old habits. The goal for this session is to begin the process of making good japa your new blueprint.

 

As your japa improves, you will see positive changes in your Krsna consciousness. My slogan for this is, “Change your japa, change your life.” In regards to this discussion we’ll say, “Change your japa blueprint, change your life.”

 

Until next time, “Chant the holy names and make life will be sublime.”

 

The Next Issue
In the next installment we talk about chanting as a relationship.