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What is a Ritual?
A prescribed form of performing divine service in a particular church or communion.
Hence, the code of ceremonies observed by an organization; as, the ritual of the freemasons.
1.ritual - any customary observance or practice rite
custom, usage, usance - accepted or habitual practice
ceremonial dance, ritual dance, ritual dancing - a dance that is part of a religious ritual
2.ritual - the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies
ablution - the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels
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So by definition a ritual can be almost anything, as one definition includes habits as rituals, such as a nightly glass of milk. But for the purpose to which Gurbani is describing rituals, primarily it is a religious custom.
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| 1. Custom - a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual b: long-established practice considered as unwritten law c: repeated practice d: the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life. |
Before we can judge whether Naam japna is a ritual, we have to understand what Naam is and what could possibly be attained by the practice of jap.
ਤਾ ਕਉ ਮਾਇਆ ਅਗਨਿ ਨ ਪੋਹੈ ॥੩॥
thaa ko maaeiaa agan n pohai ||3||
The fire of Maya does not touch them. ||3||
ਮਨਿ ਤਨਿ ਮੁਖਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਦਇਆਲ ॥
man than mukh har naam dhaeiaal ||
Within their minds, bodies and mouths, is the Name of the Merciful Lord.
~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 190
First, Naam Japna isn't mindless repetition of God's Name. To understand Naam Japna, you have to understand the psych-spiritual processes of the human body. The body is capable of being like a radio antenna, to receive and transmit signals. The brain is capable of achieving states of heightened consciousness. Thats why some practice of just mindless repetition doesn't permit the mind to transcend the senses. Clearly Gurbani is saying the fire of Maya doesn't touch them. How can you escape Maya while still in your human body? To get to a place where Maya doesn't touch you, you have to transcend ordinary states of body consciousness.
ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਦੀਓ ਗੁਰਿ ਮੰਤ੍ਰੁ ॥
har kaa naam dheeou gur manthra ||
The Guru has given me the Mantra of the Name of the Lord.
ਮਿਟੇ ਵਿਸੂਰੇ ਉਤਰੀ ਚਿੰਤ ॥੨॥
mittae visoorae outharee chinth ||2||
My worries are forgotten, and my anxiety is gone. ||2||
ਅਨਦ ਭਏ ਗੁਰ ਮਿਲਤ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਲ ॥
anadh bheae gur milath kirapaal ||
Meeting with the Merciful Guru, I am in ecstasy.
ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਾਟੇ ਜਮ ਜਾਲ ॥੩॥
kar kirapaa kaattae jam jaal ||3||
Showering His Mercy, He has cut away the noose of the Messenger of Death. ||3||
~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 190
Here we see that the Naam takes all your worries and cares away, removes your anxiety, and gives you state of ecstacy. So it is clear Gurbani is talking about a transcendant state of consciousness. Naam japna is that technique by which the mind is turned inward, away from the senses and sensual world, away from fires of temptation and Maya. Naam japna is the method which lifts the spiritual energies upward to pierce the nine gates and unlock the door of the tenth. Since this is an active process involving inner Self-realization and meeting with the Guru within, it's can't be a ritual or a custom. It isn't an action done to fulfill religious or social purposes. But it is the very process of Self-liberation.
ਗੁਰਿ ਮੰਤ੍ਰੁ ਅਵਖਧੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਦੀਨਾ ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੰਕਟ ਜੋਨਿ ਨ ਪਾਇ ॥੫॥੨॥
gur manthra avakhadhh naam dheenaa jan naanak sankatt jon n paae ||5||2||
One who is blessed with the medicine of the GurMantra, the Name of the Lord, O servant Nanak, does not suffer the agonies of reincarnation. ||5||2||
~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 1002
There can be no comparison to wearing a red thread, or eating a communion wafer, or performing arti. It's NOT a ritual, it's a method of inner attunement with Guru. It's a
resonance of the whole body, subtle sheaths of body, mind and soul with the very God. By bringing the intensity of meditation and life energy and consciousness into awareness and praise of the God, the body becomes a tool of liberation. Gurmantra is infused with the power of jyot and Gurshabad. It is the very essence of Guruji's presence, light and sound. And the Gurmantra once implanted within with Naam drihr is a power and presence infused into your consciousness, into your being. It is shaktipat transmission. Naam japna, saas giras simran is the technique to begin vibrating that energy and moving it through your whole being, upwards, and inwards to the dasm duar. So it is an aliveness, activation of energy rather than a ritual. It is the most active and aware form of prayer.
ਅਦਿਸਟੁ ਅਗੋਚਰੁ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮੁ ਮਿਲਿ ਸਾਧੂ ਅਕਥੁ ਕਥਾਇਆ ਥਾ ॥
adhisatt agochar paarabreham mil saadhhoo akathh kathhaaeiaa thhaa ||
The Supreme Lord God is imperceptible and unfathomable; meeting the Holy Saint, I speak the Unspoken Speech.
ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦੁ ਦਸਮ ਦੁਆਰਿ ਵਜਿਓ ਤਹ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਚੁਆਇਆ ਥਾ ॥੨॥
anehadh sabadh dhasam dhuaar vajiou theh anmrith naam chuaaeiaa thhaa ||2||
The unstruck sound current of the Shabad vibrates and resounds in the Tenth Gate; the Ambrosial Naam trickles down there. ||2||
ਤੋਟਿ ਨਾਹੀ ਮਨਿ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਬੂਝੀ ਅਖੁਟ ਭੰਡਾਰ ਸਮਾਇਆ ਥਾ ॥
thott naahee man thrisanaa boojhee akhutt bhanddaar samaaeiaa thhaa ||
I lack nothing; the thirsty desires of my mind are satisfied. The inexhaustible treasure has entered into my being.
~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 1002
Anyone who thinks Japping Naam is just a ritual has no concept of what Naam is, what the human body was designed to achieve. It's a very deeply metaphysical practice to liberate and expand consciousness and achieve mukti. It's bhakti. It's devotion. It's a love affair. It is the very life (prana) and breath (ayama). Pranayam.
ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਸਦ ਮਨਿ ਵਸੈ ਮਹਲੀ ਪਾਵੈ ਥਾਉ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
naam nidhhaan sadh man vasai mehalee paavai thhaao ||1|| rehaao ||
The Treasure of the Naam abides forever within the mind, and one's place of rest is found in the Mansion of the Lord's Presence. ||1||Pause||
~Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji p. 30
Naam japna is prayer, it is communion with the Divine Beloved, it is movement and energy and aliveness, it is transformation. It cannot even possibly be considered a ritual.
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