I am quite familiar with the concept of chanting mantras. I have done this as part of meditation and of course it's part of Kirtan as well. However, while I've read a lot about this practice, and done it myself, I'm not really sure how it's "supposed" to be done. That is, while I have found benefits using chants in my own way, I've never been taught if there's a proper way to do it, or if there are typical ways in which this is used outside of meditation.
Last week we ran across a movie called Hippie Masala on Amazon Prime. It was free, and we were looking for something hippie-related, so turned it on and got about half way through that evening. It's a fascinating semi-documentary about Europeans who took hold of the hippie counter-culture movement in the 1960s or 70s and gave up on Western society to live a more basic life in India. Many who followed that path returned home a few years later, but this is a story about some of those who stayed forever in India.
What caught my attention was one man in particular (pictured above), who while in the process of some menial task (lighting his pipe, which was a multi-step process), started simply chanting out loud while doing it. His particular chant is one I'm familiar with (Om Namah Shivaya). Only his take was slightly different. He would say "Om Namah Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya..." with the repeated Shivayas trailing off in volume before starting again from the beginning. So here I finally found an example of someone who's chanting to maintain mindfulness during a task. The documentary wasn't full of commentary (in fact, the initial commentary is fairly degrading, calling hippies "freaks"), so you kind of had to piece all this together. Thankfully I'm familiar enough with the culture and practices that it all made sense to me.
So what's the takeaway for me? I've been chanting more, and more often out loud. For example, I was frying a few eggs for lunch the other day. I am very picky about my cooking eggs, and when things don't go right (broken yolks, whites running into each other, or other things that tend to set off my OCD), I get frustrated - which of course leads to a negative mind coming into play (i.e., in the Buddhist view). So I was frying my eggs, 3 in a smallish pan, and when they started colliding I immediately sensed frustration building. So I chanted. I literally used the repeated Om Namah Shivaya the guy in the movie was using. The primary effect is that you separate yourself from the task. I am not the eggs. I am not the cook. This task isn't about me at all. It's just something that needs to be done to satiate my body's hunger. Attachment to things and activities is a core cause of suffering (more Buddhism). By bouncing out of that mindset and simply performing the task, no matter how poorly my cooking experience goes, it doesn't really matter.
Kirshna devotees do a lot of chanting during tasks like this. My understanding of their concept is that you're not cooking eggs to eat at all, but instead you are performing tasks (cooking, eating, cleaning up) and all of these tasks should be devoted entirely to Krishna (essentially and literally, devoted to God). By chanting mantras (or Sloka or Stotra), they are consciously dedicating their present actions to Krishna.
For me, I have too many scientific and atheistic views I'm still attached to for me to think about this as a dedication to an anthropomorphic deity. However, I am in a place where I've recognized the power of living in the present moment: not ruminating on the past or worrying about the future (c.f. Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle). And so my chanting a mantra during a task allows me to recognize the process for what it is. A task to accomplish without attachment. My eggs ended up edible (although required some extra folding to fit on my bagel), and I had no feelings of frustration arise from a less-than-perfect egg experience. I've since expanding the use of this and a couple other mantras when performing tasks like cleaning up, taking a shower, shaving, folding clothes, etc. I already have been doing this in a way when driving as I listen to Kirshna Das and similar Kirtan-style music almost exclusively (except for the occasional flip to NPR). The results are immediate. Unpleasant tasks just become tasks. Driving in heavy traffic just become driving to Point A, and I'll get there when I get there.
In reviewing the literature, there are recommended mantras for specific tasks. I haven't gotten that far yet. But I do have several go-to chants that allow me to pop out of attachment and "watch the watcher" with ease. If you find yourself feeling frustrated and angry over little things, don't keep feeding the negative mind. Let yourself watch the watcher. Do it consciously at first, but you'll find it comes more and more easily to you with a little practice. Once you know that feeling, chanting a mantra could help get you there faster, or preemptively before you even have a chance to slip.
Om Namah Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya
Om Namah Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya
Om Namah Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya Shivaya
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