Japa

Japa (Sanskrit: जप) is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of a divine power. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken within the reciter's mind. Japa may be performed while sitting in a meditation posture, while performing other activities, or as part of formal worship in group settings. The practice of repetitive prayer is present in varied forms within most religions in the world, although the religions of India generally give more emphasis to it as a specific discipline.

Etymology

The Sanskrit word japa is derived from the root jap-, meaning "to utter in a low voice, repeat internally, mutter".

Varieties of Japa

Mental repetition

Many Hindus will recite mantras, either under their breath or in mental introspection, at any time of the day. This sort of casual chanting is said to be a way of inspiring reflection on either the self or divine power, thereby attaining a life which, though interrupted by daily chores and concerns, is a constant flow of prayer. Frequent mental repetition of a mantra (or "mantram") was also recommended by Eknath Easwaran, as the second point in the Passage Meditation program that he developed.

Japa (disambiguation)

Japa may refer to:

Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association

The Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association is a bimonthly peer-reviewed healthcare journal covering all aspects of psychoanalysis and is the official journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association. The editor in chief is Steven T. Levy. The journal publishes original articles, research, plenary presentations, panel reports, abstracts, commentaries, editorials, correspondence, and book reviews.

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 0.595, ranking it 4th out of 13 journals in the category "Psychology, Psychoanalysis", and 117th out of 133 journals in the category "Psychiatry (SSCI)".

See also

References

External links