Use your name as a mantra

What the Method Is

The core instruction for this meditation technique is: “Enter the sound of your name and, through this sound, all sounds.”. This method involves using one’s own name as a direct means to penetrate the unconscious, transcend the mind, and experience the totality of existence through inner sound.

How It Is Done

To practice this method, one should:

  • Use your own name as a mantra: Your name has penetrated very deeply into your unconscious, more than anything else.
  • Repeat your name: While you typically hear your name spoken by others, you are to use it yourself. The text implies an internal, silent repetition, as with other sound techniques that begin subtly.
  • Observe the separation: As you repeat your own name, you may experience a strange feeling, “as if you are using someone else’s name” or that “a separate entity within you which is using it.” This process helps you become a witness to your own name and, by extension, to your life.
  • Detach from meaning: Continue repeating your name until its conventional meaning is lost, and it becomes a “meaningless sound”. This is crucial because “meaning is with the mind, sound is with the body”.
  • Enter the sound: Once the name transforms from a word with meaning into a pure, meaningless sound, “enter the sound” itself. This means to immerse yourself in the pure vibration of the sound.
  • Experience all sounds: Through this sound (your name), you will then be able to “enter all sounds,” which is a metaphorical reference to entering and experiencing “all that exists”.
  • Practical application: This technique can be applied for various purposes, such as setting an internal alarm. For example, by repeating your name thrice and stating an intention (“Ram, you have to be awake by five o’clock sharp”), you can program your unconscious to awaken you at the desired time. This highlights how deeply your name is embedded in your unconscious. You may even feel your unconscious calling you by name when you awaken.
Commentaries and Insights
  • Depth of Your Name in the Unconscious: Osho explains that your name has gone very deep into your unconscious, like “an arrow”. This deep penetration makes it a highly effective and personal mantra, as it bypasses conscious resistance and connects directly with your inner being.
  • From Identification to Witnessing: The practice creates a crucial separation. You are accustomed to being identified with your name and, by extension, your entire life. By using your name as a mantra, you externalize it, causing you to feel as if someone else is uttering it or that a distinct part of you is repeating it. This leads to the emergence of a witnessing consciousness, allowing you to observe your name and life from a detached perspective.
  • Mind vs. Being: The technique is a bridge from the intellectual, conceptual realm of the mind to the direct experience of being. When the name loses its meaning and becomes pure sound, you move beyond the “head” (mind) where thoughts and meanings reside, and into the “body” where sound is felt. The mind is characterized by words and thoughts, while the true self lies beyond them.
  • Door to Existence: By entering the pure sound of your name, you open a door to “all sounds,” which Tantra equates with “all that exists”. This signifies moving beyond the personal identity to an experience of oneness with the cosmos, dissolving mental blockages (the “rock at your heart”).
  • Historical and Cultural Context: Historically, many cultures, including Indian and Mohammedan traditions, gave individuals names of God. This practice served the purpose of this meditation technique, as it meant one’s personal name was simultaneously a divine name, offering a dual pathway to spiritual connection. The story of Valmiki chanting “Mara” instead of “Ram” and still attaining enlightenment reinforces that the pure, meaningless sound and the inner process are paramount, not the intellectual meaning of the word.
  • Tantra as Science: This method, like all Tantric techniques, is presented as a scientific process rather than a philosophical one. It focuses on the “how” of attaining truth through direct experience, rather than intellectual concepts. No belief system is required; only the courage to experiment.
  • Body as Vehicle: Tantra views the body as a sacred vehicle for spiritual transformation. Techniques like this start with the body and its processes (e.g., sound vibrations) because they are immediate and accessible, acknowledging that one exists “in the body” and can use it to reach beyond.
  • Simplicity and Depth: Osho often highlights that Tantra’s methods, despite their profound effects, often appear deceptively simple. The mind tends to dismiss simple techniques because the ego seeks challenge and difficulty. However, these methods are powerful because they directly touch fundamental realities of existence.
  • Consciousness and Meditation: Meditation is fundamentally about achieving a “no-mind” state – a thoughtless consciousness. While mental processes like contemplation and concentration can be preparatory steps, the ultimate goal is to transcend thought and simply “be”. Any action performed with conscious alertness becomes a form of meditation.
  • Avoiding Hypnosis: Osho warns that repetitive sounds, including mantras, can induce a hypnotic or sleepy state (yoga tandra) rather than genuine spiritual awakening. To counteract this, the practitioner must remain alert and actively listen to the sound while intoning it. As the sound becomes subtler, one’s alertness must intensify to avoid falling into unconscious sleep.