Helpful Guidance on Simran Practice, The Repetition of the Names
"Simran bestows happiness, peace and bliss, and leads us to a state of super-consciousness. The repetition of any name or names of God is called Simran. Through it an extraordinary current of consciousness enters the body...
"Repetition should be done with one-pointed attention, and in due course a stage is reached, when Repetition ceases and the form contemplated upon manifests itself. This is the culmination point of Repetition. Repetition and Contemplation can be done, both separately or simultaneously...
"Simran should not be done in haste. It should be done slowly and with love and devotion, the Names being repeated clearly and correctly. To do it in haste or to regard it as an unwanted task, or to go through it merely as a routine, leads nowhere. If the mind becomes lazy while doing Simran, or the attention turns towards sense pleasures, one should repeat the Names audibly for ten or fifteen minutes *, so that the mind’s attention reverts to the proper place.
"The results of Repetition will be in direct proportion to the love and faith brought to bear upon it. Carry out the Simran of the Lord with love and faith. His Names have a great power. When done with faith, one feels intoxicated with joy, with the result that he forgets his body and himself and is aware of the Presence of the Lord. How potent and blissful is the Name of God, for it creates in the devotee a fast-flowing current of bliss, peace and soul force, and he gets truly blessed. To do Simran, it is not necessary to give up the world and its tasks. Carry on your duties and still keep your attention fixed in Simran.
"If you wish to be filled with the Grace of God, then you should banish all else from your mind. Leave everything else aside and cherish the Name of the Lord alone in your heart. As soon as you empty your mind of all thoughts by means of Simran, you will find the way to the Lord’s mansion."
-- excerpted from the, REMEMBRANCE OR REPETITION (Simran or Sumiran) section of, Philosophy of the Masters (Gurmat Siddhant)
* One can briefly, if necessary, repeat the Names out loud if one will not be overheard, and then, once concentration is established, revert to mental repetition (manas jap).
