A common misconception that some people fall prey to is that one acquires certain benefits on completion of certain amount of chanting (japa). For instance, they believe that according to astrology, purification of one house in the horoscope occurs with one billion chants, repayment of debts after two billion chants, and marriage after chanting seven billion times. We come across many people, who acquire neither worldly nor spiritual benefits in spite of chanting ten to fifteen billion times.

    People who chant based on such beliefs, undertake chanting without understanding the science of Spirituality behind chanting. When they do not get the expected results, they get frustrated and drop out, losing faith in Spirituality itself. This is because the chanting they perform is often inappropriate or not prescribed by an authority in Spirituality.

*If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one's current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

• Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).

• Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.