Universal Mantras
From the Hebrew Tradition
– Adonai Hineni (Hineni Adonai)
From the Yoga Tradition –
So Hum (Hamsa)
Steven J. Gold
spiritualessens@gmail.com
At a sister site to this
site, yajcenter.blogspot.com (Yoga and Judaism Center), and in my book,
Yoga and Judaism, I have written other articles about Jewish Yoga Meditation
and Hebrew Mantras. They make many suggestions for the practitioner to
experiment with concerning various mantras. In addition to the foundational
mantras involving the Tetragrammaton, the Shema, and the Amidah, over the years
of experimentation, another Hebrew mantra has emerged as particularly potent in
my own experience and in the experience of many who have been introduced to
this specific mantra through my teaching sessions, Adonai Hineni, sometimes
presented in the reverse order, Hineni Adonai. I have come to focus on it
whenever I am introducing Hebrew mantras to new students. This article
highlights its significance, along with the universal yoga mantra, So Hum, also
sometimes presented in the reverse order, Hamsa.
The term “Adonai”
(sometimes transliterated as “Adonoi”, phonetically pronounced “Ah-Doh-Noy”)
has a particular significance as found in the Torah. Up until its first
appearance, the terms utilized in referencing God, such as Elohim, YHVH (the
Tetragrammaton), and El Shaddai, were terms spoken directly by God as the
omniscient narrator of the Torah (or, from another perspective, through the
agency/narration of Moses). “Adonai” is somewhat unique, because it is uttered
not directly from God, but through man (Abraham) in addressing/calling out to
God (Genesis 15:2). It is usually translated as “Lord”, as acknowledgement of
an ultimate power existing that is much greater than the individual mortal
self.
“Hineni” (sometimes
transliterated as “Hinani”, phonetically pronounced “Hee-Nay-Nee”), likewise
first appears in the Torah as spoken by man/Abraham, this time in responding to
God’s call (Genesis 22:1). The last time it appears in the Torah is during the
event when Moses encounters the burning bush on Mt. Sinai. When the voice of
God calls out to Moses, his response is, “Hineni” (Exodus 3:4). It is
translated as “Here I am”, or “I am here.”, but the commentary on the inner
meaning of this response is very significant. This is not the common separative
“I/self” asserting itself and indicating physical location, but rather the
humble vestige of a separative self responding in awe to the greatness of the
Almighty which it is beholding, and offering up itself in complete submission
and service. “I am at your service”, would be a more correct translation
capturing the inner meaning of the literal translation. Like Abraham’s earlier
addressing God as “Adonai”, here again is an utterance of great servants of God
in response to God’s call to them. (Other uses found in the Torah convey
similar meanings).
What has felt right for me
is to utilize the two words, “Adonai” and “Hineni” in conjunction and in
coordination with the breath: “Adonai” is silently intoned internally,
coordinated with the inhalation (breathing in the Divine essence/life force
offered by God) and “Hineni” is silently intoned internally, coordinated with
the exhalation (extending back to God what we can offer in humble service, in
return, with profound gratitude). I have found it to be very powerful, as have
many other people to whom I have introduced it.
There is a correlation of
this mantra to a primary breath-coordinated mantra from my yoga tradition, the
“so-hum” mantra, also sometimes referred to as the “hamsa” mantra (reversing
the ordering of the syllables). “So” is silently intoned internally,
coordinated with the inhalation, and “hum” is silently intoned internally,
coordinated with the exhalation. “So-Hum” is generally translated as “I am
That”, or “That I am”, with “So” meaning “That” and “Hum” meaning “I”. The
general import is similar to “Adonai Hineni”, as what is perceived as God
separate from the small self, “That”, is taken in, while what is perceived as
the small separate self, “I” is offered out, acknowledging the deeper merging of
the two as “I am That”. The reverse ordering of these two syllables creates the
word “hamsa”, which means “swan”, a Vedic symbol of the ability of the mind to
discriminate the unreal from the real, to come to the realization that what
appears separate as “That-So” and “I-Hum” are in fact connected and not
separated. It is similar to the concept of Martin Buber of transforming “I-It”
to “I-Thou”. However, traditional Jewish notions maintain that one can never
fully merge identity with the One, but can only become closely united/clinging,
similar to the bhakti perspective in yoga (the path of devotion and praise)
while the teachings of Vedanta maintain that the individual identity can fully
merge with the One (which can also be found in the kabalist conception of
yichud/unity and bitul/negation of separation).
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