The Healthier Way of doing Chanting and Recitation (誦經念咒之密要)

Recently, while I attended a gathering with a Group of Spiritual People, one of them (Non-Taoist) approached me to make some enquiries. And of cos, I'm more than willing to share with them my experiences and explanations.

Upon approaching me, this gentleman started his enquiry on the Ways of doing Chanting & Reciting, as he went on, he shared with me his problem and doubts on whether Chanting is there to assist one self to be Healtier & Better or is there to destroy a Person's Life.

Immediately I explained to him that, Chanting & Reciting is definitely a Positive Action or Event for one self to engage in and if a Chanting & Reciting is being performed Well, the after effect can be Un-predictation Good.

After listening to my explanation, he showed doubts on his face and then continued with his problem. He told me that, few years back, when he met a Spiritual Person from a Non-Taoist Faith, the Spiritual Person passed him a Scripture and advised him to do Chanting on every Morning after he offered the Incense-wood in the Cleansing Pot. From then, this Gentleman started his Chanting for the next few years.

Recently, he found out that, after so many years of Chanting, he physical body seems to have some changes, such as Throat getting very dry easily, feeling Weak while he wanted to do his work in the Office, etc, without hestitation, I proceed with the asking of the distance of the Cleansing Urn and him while he was doing his Chanting, the Time that he did his Chanting and what did he do before the Chanting, etc.

Upon getting his replies, I was shocked and immediately, I corrected some of the things that he used to do during the chanting.

Okay, here I will like to share them with you too:

1st, always perform Chanting or Reciting in the Morning.
  Reason: This is the Time that the Air is much more Fresher and Cleaner, not much polluted substances are being released from the surrounding area. For those who perform Chanting everyday and/or often will know that, while one self is perfoming the Chanting, the inhaling and exhaling are very important, once the Air is not Clean, the inhaling will be affected and after a long period of Un-pure inhaling, the internal Physical Body will be affected and besides that, once the exhaling is being affected by certain blockage, the Physical & Spiritual Energies will be affected which caused one self to feel Energy-less for the Day.

2nd, always Take a Hot Shower before Chanting
  Reason: In Spiritually, this is a form of Respect to the Deities and other Beings, cos in Religious, Scriptures are consider as a Holy Object, without doing proper Cleaning & Cleansing, one self is not suppose to touch them, once get in contact with the Scriptures with a pair of Dirty hands or Dirty Physical Body, it can consider as Highly-dis-respect to the Deities and Beings and those Lowly-Cultivated Beings can be annoyed or provoked.

In Scienctifically, after taking a Good Hot Shower, one self will be Awaken in the way that, the Blood-flow will be able to regain back to normal-pace after a Night Rest. Once the Blood-flow regain back to normal, one self will be able to concentrate more during the Chanting and not struggle to concentrate. Once struggling is involve, it will not only affect one self's mind, soul & physical body, but also the Mentally Part, this is why, alot of people tend to feel Restless after Chanting whereas those who are Trained will felt more Energetic and Refresh after Chanting.

3rd, Drink a cup of Luke-warm Water.
  Reason: This is to calm one self down and also to Balance the Temperature of one self's Physical Body. Usually after one self wake-up or after a Shower, the Physical Body's Temperature will change, either too High or too Low, once there are such a changes and one self will to engage into Chanting immediately, one self will soon feel Giddy, feel like Vomitting or Feeling ache All over the Body, in-order to avoid such things will happeneing, one self is advised to drink a Cup of Luke-warm Water before starting to do Chanting.

4th, Lighting of Good Quality Incenses and Do Not Offer alot at a Time.
  Reason: Many people like to use cheaper or lower quality of Incenses, usually such Incenses are made using some sort of chemicals that give out the Same Aroma of Sandal-wood (Tan Xiang 檀香) or Agar-wood (Chen Xiang 沉香), if one self will to inhale such Fumes that given out from such Low-quanlity Incenses. as time goes by, the Throat and Nose will be affected.
By Offering Good-quality Incenses, this will not only show one self's Sincerity and Respect to the Deities and Beings, but also assisting one self to gain the Positive Energies that being emitted out from the Incenses.

Such as Agar-wood, Agar-wood is a type of Wood that not only help to get-rid of insects, but also to increase one self's Physical Energy. By using the Right amount of Agar-wood with the Right amount of Cultivation, one self will be able to reach a Level of Cleansing inside and outside the Physical Body.

5th, Far Distance of the Cleansing Urn or Incense-Urn between the Altar and One self. Reason: Do not place the Urn too near to one self while doing Chanting. As we inhale & exhale, the Fumes from the Incenses will get into our Physical Body. As everyone know that, burning stuffs will give out Carbon Monoxide & Carbon Dioxide, once one self inhale too much such Gases, as time goes by, different sicknesses will occur and by that time, regretting will be too late.

Till today, alot of Old Priests and Spiritual People are suffering from Throat Sicknesses such as Cancer, TB, etc, why, due to the lack of Kowledge and teaching in the Past. As they performed Ritual, different types of Incenses were being offered and during large-scale burning, the Priests and Spiritual People would tend to stand very close to the burning, as time went by, the inhaling and exhaling increases. After their retire, most of them started to find out that, their Throat and Lungs started to get different types of sicknesses.

6th, Do not Chant at Night or after 8.00 Pm.
  Reason: This is both Spiritually & Scientific Proven.

At Night, the Atmosphere tend to change from Positive to Negative and the Temperature might dropped tremedously.

If this will to happen, one self's Physical Body will tend to slow-down and soon, one self will felt sleepy and restless. If one self will to do Chanting at this moment, the Mental Brain will tend to get extra-stress and soon, certain Illusions will appeared and with such Illusions, one self will tend to get worried or tense-up and as time goes by, one self will suffered from Mental-dis-order or Mentailly-un-well.

In Spiritual Term, once one self is not able to concentrate or get interfer by Illusions, the Physical Body will release out Negative Signals and once such Signals ate being given out, one self will attracted more and more Entities. Among such Entities, if there are 1 - 2 Entities that shared the same Frequency with one self, then one self will encountered being possessed or being followed by such Entities.

As time goes by, the Positive Energy of one self will decrease and some, might end-up passing-on.

Okay, in Summary.
  In Taoism, we always treat Chanting & Reciting as a very Important type of Cultivation, cos we know that, Chanting & Reciting are considered as a form of Energy Cultivation - similar to Tai Ji (太極) or Qi Gong (氣功).
Once the Energies that being involved in Chanting & Reciting are bein balanced and with the Positive External Assistances, the Chanting or Reciting will take it's Fullest Effect and Affects.
In other Faiths, they dont really take deep or serious Notice in that and this is why, alot of fatal-after-effects are being encountered.

If you will to do your Chanting later, try some of the Advises mentioned here, I'm sure you will see & feel some differences.