Changes

==Persistence==

...you receive your japa along with the power to do it—but you have to learn how to do it, right? For a long while you don't fully succeed; all sorts of things happen—you forget it right in the middle or fall asleep or grow tired, get a headache, all sorts of things; or even outer circumstances interfere and disturb you. Well, here it's the same: you tell yourself, "I'll do it," and you will do it, even if.... You have to go at it just like a mule: everything blocks the way but you keep going. You said you'd do it and you will do it. There are no results—I don't care. Everything is against me—I don't care. I said I'd do it and I will... I said I'd do it and I will. And you keep on going like that. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/agenda/03/september-5-1962#p82</ref>

Any method sincerely and persistently followed can end by bringing the opening...the method of prayer and japa ...does prepare something in the consciousness and, if done with persistent faith and bhakti, it can open all the doors. … But whatever method is used will not bring its effect at once; it must be done persistently, simply, directly till it succeeds. If it is done with a mind of doubt or watching it as an experiment to see if it succeeds or if it is continually crossed by a spirit of hasty despondency saying constantly, "You see it is all useless," then it ought to be obvious that the opening will be very difficult, because there is that clogging it every time there is a pressure or a push to open.<ref>https://incarnateword.in/cwsa/31/time-and-change-of-the-nature#p10</ref>

==Helpful Methods==

Japa shouldn't become so exclusive that it's done twenty-four hours out of twenty-four, because then it's equivalent to asceticism—but there should be a good dose of it. <ref>http://incarnateword.in/agenda/03/february-3-1962#p77</ref>