The point raised By Gem on focusing on breath Instead of mantra Is not technically wrong. It looks right on paper but it does not work so well in practicality.

Let me explain.

The thing here is that just like consciousness, mind, Initially being the part of consciousness, is also eternal. Not only that, Just opposite the default nature of the consciousness, which is to just witness everything, The default nature of the mind is doing something all the time. Its this nature is also eternal and unchangeable just like its existence. No one can change it, no matter how hard we try. We cannot stop it thinking even for some seconds, no one can, not even the enlightened ones, and not even the God himself. That is why all this creation happened. God never wanted all this to happen but he could not help it.

Before creation. The God was perfect, fully enlightened in the void but he wanted to exist. Bible says, there was a word and the word was the God. Then he said, let there be light. As soon as he desired/wished for the light, He came into existence and at the same time, its mind also came into existence. But, because as the mind was created to do something, thus it became its default nature and continues so till now. The mind of the God never stopped creating, thus all cosmos came into existence. Lastly, the God realized that there this has to be stopped at some point. That is why he created humans because all other higher spiritual entities, no matter how better they are spiritually, cannot overcome the mind. Only humans can do that and become one with the God.

God had no intention of forbidding adam and eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge. If he did not want that, that would have never happened. But he wanted them to eat the fruit and then going through all this struggle because without that struggle humans cannot understand how they can overcome the undesired wondering of the mind. The wanted human to realize that the purpose of the mind is only to realize that it and consciousness exist and it and should not go beyond that. That is enlightenment. So, in a sense, The God himself is not completely enlightened because, the consciousness, which resides in every human is also a part of the God. So, as all humans are not enlightened, thus the God himself is not enlightened. The problem with the mind is, no matter how evil it may be, it is only tool which can lead humans to the enlightenment.

That is precisely why it is called necessary evil in religions. The story of adam and eve and eating the fruit is its example in Christianity. Judaism calls this Yetzer Hara

Contrary to what is generally believed, The God is not an individual or a portfolio but but merely state a state of being. Anyone who get elevated up to there becomes a part of the God or the God itself.

So, what is the way out? The only way to tame the mind is to keep it engaged in something in order so stop it wondering. But, when we focus merely on the breath, mind becomes free and becomes uncontrollable but in repeating mantras, it gets something to do thus can be tamed.

That is my personal experience and conclusion at least. If focusing merely on the breath works for anyone, he/she should do that but i have my doubts.

with love,
sanjay