Jaap, or Japa, is continuous recitation of something to make it part of our being at the subconscious level. In the Sikh tradition, we repeat God’s name to make God part of our thoughts and memory.

Jaap is one of the three pillars of the Sikh way of life (often referred to as Naam Japo). It is part of the everyday life of a Sikh. This practice can be further defined as reciting and repeating the name of the Divine with great humility.

Jaap requires the remembrance of the Divine, the supreme formless power that is timeless and deathless, by repeating and focusing the mind on a single repetition of one of the various names or qualities of the Infinite source.

It can be practiced through reciting or vocal singing of Banis, reading from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, or chanting one of the various names of God, most often by chanting the word “Wahe Guru” (wondrous Lord). The practice of Jaap can be enhanced by bringing focus to the naval point and emitting a strong projection when reciting.

Japa is repetition. When we say “Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru,” it will come slower and slower in Japa because it will go from the “baikharee” (spoken) to “kanth” (throat) to the “anhad” (unheard / mental). For Sikhs and yogis, the effect of practicing Jaap, or Japa, is to speak to our subconscious mind and program it to infinity.

 

Video Class on Jaap

Click on the link below to watch a class on Jaap, or Japa, taught by SS Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa:

 

~Resources: Living Reality (1994) by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa and “Japa: Repeating the Divine Name with Humility” (Sikh Dharma International).