While practicing spiritual life, chanting or meditating, you say you have to repeat the same thing over and over again.

How can you prevent yourself  from being mechanical?

Answer by HH Radhanatha Swami

The easiest way is with the help of the great souls who challenge our superficial idea of spiritual life and bring us to higher planes of consciousness. You see, historically, through all the great religions of the world, we find that what begins is a very, very dynamic and fearless sacrifice to the Lord. In the course of time, it deteriorates to dogma and ritual. Just like when the Lord spoke to Abraham, it was something dynamic, but in course of time it decayed and  deteriorated to mere dogma and ritual. Then the Lord again revived the original dynamics of the religion through Moses, and again in the course of time it became very…of course, there are those who always preserve the dynamics, but in general the people of the world see things very externally and superficially even in the Name of God. When Jesus came, he accused the Pharisees, “You have a form of religion, but you have forgotten the spirit and power behind it.”  In India we find also Ramanujacarya, Sankaracarya, Madhavacarya, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They all have come to challenge the dogmatic deterioration of great dynamic religions and reestablish the real truth, the real purity. This is a very, very strong tendency which is very dangerous for one who is seeking spiritual development in life. Even though we are given pure teaching, our own mind begins to practice in a superficial and dogmatic way.  Therefore, there is a very great need for self-realized souls to break us out of this rut and reestablish the real essence of religion within our life. Of course, we must also be on guard and be sincere and very, very attentive in striving for the loving service of the Lord, for the pleasure of the Lord in everything we do. We should not just simply be satisfied that “I’ve got my rounds done, or I have given my charity, or I have given my donation, or I have made my confession, or I have said my prayers.” We must be very conscious to remind ourselves of why we are doing these things and whom we are doing them for.