Japa : various doubts?

is it better to chant silently or loudly?

is there any harm when the likhita japa( written god,s name) is lost or destroyed?

what is the difference between japa and tapa?

By using the perceptive sensual mind and intellect -man can do imaginate,do chant, do think,do puja, do service- what ever thing in the name  and form of god,is called as tapa. 

japa is  mindful repetetion of mantra and it is  the integral part of tapa.

conservation of mind energy and focussing the mind on one bijakshara -(mantra), can be attained with repetetion of that mantra either silently or loudly. but, silent way is more fruitful as it  conserve more energy and focus more intensively on etheric body. remember etheric body is nothing but a layer of sound waves encircling our physical body.

Chanting silently or loudly or writing the name of god  is a way of  molding the  ‘character of the mind’.

Our mind has been vibrating at the rate of 60000 cycles per day. Each of these oscillations may concern with single thought or different type of thoughts.

In japa, we usually put our ‘ mind focus’ intentionally on one single thought-that is God.

As per our scriptures, that the phenomenon-“god”- has four important characters i.e omniscience,omnipotent,omnipresence and IMMUTABILITY.

where ever you are ,what ever your mind contemplates it has been registered  as vibrations in the fabric of  God or cosmic consciousness.

Then one may ask, what is consciousness?

“Being aware  that you are aware ” – is called as consciousness in our terms.

Man’s knowledge is derivative and dependent and so our consciousness is relative.

Man’s reason, will and affections sought to suppress the true  or absolute consciousness.

But, even though man’s consciousness is relative, one must remember that  it’s a part of the absolute or true consciousness.

Man’s thought vibrations made permanent imprint on the fabric of consciousness. So, one may destroy the sheet of paper – “likhita japa”, but not the consciousness. Here the sheet of paper used as a tool. One may destroy the tools but not the product. Because this product  is eternal.