Om mani padme hum...
I am the jewel in the lotus
Buddhist mantra
This is a lovely mantra that Ram Dass shared in the below linked podcast. He explains that its recitation is giving reverence to the part of Om that rests in the heart. I like that. It's translated meaning, I discovered, has been highly debated over the years. I have read the many translations and have taken it upon myself to choose this one: I am the jewel in the lotus. Of course by "I am", I am not referring to little "me" but to who I am at the deepest level, who we all are at the deepest level...to that consciousness and Source we share. Hmm! I just love the sound of this mantra and how it makes me feel.
Anyway...traditionally this mantra was not supposed to be passed down to non-buddhist and that floors me. Of all religions, I thought Buddhism was the less secular and exclusive? If the motivation for using it is pure...the desire for truth and Self realization...shouldn't anyone be able to use it? Of course, one could use whatever words they wanted in their mantras in whatever language they pleased, couldn't they? Just words! But the sound of Om and hum are divine sounds that no words could compare to. That is why mantras like these are special. I mean no disrespect to any ordained buddhist but I will continue to use it. Something tells me that the Buddha wouldn't mind. (Of course, I don't know anything.)
Rent-a-Body; Rent-a-Mind
In the below video, Ram Dass also spoke about the veil that arises to cover the True Self...the Atman...from our attention. He spoke about how we get so identified with and "fascinated" by external things like bodies, thoughts, feelings and the going ons "out there" that we forget who we really are. He used the analogy of the rent- a -body and rent - a- mind we are driving around in. Body and mind are just vehicles and tools we are to use while here...we can't take them with us... but we have become so "fascinated" or identified with them we see them as who we are. We become frightened over the prospect of losing the body to physical death, or losing the concept of who we have come to believe we are to truth. He reminded us that we do not become frightened when we leave our cars even if that car is going over a cliff ( as long as we are not in it). We are not our cars, not our bodies and not our thoughts, ideas, beliefs etc. We really do not need to be frightened by Life.
Hmm! Once we wake up to the truth of who we are we will no longer be afraid of dying physically or mentally. Patanjali offered us a process for waking up. Single focused concentration is part of that (dharana) and a mantra like the one above can be the thing we focus on. We can focus on a candle flame or breath. We can use a mala etc but the thing is we are trying to bring something between the distracted subject and the objects of the experience, so we are not lost in this over identification with mind stuff. We have to look at the mind as a drunk monkey who just got bit by a scorpion. (Swami Vivekananda) This mind needs to be calmed down and focus can help us to do that. Our goal with dharana is to bring the focus back away from that object we ae focusing on, to that which is doing the focusing.... on witness consciousness. Once we create distance between what we are sensing and the one that is sensing, aware taht we are not what we are sensing...we are on our way. This will eventually take us to samadhi and true merger...where we realize that who we truly are is one with everything.
I am at the point where I am still busy trying to sober this monkey up and to soothe the sting of the scorpion bite. :) I do not imagine I will get to the point where I realize I am completely one with everything any time soon, if at all, but if I can at least remove any scruples I have about change or diminish the fear of death, I will be more than alright.
I have no scruple of change or fear of death. I was never born nor had I parents.
Swami Rama Tirtha
All is well in my world.
Ram Dass/ Be Here and Now Network ( 2017?) Ram Dass Here Now-Episode 7-The Veil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afULqyFWPC4
Wikepedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum
No comments:
Post a Comment