Buddha Speaks – A Story of Truth

Rainbow picture from email

 

 

A year ago, a friend of mine started a group of women on a journey of meditation for the Earth and the greater good.  The mantra she used to start our meditations is the Buddhist mantra  “Om Mani Padme Hum”.  She wrote it out phonetically for us on a white board.  My friend indicated that this was a mantra that came from the Buddhists in India. The Tibetan Buddhists adopted it, and changed some of the sounds because Sanskrit is hard for the Tibetans to pronounce.  When I was reading my Buddhists lessons, the following story about “truth” came up, and I found it quite fascinating that the story was about the mantra.

                              The True Sound of Truth

A devoted Buddhist Seeker from India, after years concentrating on a particular mantra, had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student's humility was far from perfect, but the teachers at the monastery were not worried.

A few years of successful teaching left the Seeker with no thoughts about learning from anyone; but upon hearing about a famous hermit living nearby, the opportunity was too exciting to be passed up.

The hermit lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the Seeker  hired a man with a boat to row across to the island. The Seeker  was very respectful of the old hermit. As they shared some tea made with herbs the Seeker asked him about his spiritual practice. The old man said he had no spiritual practice, except for a mantra which he repeated all the time to himself. The Seeker was pleased: the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself -- but when the hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the Seeker was horrified!

"What's wrong?" asked the hermit.

"I don't know what to say. I'm afraid you've wasted your whole life! You are pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!"

"Oh, Dear! That is terrible. How should I say it?"

The Seeker gave the correct pronunciation, and the old hermit was very grateful, asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back across the lake the Seeker, now confirmed as an accomplished teacher, was pondering the sad fate of the hermit.

"It's so fortunate that I came along. At least he will have a little time to practice correctly before he dies." Just then, the Seeker noticed that the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit standing respectfully on the water, next to the boat.

"Excuse me, please. I hate to bother you, but I've forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?"

"You obviously don't need it," stammered the Seeker but the old man persisted in his polite request until the Seeker relented and told him again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.

The old hermit was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he walked across the surface of the water back to the island.

                                     The End

Judy@angelsandancestors.com   See the upcoming events on the home page of www.angelsandancestors.com