He (age 79) is so down to earth and humble… and note English is not his native language.
Initially, he is saying study the whole system to gain knowledge, then you will come to understand. “Clear?” Then students persist…
Therefore he says, maybe not relevant (since we have not studied…) but explains anyway…what the mantra, prayer means even though we are … actually rather ignorant.
He does not talk down.
“PURE ever pleasant…pleasant in body and mind” & “speech” = bliss:)
OM MANI PADME HUNG
or ?
Sanskrit form
“Om Mani Padma Hum”
Tibetan form, slightly differs to be,
“Om Mani Peme Hung”
Which is correct? Here’s a story on that …
A devoted meditator, after years concentrating on a particular mantra, had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student’s humility was far from perfect.
A few years of successful teaching left the meditator with no thoughts about learning from anyone else; but upon hearing about a hermit rumored to be a guru, the opportunity was calling to finally meet up with someone he might learn from.
The hermit was an old man lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the meditator hired a man to row a boat so he can across to the island. The meditator was very respectful of the old man. As they shared some tea made with herbs the meditator 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 meditator was pleased: the old man was using the same mantra he used himself — but when the old man shared the mantra aloud, the meditator was horrified!
“What’s wrong?” asked the old man.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid you’ve wasted your whole life! You are pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!”
“Oh, No! That is terrible. How should I be saying it?”
The meditator gave the correct pronunciation, and the old man was very grateful, asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back across the lake the meditator, now very proud to be the more accomplished than the old man, felt to be the masterful teacher. He scoffed how an old man who pronounces the mantra wrong could even be considered a guru – it is he who is the master, he felt drunk with pride.
As the boat was passing across the deepest part of the lake, he even thought of his benevolence – “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 meditator noticed that the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the old man standing respectfully on the water, next to the boat.
“Excuse me, please. I hate to bother you, my memory does not serve me well – I’ve forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?”
“You obviously don’t need it,” stammered the meditator; but the old man persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and told him again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.
The old man was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he walked across the surface of the water back to the island.
***************** “Clear?” ****************
