While climbing through the Himalayas of Nepal in 2000, I reached the height of 17,000 foot. I was suddenly struck with a feeling of uneasiness and had a severe seizure. During this time - I had "a near death experience". For most they would say it was a “life and death experience,” however it was an experience of “Death and Life for me.” Om Mani Padme Hum which is a chant heard in many yoga circles and means, “hail to the jewel in the lotus.” I heard this during my experience and it was given to me by the Himalayas.
When I eventually returned to America after six weeks in Nepal, this experience helped me to embark on my first Yoga Teacher Training.
Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable HUM, which indicates indivisibility. According to the sutra system, this indivisibility of method and wisdom refers to wisdom affected by method and method affected by wisdom.
Each syllable has a genuine purifying effect: OM purifies the veils of body, MA purifies the veils of speech, NI purifies the veils of mind, PAD purifies the veils of conflicting emotions, ME purifies the veils of latent conditioning, HUM purifies the veil that covers knowledge.
My personal experience and understanding of this Mantra is why I chose to name my Yoga Instruction “A Jewel in the Lotus.”
Buddha once sat in front of a lake of mud and muck with a huge smile on his face. One of his disciples asked why he smiled so brightly. He pointed to the Lotus flower and explained that even though this flower is surrounded by mud and muck, it is still unharmed by its surroundings. No matter what, it is unstained and blooms into a beautiful flower all the time.
There is a Japanese saying “kajo waraku,” “To have the heart of a flower. This Lotus does exactly that. It shows its beauty no matter what life has to throw at it. Through my experience, and experiences shared with me by my teachers, students and fellow Yogi's, through Practice we peel away layers of "mud and muck" to see who we truly are... this is what we teach at “A Jewel in the Lotus.”
Om mani padme hum is spoken within our studio and is the universal mantra of love and compassion. Its meaning is "Hail, the Jewel in the Lotus". When this mantra is recited, it is in fact continually repeating the name of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of all compassion and love.
This mantra is invested by the grace and power of the mind of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, who himself gathers the grace and compassion of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. In this view, the mantra is endowed with the capacity to purify our mind from the veils that obscure it. The mantra opens the mind to love and compassion, and leads it towards awakening.
This mantra is indicated by the next four syllables. MANI, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method - the altruistic intention to become enlightenment, compassion, and love. Just as a jewel is capable of removing poverty, so the altruistic mind of enlightenment is capable of removing the poverty, or difficulties, of cyclic existence, and bring solitary peace.
The two syllables, PADME, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom. Just as a lotus grows forth from mud but is not sullied by the faults of mud, so wisdom is capable of putting you in a situation of non-contradiction, whereas there would be contradiction if you did not have wisdom.
A chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot. where it's being boiled. "Why are you doing this to me?"
The cook knocks him down with the ladle. "Don't you try to jump out. you think I am torturing you.
I'm giving you flavor, so you can mix with the spices and rice and be the lovely vitality of a human being.
Remember when you drank rain in the garden?
That was for this." Grace first sexual pleasure. Then a boiling new life begins,
and the Friend has something good to eat. Eventually the chickpea will say to the Cook, "Boil me some more.
Hit me with the skimming spoon. I can't do this by myself. I'm like an elephant that dreams of gardens back in Hindustan and doesn't pay attention to his driver. You're my cook, my driver, my way into existence.
I love your cooking." The Cook says, "I was once like you, fresh from the ground. Then I boiled in time, and boiled in the body, two fierce boilings.
My animal soul grew powerful. I controlled it with practices, and boiled some more, and boiled once beyond that, and became your teacher."
Breath is central to Yoga because it is central to life... and Yoga is about Life
--- T Kris
