Wisdom is mantra
“Just by repeating the name, that which cannot be understood will be understood .
Just by repeating the name, that which cannot be seen will be seen.”
- Jnaneshwar Maharaj
Mantra can be introduced in many ways to children and with children and as often as you can, bypass the thinking self, and drop into story, song, or movement. Wisdom, deep wisdom, can come from many places and more often than not does not come from conscious thought.
For this exercise, start with the old Buddhist story, the Meditator and the Hermit. This is a wonderful lesson in allowing and in teaching that the importance of any practice is in its intention, not in its precision in following doctrine unerringly. This allows for our own unique unfolding, for our own unique spirit selves to express. For within each of us is a unique path to God that cannot be copied by anyone else. It is our own story to write, to witness, and to embody. You are the spiritual center. The channel through which divinity flows.
The Meditator and the Hermit
There once was a dedicated meditator who, after years of
concentrating on a particular mantra, gained enough insight to begin teaching.
His own teachers from the monastery saw that his humility was far from perfect,
but they were not too concerned.
After a few years of teaching, the meditator had no thoughts
of learning from others. But when he heard of a hermit living nearby, he hired
a man with a boat to take him across the lake to the island where the hermit
lived.
They shared some herbal tea and the meditator was very
respectful toward the hermit. At some point the meditator asked the hermit what
his practice was.
The hermit replied that he had no spiritual practice other
than a mantra which he repeated to himself all the time. The meditator was
pleased that the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself. But when the
hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the meditator was horrified.
The hermit asked what was wrong and the meditator replied,
“I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid you’ve wasted your whole life! You are
pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!”
“Oh my! That is terrible! How should I say it?”
The meditator gave the correct pronunciation and the old
hermit was very grateful. He asked that he be left alone so he could get
started on it right away.
Just then he noticed 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 have
forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?”
“You obviously don’t need it,” the meditator stammered.
The old hermit persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and repeated again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.
Then he watched as the hermit began saying the mantra slowly, very carefully, over and over as he turned and walked across the surface of the water, back to the island.
The old hermit persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and repeated again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.
Then he watched as the hermit began saying the mantra slowly, very carefully, over and over as he turned and walked across the surface of the water, back to the island.
The Sunburst and the Mantra
After the story, integrate by introducing the mantra and saying it together. To honor the summer solstice, we weaved sunbursts while chanting the mantra, OM SO HUM. Sunbursts are created by tying four sticks together, then weaving with yarn. As you weave around each ray, say one word of the mantra. Pairing Om So Hum, I Am That, while doing repetitive handwork is wonderfully relaxing and lifts the spirit. As is written by Jnaneshwar Maharaj, the 13th century Hindu poet, philospher and yogi, in repeating the mantra, wisdom will blossom from within.
Listen to this mantra at home~ OM SO HUM by Meditative Mind
For more insight on mantra and storytelling, see my earlier posts, Mantra is for Kids and Why Storytelling with Children.
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