| There is an old story speaks
about a similar problem. 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, but the teachers at the monastery
were not worried. A few years of successful teaching left the meditator
with no thoughts about learning from anyone.... but after hearing
about a famous hermit living nearby...well... the opportunity was too darn
good to be passed up. The hermit lived alone on an island right in
the middle of a lake. The meditator hired a man with a boat to row across
to the island. Once there, the meditator was very respectful of the old
man. As they shared tea the meditator asked the hermit 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 extremely
pleased for the hermit was using the same mantra. But when the hermit spoke
the mantra aloud, the meditator was shocked and 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!" exclaimed the
visitor. "Oh, my... this is terrible...how should I say it?" asked
the old one. The meditator gave the correct pronunciaton and the old hermit
was very grateful. He asked to be left alone so he could get started right
away. On the way back across the lake the meditator, now obviously a very
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 meditator noticed that
the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit standing
respectfully on the water right next to the boat. "Excuse me, please."
he said. " I hate to bother you, but I've forgotten the correct pronunciation
again. Would you please repeat it for me?" The meditator managed to say,
"You obviously don't need it." but the old man persisted in his polite
request until the meditator relented and told him again. 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.
This story
about a teacher in Tibet illustrates speech and practice... The teacher
had two disciples, who both undertook to perform a hundred million recitations
of the mantra of Chenrezi, OM MANI PADME HUNG. In the presence of their
lama, they took a vow to do so, and went off to complete the practice.
One of the disciples was very diligent, though his realization was perhaps
not so profound. He set out to accomplish the practice as quickly
as possible and recited the mantra incessantly, day and night. After
long efforts, he completed his one hundred million recitations in
three years. The other disciple was extremely intelligent, though
perhaps not as dilligent, because he certainly did not launch into
the practice with the same enthusiasm. But when his friend was approaching
the completion of his retreat, the second disciple, who had not recited
very many mantras, went up on the top of a hill. He sat down there, and
began to meditate that all the beings throughout the universe were transformed
into Chenrezi. He meditated that the sound of the mantra was not
only issuing from the mouth of each and every being, but that every
atom in the universe was vibrating with it, and for a few days he recited
the mantra in this state of samadhi. When the two disciples went to their
lama to indicate they had finished the practice, he said, 'Oh, you've both
done excellently. You were very diligent, and YOU were very wise. You both
accomplished the one hundred million recitations of the mantra. Thus, through
changing our attitude and developing our understanding, practice becomes
far more powerful."
(An
excerpt from The Dharma, by KaluRinpoche from a chapter on The Four Dharmas
of Gampopa.)
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