Carpe Diem #418, Taisan-ji (temple 52)

Dear O-Henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are still on our pilgrimage along the 88 temples of the Shikoku trail, but we are busy with the last semester of this pilgrimage, so soon we will arrive at the end of this pilgrimage. Today we are visiting Taisan-ji (temple 52).
Taisan-ji is devoted to Juichimen Kannon or in sanskrit "Avalokitesvara", the Buddha of Compassion or "The Lord who looks down". It is said that the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and the mantra for this Boddhisattva is this well known "Om Mani Padme Hum". His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama says about this mantra the following:

Dalai Lama

[...] "It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast...
The first, Om symbolizes the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; it also symbolizes the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha".
"The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method: (the) altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love."
"The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom".
"Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility".
"Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha". [...]

I love to share a video in which this mantra is chanted by buddhist monks. I ran into it while searching the Internet:

 

 

It's a wonderful mantra and to me this mantra means a lot ... it gives me strength and deep inner peace. I whisper this mantra very often, because it has such a powerful content (as I wrote above in the words of the Dalai Lama).

 

whispered prayers
drifiting with the spring breeze -
Om Mani Padme Hum

 

Om Mani Padme Hum
touches me deep in my heart
I whisper a prayer

 

(c) Chèvrefeuille

 

Taisan-ji, the 52th temple, is cited in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture and is one of the most beautiful temples on this Shikoku trail.

 

Taisan-ji (temple 52)

 

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 13th 11.59 AM (CET). I will (try to) post our new episode, Senju-ji (temple 58), later on today. I hope you enjoyed this episode and the video. And that it inspired you to write haiku.

 

Namaste