The song went on...and on...and on....
“Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum.”
This past fall, when Leah and I were trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal, we camped for several days on a grassy terrace in Namche Bazaar, the largest village on the main trail that leads up toward Mt. Everest. Our tent was very near the shops and trading stalls of the village, and a Nepali merchant had a boom box that played the “Om Mani Padme Hum” CD from early morning until sundown in the evening. Over and over and over, Leah and I heard “Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum.” We joked that we’d never get that song out of our heads, and I predicted (cynically) that hearing that song would be one thing we would not miss about the trip experience.
I will tell you today that I was correct that the song took up residence in my brain and would not leave, but I must also admit--with great humility, and a ton of I’m Surprised-At-Myself chagrin--that I realized recently that I missed hearing the actual CD (Leah confessed to feeling the same way.) I poked around on the Web, hunted-down the CD, and bought it.
Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum.
I was in Seattle yesterday and I stopped at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. I thought I’d visit the monastery bookstore and maybe look for a book about Buddhism (something I’ve also been thinking about in these days following our trip.) The monastery was closed, but I walked around outside. I pulled my snapshot camera from my pocket and photographed the amazing carved figures that decorate a doorway. I spun the prayer wheels. I have a limited knowledge of Buddhism (I plan to learn more) but I was curious about the apparent incongruity between the scary-looking figures, and the peaceful, meditative prayer wheels.
And, speaking of being curious, if you are wondering about the “Om Mani Padme Hum” song, here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Ri37iAyWk&feature=related
If you find that the song sticks on your head, the CD is called "Tibetan Incantations/The Meditative Sound of Buddhist Chants."
