<p>From <a href="https://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall2012/92-practice-post-retreat-2/#transcript" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this transcript</a>, it doesn't really have a meaning. Full quote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Q: What does o laso mean?</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>That’s one of the great secret teachings I give out only to people who’ve achieved 8 weeks of retreat first. It’s very secret, have you received Tantric empowerment? O laso, you ready? Because once I have said it you won’t forget it, it’s one of those really, pointing out instructions - O Laso doesn’t mean anything at all. But it is Tibetan, so it is hard to find a phrase in a language that is definitely part of that language, because O Laso is definitely part of Tibetan, it’s not Hindi, or any other language that I know of, it’s definitely Tibetan, and it doesn’t mean anything at all. But it’s Tibetan and I don’t know quite how you translate it into English without losing its meaning, but it’s something like UM or how about this – WELL THEN , what does that exactly mean, “well then”? Well then, Ladies and Gentlemen. What exactly have I just said that imparted some information to you? (45:42) ‘Well then’ as opposed to ‘ill now’? O laso is kind of like that. It comes up a lot and it’s just become part of my speech pattern, and I haven’t seen any reason to break it, and also it sounds nice. O laso, o laso, and very often, because I have received many teachings from lamas, at the beginning they often say o laso, and that lets everybody know, hey, we’re about to begin, folks. O laso, so it’s a nice way to begin, it’s so smooth, almost like a mantra, o laso. And then when you finish, when you’ve finished something – o laso. Like that, okay? It’s a way to begin and a way to end.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-14T18:11:37.040Z
2021-01-14T18:11:37.040Z
Zac Anger
<p>It is probably related to the Water Lamp of the Far-Reaching Lasso (<em>rgyang zhags chu'i sgron ma</em>) used in Tögal practice in the Dzogchen vehicule of Tibetan Buddhism.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-14T15:35:12.990Z
2021-01-14T15:35:12.990Z
StillJustJames
<p>Alan Wallace says this regularly, for example, at the beginning of this lecture: <a href="http://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall2012/13-loving-kindness-1/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall2012/13-loving-kindness-1/</a></p>
<p>Is it Tibetan? What is its direct translation?</p>

<translation><tibetan><alan-wallace>
What is the meaning of "O Laso"?
# What is the meaning of "O Laso"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-12)

Alan Wallace says this regularly, for example, at the beginning of this lecture: <http://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall2012/13-loving-kindness-1/>

Is it Tibetan? What is its direct translation?

**Tags:** translation, tibetan, alan-wallace


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-14. Score: 1

From [this transcript](https://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall2012/92-practice-post-retreat-2/#transcript), it doesn't really have a meaning. Full quote:

> Q: What does o laso mean?

> That’s one of the great secret teachings I give out only to people who’ve achieved 8 weeks of retreat first. It’s very secret, have you received Tantric empowerment? O laso, you ready? Because once I have said it you won’t forget it, it’s one of those really, pointing out instructions - O Laso doesn’t mean anything at all. But it is Tibetan, so it is hard to find a phrase in a language that is definitely part of that language, because O Laso is definitely part of Tibetan, it’s not Hindi, or any other language that I know of, it’s definitely Tibetan, and it doesn’t mean anything at all. But it’s Tibetan and I don’t know quite how you translate it into English without losing its meaning, but it’s something like UM or how about this – WELL THEN , what does that exactly mean, “well then”? Well then, Ladies and Gentlemen. What exactly have I just said that imparted some information to you? (45:42) ‘Well then’ as opposed to ‘ill now’? O laso is kind of like that. It comes up a lot and it’s just become part of my speech pattern, and I haven’t seen any reason to break it, and also it sounds nice. O laso, o laso, and very often, because I have received many teachings from lamas, at the beginning they often say o laso, and that lets everybody know, hey, we’re about to begin, folks. O laso, so it’s a nice way to begin, it’s so smooth, almost like a mantra, o laso. And then when you finish, when you’ve finished something – o laso. Like that, okay? It’s a way to begin and a way to end.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-01-14. Score: 0

It is probably related to the Water Lamp of the Far-Reaching Lasso (*rgyang zhags chu'i sgron ma*) used in Tögal practice in the Dzogchen vehicule of Tibetan Buddhism.


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