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'''Om mani padme hum'''^[1] (Devanagari ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ, IAST '') is probably the most famous mantra in Buddhism, the six syllabled mantra of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan ''Chenrezig''). The mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara.
The Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara, so the mantra is especially revered by his devotees and it is commonly carved onto rocks and written on paper which is then inserted into prayer wheels to increase its effects.

Contents

Transliterations

Meaning

Karandavyuha Sutra definition

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama's definition

Gen Rinpoche's definition

Karma Thubten Trinley's definition

Usage in Japanese Shingon Buddhism

Variation

Bibliography

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links

Transliterations

In English the mantra is variously transliterated, depending on the schools of Buddhism as well as individual teachers.
Possible spellings and their romanizations include:

★ Tibetan: ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པ་དྨེ་ཧཱུྃ་ ''Om Ma Ni Pe Me Hung'' [or ''Hum'']

★ Devanagari: ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ; IAST:

★ Chinese 唵嘛呢叭咪吽, pinyin Ǎn Má Ní Bā Mī Hōng

★ Korean Hangul 옴마니반메훔, ''Om Ma Ni Ban Mae Hum''

★ Japanese Katakana オンマニハツメイウン ''On Mani Hatsu Mei Un''

★ Mongolian: ''Ум маани бадми хум'' or ''Um maani badmi khum''

★ Vietnamese: ''Úm ma ni bát ni hồng'' or ''Án ma ni bát mê hồng''

Meaning

Mantras may be interpreted by practitioners in many ways, or even as mere sequences of sound whose effects lie beyond strict meaning.
The middle part of the mantra, '', is often interpreted as "jewel in the lotus," Sanskrit '' "jewel, gem, cintamani" and the locative of '' "lotus", but according to Donald Lopez it is much more likely that '' is in fact a vocative, not a locative, addressing a bodhisattva called '', "Jewel-Lotus". The ''oṃ'' is straightforward as the sacred syllable prefixed to many mantras, and the ''hūṃ'' is an exclamation or interjection, the like of which are also frequently found in mantras.
In the ''Chenrezig Saddhana'', Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche expands upon the mantra's meaning, taking its six syllables to represent the purification of the six realms of existence:^[2]

Syllable	Six Paramitas	Purifies	Samsaric realm	Colors	Symbol of the Deity	(Wish them) To be born in
Om	Meditation / Bliss	Pride	Devas	White	Wisdom	Perfect Realm of Potala
Ma	Patience	Jealousy / Lust for entertainment	Asuras	Green	Compassion	Perfect Realm of Potala
Ni	Discipline	Passion / desire	Humans	Yellow	Body, speech, mind quality and activity	Dewachen
Pad	Wisdom	Stupidity / prejudice	Animals	Blue	Equanimity	in presence of Protector (Chenrezig)
Me	Generosity	Poverty / possessiveness	Pretas (hungry ghosts)	Red	Bliss	Perfect Realm of Potala
Hum	Diligence	Aggression / hatred	Naraka	Black	Quality of Compassion	in presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig)

Karandavyuha Sutra definition

The first known description of the mantra appears in the Karandavyuha Sutra, which is part of certain Mahayana canons such as the Tibetan. In this sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha states, "This is the most beneficial mantra. Even I made this aspiration to all the million Buddhas and subsequently received this teaching from Buddha Amitabha."^[3]

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama's definition

:"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 [...] symbolize the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize 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[...]"
-- H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, "Om Mani Padme Hum"^[4]

Gen Rinpoche's definition

: "The mantra Om Mani Päme Hum is easy to say yet quite powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching. When you say the first syllable Om it is blessed to help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity, Ma helps perfect the practice of pure ethics, and Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Pä, the fourth syllable, helps to achieve perfection of perseverance, Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration, and the final sixth syllable Hum helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.
: "So in this way recitation of the mantra helps achieve perfection in the six practices from generosity to wisdom. The path of these six perfections is the path walked by all the Buddhas of the three times. What could then be more meaningful than to say the mantra and accomplish the six perfections?"
— Gen Rinpoche, ''Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones''^[5]

Karma Thubten Trinley's definition

:"These are the six syllables which prevent rebirth into the six realms of cyclic existence. It translates literally as 'OM the jewel in the lotus HUM'. OM prevents rebirth in the god realm, MA prevents rebirth in the Asura (Titan) Realm, NI prevents rebirth in the Human realm, PA prevents rebirth in the Animal realm, ME prevents rebirth in the Hungry ghost realm, and HUM prevents rebirth in the Hell realm." —Karma Thubten Trinley

Usage in Japanese Shingon Buddhism

The Six-Syllable Mantra is also a popular mantra for use in Japanese Shingon, or esoteric, Buddhism. The Shingon monk, Myoe, used this mantra as part of his daily regimen for himself and his disciples at Kozanji monastery. Historical records show that monks often chanted this along with the Mantra of Light.

Variation

As Bucknell, ''et. al'' (1986: p.15) opine, the complete Avalokiteshvara Mantra includes a final Hrīh, which is iconographically depicted in the central space of the syllabic mandala as seen in the ceiling decoration of the Potala Palace.

Bibliography

★ Teachings from the Mani retreat, Chenrezig Institute, December 2000 (2001) by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, ISBN-13: 978-1891868108, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive downloadable

★ Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4

See also

★ Aum

★ Buddhism

★ Mantra

★ Samsara

Notes

1. Pronunciation of the mantra as chanted by a Tibetan refugee: Wave Format and Real Audio Format.

2. Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche, ''Chenrezig sadhana''
3. Khandro.net: Mantras
4. Gyatso, Tenzin. Om Mani Padme Hum
5. Gen Rinpoche, ''Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones''. ISBN 0-87773-493-3

Further reading

★ Lopez, Donald S. Jr.: ''Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West'' (ISBN 0-226-49311-3): provides a thorough discussion of the history of the mantra's reception in the West and its often fanciful interpretations.

★ Alexander Studholme: ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum''. Albany NY: State University of New York Press, 2002 ISBN 0-7914-5389-8

★ Mark Unno: ''Shingon Refractions: Myōe and the Mantra of Light''. Somerville MA, USA: Wisdom Publications, 2004 ISBN 0-86171-390-7

★ Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4

External links

★ Dharma Haven: Om Mani Padme Hum

★ Khandro.net: Mantra

★ Use as a Mantra The remarks made by the Dalai Lama

★ An article on the phrase at BabelStone