Om mani padme hum

Om mani padme hum

O maipadme h[1] (Sanskrit: , IPA:[ mipdme ]) is the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan Chenrezig, Chinese Guanyin), the bodhisattva of compassion. Mani means "the jewel" and Padma means "the lotus". The mantra is especially revered by devotees of the Dalai Lama, as he is said to be an incarnation of Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara. It is commonly carved onto rocks or written on paper which is inserted into prayer wheels, said to increase the mantra's effects.
The mantra in Tibetan script

"om manipadme h", written in Tibetan script on a rock outside the Potala Palace in Tibet

Transliterations
In English the mantra is variously transliterated, depending on the schools of Buddhism as well as individual teachers. Most authorities consider maipadme to be one compound word rather than two simple words . Sanskrit writing does not have capital letters leaving capitalisation of transliterated mantras varying irrationally from all caps, to initial caps, to no caps. All caps is typical of older scholarly works, and in Tibetan Sadhana texts. Possible spellings and their transliterations include:

Om Mani Peme Hung in Tibetan script

Om mani padme hum

Language Tibetan Devanagari Bengali Malayalam Tamil

Transliteration

English Om Mani Peme Hung or Om Mani Beh Meh Hung or Om mani padme hum (Ladakh) IAST: o maipadme h

Chinese Chinese

Om M N B Me Hng pinyin n mn bm hng (due to changes over time in pronunciation, this transcription has been adopted in favor of the transliteration found in the Karandavyuha Sutra, n mn bnmng hng) Om mani padeume hum

Korean Hangul Korean Hangul Japanese Katakana Japanese Katakana Russian Mongolian Vietnamese Vietnamese Thai

Om mani banme hum

n mani padom hn

On mani peme hun

m ma ni bt ni hng n ma ni bt m hng Um maani badmi khum

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, maipadme, is often interpreted as "jewel in the lotus," Sanskrit ma "jewel, gem, cintamani" and the locative of padma "lotus", but according to Donald Lopez it is much more likely that maipadme is in fact a vocative, not a locative, The mantra with the six syllables coloured addressing a bodhisattva called maipadma, "Jewel-Lotus"- an alternate epithet of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.[2] It is preceded by the o syllable and followed by the h syllable, both interjections without linguistic meaning. Lopez also notes that the majority of Tibetan Buddhist texts have regarded the translation of the mantra as secondary, focusing instead on the correspondence of the six syllables of the mantra to various other groupings of six in the Buddhist tradition.[3] For example, in the Chenrezig Sadhana, Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche expands upon the mantra's meaning, taking its six syllables to represent the purification of the six realms of existence:[4]

Om mani padme hum

Syllable

Six Pramits Generosity Ethics

Purifies

Samsaric realm

Colours

Symbol of the Deity Wisdom Compassion

(Wish them) To be born in

Om Ma

Pride / Ego Jealousy / Lust for entertainment Passion / desire

Devas Asuras

White Green

Perfect Realm of Potala Perfect Realm of Potala

Ni

Patience

Humans

Yellow

Body, speech, mind Dewachen quality and activity Equanimity Bliss the presence of Protector (Chenrezig) Perfect Realm of Potala

Pad Me

Wisdom Renunciation

Ignorance / prejudice Poverty / possessiveness

Animals Pretas (hungry ghosts) Naraka

Blue Red

Hum

Diligence

Aggression / hatred

Black

Quality of Compassion

the presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig)

Karandavyuha Sutra definition

The first known description of the mantra appears in the Karandavyuha Sutra (Chinese: (Taisho Tripitaka 1050);[5] English: Buddha speaks Mahayana Sublime Treasure King 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."[6]

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 [...] 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[...]" -- H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, "Om Mani Padme Hum"[7]

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's definition

"The mantra Om Mani Pme 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. P, 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

Om mani padme hum then be more meaningful than to say the mantra and accomplish the six perfections?" Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones[8]

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

Variation
As Bucknell, et al. (1986: p.15) opine, the complete Avalokiteshvara Mantra includes a final hr (Sanskrit: , IPA:[rih]), which is iconographically depicted in the central space of the syllabic mandala as seen in the ceiling decoration of the Potala Palace.[9] The hr is not always vocalized audibly, and may be resonated "internally" or "secretly" through intentionality.

The mantra: Om Mani Peme Hung Hri

Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

The first known citation of the mantra occurs in the Karandavyuha Sutra published in the 11th Century which appears in the Chinese Buddhist canon.[5] However, some Buddhist scholars argue that the mantra as practiced in Tibetan Buddhism was based on the Sadhanamala, a collection of sadhana published in the twelfth century.[10]

Sufi variation
This mantra is also currently practiced by Sufis, with some variation, in the Naqshbandi tariqa ruled by Arif Shah, Omar Ali Shah's son and heir. They say this mantra originated in Afghanistan.

Music
DharmaSound: O Mai Padme H (see Buddhismo Ch'an/Zen and Buddhismo Vajrayna) [11] "Om Mani Padme Hum" by Snuffaluffagus "Strange Phenomena" by Kate Bush "Om Mani Peme Hung" by Dead Skeletons "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI" by Utada Hikaru Mani [12] by Mantrasphere

Om mani padme hum

Literature
"Thoughts Sitting Breathing" by Allen Ginsberg "I Will Fear No Evil" by Robert Heinlein

Bibliography
Teachings from the Mani retreat, Chenrezig Institute, December 2000 (2001) by Shramana Lama Zopa Rinpoche, ISBN 978-1891868108, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive downloadable [13] Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4 Lopez, Donald (1998). Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. University of Chicago Press: Chicago. ISBN 0-226-49311-3.

Footnotes
[1] Pronunciation of the mantra as chanted by a Tibetan refugee: Wave Format (http:/ / www. dharma-haven. org/ tibetan/ om-mani-padme-hung. wav) and Real Audio Format (http:/ / www. dharma-haven. org/ tibetan/ om-mani-padme-hung. ra). [2] Lopez, 331; the vocative would have to be feminine [3] Lopez, 130 [4] Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche, Chenrezig sadhana [5] Studholme, Alexander (2002). The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra. State University of New York Press. pp.256. ISBN0791453901. [6] Khandro.net: Mantras (http:/ / www. khandro. net/ practice_mantra. htm) [7] Gyatso, Tenzin. Om Mani Padme Hum (http:/ / www. tibet. com/ Buddhism/ om-mantra. html) [8] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones. ISBN 0-87773-493-3 [9] Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4, p.15 [10] Li, Yu. "Analysis of the Six Syllable practice - the relationship between The Six Syllable and [[Amitabha (http:/ / www. cqvip. com/ QK/ 80443X/ 2003002/ 8922419. html)]"]. . Retrieved September 1, 2008. [11] http:/ / www. dharmanet. com. br/ multimidia/ mp3. php [12] http:/ / mantrasphere. co. uk/ index. php?page=mani [13] http:/ / www. lamayeshe. com/ acatalog/ tmr. html

Further reading
Alexander Studholme: The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum. Albany NY: State University of New York Press, 2002 ISBN 0-7914-5389-8 ( incl. Table of Contents (http://www.sunypress.edu/details.asp?id=60576)) Mark Unno: Shingon Refractions: Mye 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 A.H. Francke: The Meaning of Om Mani Padme-Hum, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1915 Lama Anagarika Govinda: Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, 1969. Samuel Weiser, Inc: NYC, NY. ISBN 0-87728-064-9. Lopez, D. S. (jr.) Prisoners of Shangri-la : Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago University Press, 1988. (p.114ff.) Rodger Kamenetz: The Jew in the Lotus (PLUS) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061367397) with an afterword by the author. (HarperOne, 2007) non-fiction. Table of Contents (http://www.amazon.com/dp/ 0061367397#reader_0061367397)

Om mani padme hum

External links
Tibetan calligraphy styles of the Mani Mantra (http://inkessential.blogspot.com/2009/07/mani-mantra.html) Dharma Haven: Om Mani Padme Hum (http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/ meaning-of-om-mani-padme-hung.htm) Khandro.net: Mantra (http://www.khandro.net/practice_mantra.htm) Andrew West, An article on Om Mani Padme Hum in different scripts (http://babelstone.blogspot.com/2006/ 11/mani-stones-in-many-scripts.html) Buddha speaks Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra (http://www.fodian.net/world/1050.html) English translation of Karandavyuha Sutra "Om Mani Padme Hum" Songs (http://www.woim.net/search/song/1/om-mani-padme-hum.html) collection 13 version of "Om Mani Padme Hum" songs (on 4 albums Mantra)

Article Sources and Contributors

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