Om mani padme hum
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"Om mani padme hum" (Sanskrit ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ; see other transliterations below) is probably the most famous mantra in Buddhism and Hinduism, the six syllabled mantra of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit. Chenrezig in Tibetan). The mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara. The Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, so the mantra is especially revered by his devotees.
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[edit] Pronunciation
Here is the sound of the mantra as chanted by a Tibetan refugee: Wave Format and Real Audio Format.
[edit] English transliteration
In English the mantra is variously transliterated, depending on the schools of Buddhism as well as individual teachers.
Possible transliterations include:
- Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ (IAST transliteration)
- Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hung and variations
- Om Ma Ni Pe Me Hung or Hum (Tibetan pronunciation reflects the fact that in the Tibetan language the syllable "pad" པད་ is pronounced pe)
- 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 Ǎn Má Ní Bā Mī Hōng (Chinese "transliteration" uses characters to represent sounds)
- Om Mani Banme Hum (Korean version)
- On Mani Hatsu Mei Un (Japanese version)
[edit] Meaning
Mantras may be interpreted by practitioners in many ways, or even as mere sequences of sound whose effects lie beyond strict meaning. Although this mantra is often translated as "Hail, the jewel in the lotus," a remarkable error whose history has been traced by Donald Lopez (see below), it is impossible to construe the Sanskrit in this way, and much more likely that Maṇipadme is originally a vocative addressing a bodhisattva, so that the mantra would literally translate "Om O Jewel Lotus One Hum."
A practitioner might expand upon the mantra's meaning, for instance taking its six syllables to represent the purification of the six realms of existence:
| Syllable | Purifies | Samsaric realm |
|---|---|---|
| Om | Bliss / pride | Devas |
| Ma | Jealousy / lust for entertainment | Asuras |
| Ni | Passion / desire | Humans |
| Pe | Stupidity / prejudice | Animals |
| Me | Poverty / possessiveness | Pretas (hungry ghosts) |
| Hung | Aggression / hatred | Naraka |
[edit] 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." 1
[edit] 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[...]"
[edit] Gen Rinpoche's definition
- The mantra Om Mani Pädme 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. Päd, 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?
[edit] Donald Lopez's definition
Donald S. Lopez, Jr. provides a thorough discussion of the history of the mantra's reception in the West and its often fanciful interpretations and (mis)translations, in his book Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West (ISBN 0-226-49311-3).
[edit] Karma Thubten Trinley's definition
Karma Thubten Trinley says, "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, PAD prevents rebirth in the Animal realm, MI prevents rebirth in the Hungry ghost realm, and HUM prevents rebirth in the Hell realm."
