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Om mani padme hum

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Om mani padme hum [1] Oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ

(Sanskrit: ओं मिणपद् मे हू ं, IPA: [õːː məɳ ip ipə  ̪ d ̪ meː ɦ ũː]) 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.

The mantra in Tibetan script

It is commonly carved onto rocks or written on paper which is inserted into prayer wheels, said to increase the mantra's effects.

"om manipadme hūṃ", 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 maṇipadme 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

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Transliteration

English

Tibetan

ༀ མ ཎི པ ེདྨ ྃཧཱུ །

Om Mani Peme Hung or Om Mani Beh Meh Hung or Om mani padme hum (Ladakh)

Devanagari

ओं मिणपद् मे हू  ँ;

IAST: oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ

Bengali

ওঁ মিণপদ্েম   ঁহু 

Malayalam

ഓം മണി പദ് േമ ഹും

Tamil

ஓம் மண பத்ம ஹம்

Chinese

嗡 嘛 呢 叭 咩 吽  

Om Má Ní Bā Me Hōng

Chinese

唵 嘛 呢 叭 咪 吽  

pinyin Ǎn mání bāmī hōng (due to changes over time in pronunciation, this transcription has been adopted in favor of the transliteration found in the Karandavyuha Sutra, 唵 麼 抳 缽 訥 銘 吽  Ǎn mání  bōnàmíng hōng)

Korean Hangul

옴 마니 파드메 훔

Om mani padeume hum

Korean Hangul

옴 마니 반메 훔

Om mani banme hum

Japanese Katakana

オ ー ン

Ōn mani padomē hūn

Japanese Katakana

オ ン

Russian

Ом мани падме хум

Mongolian

Ум маани бадми хум

Vietnamese

Úm ma ni bát ni hồng

Vietnamese

 Án ma ni bát mê hồng

Thai

โอมฺ มณิ ปทฺเม หู มฺ

マ ニ

パ ド メ ー  

フ ー ン  マ ニ

ペ メ

フ ン  

On mani peme hun

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, maṇipadme, is often interpreted as "jewel in the lotus," Sanskrit maṇí  "jewel, gem, cintamani" and the locative of  padma "lotus", but according to Donald Lopez it is much more likely that maṇipadme is in fact a vocative, not a locative, The mantra with the six syllables coloured addressing a bodhisattva called maṇipadma, "Jewel-Lotus"- an alternate epithet of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. [2] It is preceded by the oṃ syllable and followed by the hūṃ 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

3

Purifies

Samsaric realm

Colours

Symbol of the

Pāramitās

(Wish them) To be born in

Deity

Om

Generosity

Pride / Ego

Devas

White

Wisdom

Perfect Realm of Potala

Ma

Ethics

Jealousy / Lust for entertainment

Asuras

Green

Compassion

Perfect Realm of Potala

Ni

Patience

Passion / desire

Humans

Yellow

Body, speech, mind Dewachen quality and activity

Pad

Wisdom

Ignorance / prejudice

Animals

Blue

Equanimity

the presence of Protector (Chenrezig)

Me

Renunciation

Poverty / possessiveness

Pretas (hungry ghosts)

Red

Bliss

Perfect Realm of Potala

Diligence

Aggression / hatred

Naraka

Black

Quality of   Compassion

the presence of the Lotus Throne (of  Chenrezig)

Hum

Karandavyuha Sutra definition

The first known description of the mantra appears in the Karandavyuha Sutra (Chinese: 佛 說 大 乘 莊 嚴 寶 王 經   (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 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

Om mani padme hum

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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 hrīḥ (Sanskrit:  ह् रीः , IPA: [ɦ riːh]), which is iconographically depicted in the central space of the syllabic mandala as seen in the ceiling decoration of the Potala Palace. [9] The hrīḥ 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: Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ (see Buddhismo Ch'an/Zen and Buddhismo Vajrayāna) [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. ISBN 0791453901. [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: 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 • 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)

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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)

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Article Sources and Contributors

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