Pronunciation of the mantra as chanted by a Tibetan: Wave Format and Real Audio Format. (, ) is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. It first appeared in the Mahayana Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra, where it is also referred to as the sadaksara (, six syllabled) and the paramahrdaya, or "innermost heart" of Avalokiteśvara.Studholme (2002), p. 67. In this text, the mantra is seen as the condensed form of all Buddhist teachings.Studholme (2002), p. 72.
The precise meaning and significance of the words remain much discussed by Buddhist scholars. The literal meaning in English has been expressed as "praise to the jewel in the lotus",Grossman, Carrie or as a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning "I in the jewel-lotus".Alexander Studholme, The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra, SUNY, 2002, p. 117 Padma is the Sanskrit for the Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and mani for "jewel", as in a type of spiritual "jewel" widely referred to in Buddhism.Essential Buddhism, A Complete Guide to Beliefs and Practices, p. 126, Jack Maguire, 2013 The first word, aum/om, is a sacred syllable in various Indian religions, and hum represents the spirit of enlightenment.
In Tibetan Buddhism, this is the most ubiquitous mantra and its recitation is a popular form of religious practice, performed by laypersons and monastics alike. It is also an ever-present feature of the landscape, commonly carved onto rocks, known as mani stones, painted into the sides of hills, or else it is written on prayer flags and prayer wheels.Studholme (2002), p. 2.
The mantra is also popularly used in East Asian Buddhist traditions, where it is mainly associated with the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who is the East Asian manifestation of Avalokiteśvara. In Chinese Buddhism, the recitation of the mantra remains widely practiced by both monastics and laypeople, and it plays a key role as part of the standard liturgy utilized in many of the most common Chinese Buddhist rituals performed in monasteries.佛門必備. https://amituofo.com.au/uploads/short-url/sLim3w1qiC7tPBoUR8BHpgBwmU5.pdf It is common for the Chinese hanzi transliteration of the mantra to be painted on walls and entrances in Chinese Buddhist temples, as well as stitched into the fabric of particular ritual adornments used in certain rituals. The mantra is also recited in the standard liturgies of temples belonging to the Vietnamese and Japanese Ōbaku Zen Buddhist traditions as well.
The mantra has also been adapted into Chinese Taoism.Jackowicz, Steve, Om Mani Padme Hum in Daoist Revision, Journal of Daoist Studies, University of Hawai'i Press, Volume 6, 2013 pp. 203-210 10.1353/dao.2013.0009
Meaning and effects
Semantic Mantras may be interpreted by practitioners in many ways, or even as mere sequences of sound whose effects lie beyond strict semantic meaning.
The middle part of the mantra, , is often interpreted as being in the locative case, "wish-fulfilling jewel in the lotus", Sanskrit "wish-fulfilling/priceless gem, jewel, cintamani" and the locative of "lotus". The lotus is a symbol present throughout Indian religion, signifying purity (due to its ability to emerge unstained from the mud) and spiritual fruition (and thus, awakening).Studholme (2002), p. 112. Maṇipadme is preceded by the syllable and followed by the syllable, both interjections without linguistic meaning, but widely known as divine sounds.
However, according to Donald Lopez (citing Tibetan grammatical sources) it is much more likely that is in fact a noun of address, addressing in the vocative case a Bodhisattva called , "jewel-lotus" – an alternative epithet of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.Lopez, 331; the noun of address would have to be feminine
Damien Keown also notes that another theory about the meaning of the mantra is that it actually invokes a female deity named Manipadmi.Keown, Damien (2004), A Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 204. This is due to evidence from texts such as the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra which depict the mantra as a female deity. Also, as noted by Studholme, if the word is read as a noun of address, it is most likely in the feminine grammatical gender, because if masculine, it would be a highly irregular form.Studholme (2002), p. 111. Thus as Lopez notes, the original meaning of the mantra could in fact be an invocation of "she of the lotus jewel", who is the vidya (wisdom) and consort of Avalokiteshvara and is equivalent to Shakti's role vis a vis Shiva.Lopez (1988), p. 132.
Regarding the relationship between the jewel and the lotus, Sten Konow argued that it could either refer to "a lotus that is a jewel" or to "a jewel in the lotus". He argues that the second explanation makes more sense, indicating Shaivite influence through the imagery of the lingam and the yoni, both also terms associated with mani and padma respectively. Thus the mantra could in fact mean "O, she with the jewel in her lotus".
According to Alexander Studholme however, the meaning of manipadme "should be parsed as a tatpurusa, or 'determinative', compound in the (masculine or neuter) locative case", meaning "in the jewel-lotus", or "in the lotus made of jewels", which refers to:Studholme (2002), p. 116.the manner in which buddhas and Bodhisattvas are said to be seated in these marvelous blooms and, in particular, to the manner in which more mundane beings are believed to appear in the pure land of the buddhas. Given the predominance, in the Kāraṇḍavyūha and in the Mahayana in general, of the religious goal of the pure land of Amitabha, it may be safely assumed that would have been quite naturally associated with the mode of the rebirth of human beings there. The recitation of , then, the bringing to mind of the name of the Buddhist isvara, includes a declaration of the manner in which a person is reborn in Sukhavati: "in the jewel lotus."
According to the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra
The first known description of the mantra appears in the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra ("The Basket’s Display", c. 4–5th centuries), which is part of certain Mahayana canons such as Chinese and 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."Khandro.net: Mantras
The sutra promotes the recitation of this mantra as a means to liberation. It states that whoever knows (janati) the mantra will know liberation as a fully enlightened Buddha. It also states that initiation into the mantra by a qualified preceptor (which is said to be a lay dharmabhāṇaka, vidyadhara or mahasiddha) is an important requirement for practicing this mantra. In the sutra, Avalokitesvara says that the mantra should not be given to one who has not seen the mandala.Studholme (2002), p. 143. This initiation is said to be open to all Buddhists regardless of class and gender, whether they be of the Mahayana or Hinayana, but not to tirthikas.Studholme (2002), pp. 69-71.
The Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra also sees the mantra as the pith or condensed expression of all "eighty four thousand Dharmas". Because of this it is called "the grain of rice of the Mahayana", and reciting it is equivalent to reciting numerous sutras.Studholme (2002), p. 73.
Thus, according to Studholme, the significance of the mantra in the Kāraṇḍavyūha is mainly that it is the "innermost heart" of Avalokitesvara, and therefore is "a means both of entering into the presence of Avalokitesvara and of appropriating some of the Bodhisattva's power".Studholme (2002), p. 106. Its practice is said to lead numerous positive qualities including:Studholme (2002), pp. 106-108.
The seeing (darsana) the Bodhisattva's "thousand-fold" form, Rebirth into the myriad worlds contained in the pores of the Bodhisattva's body Innumerable samadhis (meditative absorptions), including the samadhi of "rejoicing in loving kindness and compassion" (maitri-karuna-mudito). The development of "great compassion" (maha karuna) Accumulation of immeasurable merit Accomplishment of the six perfections Awakening (bodhi)
In this sutra, the sadaksari mahavidya (six syllabled great vidya) also appears as a goddess, "autumn yellow" in color, with four arms, with two arms holding a lotus and prayer beads, and the other two in anjali mudra. According to Studholme, these features are similar to the way the mantra Om nama shivaya is depicted in Shaiva texts, since "both are concise vidyas, the hrdayas [heart] of their respective isvaras, sui generis means of attaining liberation, universally available, though of rare value and somewhat secret. Both are also, it has been argued, conceived of as forms of pranava [divine sound]."Studholme (2002), pp. 74-75.
In Tibetan Buddhism
The 11th-century Bengali master Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna, who was influential in bringing Buddhism to Tibet, also wrote a short treatise on the mantra called the Arya-sad-aksari-sadhana.Skilling, Peter, An Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ. Inscription from South-East Asia, Aséanie, Sciences humaines en Asie du Sud-Est, Année 2003 11 pp. 13-20. Some Buddhist scholars argue that the mantra as practiced in Tibetan Buddhism was based on the Sadhanamala, a collection of sadhana or spiritual practices published in the 12th century. However, according to Peter Alan Roberts, "the primary source for Tibetan Avalokitesvara practices and teachings" is the 11th-century Maṇi Kambum.Roberts, Peter Alan, Translating Translation: An Encounter with the Ninth-Century Tibetan Version of the Karandavyuha-sutra. JOCBS. 2012 (2): 224-242
Donald Lopez writes that according to a 17th-century work by the prime minister of the fifth Dalai Lama, the meaning of the mantra is said to be "O, you who have the jewel and the lotus." That manipadme is a noun of address is also supported by a 9th-century Tibetan grammatical treatise.Lopez (1988), p. 131.
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.Lopez, 130
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:Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche, Chenrezig sadhana
Syllable Six Pāramitās Purifies Samsaric realm Colors Symbol of the Deity (Wish them) To be born in 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, mindquality and activity Dewachen Pad Diligence Ignorance / prejudice Animals Blue Equanimity the presence of Protector (Chenrezig) Me Renunciation Greed / possessiveness Pretas (hungry ghosts) Red Bliss Perfect Realm of Potala Hum Wisdom Aggression / hatred Naraka Black Quality of Compassion the presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig)
According to Trijang Rinpoche