“Om Mani Pad Me Hum”—the Magical Mantra of Tibetan Buddhism
(PRWEB) May 29, 2014 -- The most cited line of prayers that you will hear everywhere in Tibet is “Om mani padme hum”, the six-syllabled mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion, one of the most prominent deities in Tibetan Buddhism.
The six-syllabled mantra has a wide variety of interpretations by different practitioners in their own traditions. The directly translated meaning of “Om mani padme hum” is like, Om is the beginning word for most of the Sankrit mantras, Mani means the jewel and Padme meaning lotus. But collectively the mantra forms a very important of part of Tibetan Buddhists’ everyday spiritual life.
A very classical interpretation of the mantra is by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the great exponents of the Tibetan Buddhism in 20th century who said, “The mantra Om Mani Päme Hum is easy to say yet quite powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching”. He furthered elaborated, “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.”
It is common to see the six-syllabled mantra painted or inscribed on the rocks and stones in many parts of Tibet to make Mani Stone. To represent the hidden meaning behind each syllable, they are designated with different colors, i.e. Om in white, Ma in green, Ni in yellow, Pad in blue, Me in red and Hum in black.
Commonly known as “Mani” to the Tibetans, the significance of this magical six-syllabled mantra can be learnt from the fact that an average Tibetan elder says the mantra at least few thousand times a day, each mantra is counted with the help of the rosary, which they carry along wherever they go.
Tibetans keep on saying the mantra almost everywhere, while doing their circumambulations around the Barkhor, temples or any other religious sites, when listening to the religious preaching from a Lama, while having tea at some teashops, and even when doing their daily household chores. Many devout Tibetans actually wakes up in the morning by saying the mantra and again keep on saying it after going to bed until they fall asleep.
Thus Tibetans believe that everyone of them are blessed by the Bodhisattva of compassion from the time of their birth that they will naturally know to say “Om mani padme hum” as a child without anyone teaching them to say it.
On the other hand, most of the Tibetans have a natural tendency to say the six-syllabled mantra whenever they witness some sympathetic scenes like someone facing a great misfortune, or upon hearing some bad news, like about someone passed away, or when saying the name of a deceased person.
The mantra is recommended by many of the great Lamas as a powerful remedy to control negation emotions like anger and hatred when you are faced with unpleasant situations in life. The magical mantra is proved have a magical impact of keeping the person who says it warmhearted and calm-minded, which is the fundamental source of healthy mind in a healthy body.
The mantra has also gained a placed in Tibetan pop culture with several Tibetans artists made poetry and songs out of it.
“Om mani padme hum” is thus the very essence of Buddhism and culture in everyday life of Tibetans. And of course it is the first thing you ought to learn if you are interested in Tibetan culture or Buddhism.
Sonam Jamphel, Explore Tibet Travel Agency, http://www.exploretibet.com, +86 15889090408, [email protected]
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