, erected at the
Mogao Caves in 1348 to commemorate the donations of Sulaiman, Prince of
Xining. It includes the six-syllable mantra written in six different scripts:
Lantsa [1st row],
Tibetan [2nd row],
Uighur [far left],
'Phags-pa [left],
Tangut [right],
Chinese [far right].
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). 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.
Damien Keown also notes that another theory about the meaning of the mantra is that it actually invokes a female deity named Manipadmi. 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. 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. 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.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 of
Avalokitesvara, a key element of the
tantric initiation ritual required to practice the mantra according to the
Kāraṇḍavyūha ,
Beijing script 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." 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. 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. 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. 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". Its practice is said to lead numerous positive qualities including: • 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]."
In Tibetan Buddhism " carved in
Tibetan script outside the
Potala Palace in
Lhasa , Russia. 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. 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. 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 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. 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:
According to Trijang Rinpoche The tutor to the present Dalai Lama,
Trijang Rinpoche (1901–1981) wrote a commentary on the mantra which states: Regarding mani padme, "Jewel Lotus" or "Lotus Jewel" is one of the names of the noble Avalokitesvara. The reason that he is called by that is that, just as a lotus is not soiled by mud, so the noble Avalokitesvara himself has, through his great wisdom, abandoned the root of samsara, all the stains of the conception of true existence together with its latencies. Therefore, to symbolize that he does not abide in the extreme of mundane existence, he holds a white lotus in his hand...He joins the palms of his two upper hands, making the gesture of holding a jewel to symbolize that, like a wish-granting jewel, he eliminates all the oppression of suffering for all sentient beings and bestows upon them all temporary and ultimate benefit and bliss.
According to the 14th Dalai Lama The
14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso states: :"It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hung, 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 of the middle way 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 hung, which indicates indivisibility[...]" :"Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hung, 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[...]" —
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, "On the meaning of: OM MANI PADME HUNG"
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche s, each with "Om Mani Padme Hum" on a pathway in
Zangskar : "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. 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 then be more meaningful than to say the mantra and accomplish the six perfections?" —
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche,
Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones In East Asian Buddhism transliteration of the mantra (read from left to right), painted on a Chinese Buddhist temple on
Mount Putuo, which is regarded in Chinese Buddhist tradition as the
bodhimaṇḍa of
Guanyin (
Avalokiteśvara). The mantra was first introduced into
Chinese Buddhism during the
Song dynasty (960 - 1279) in 983 CE when the
Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra was first translated into Chinese by the monk Tianxizai
[zh] (
Chinese: 天息災,
pinyin:
Tiānxīzāi,
Sanskrit:
Devasantika). The mantra's popularity further heightened during subsequent Chinese dynasties due to increased interactions between Chinese Buddhists and Tibetan and Mongolians Buddhists. and
Tangut transliterations of the mantra from the
Pearl in the Palm, a 12th-century bilingual glossary between both languages.The mantra remains ubiquitous and widely employed in contemporary Chinese Buddhist liturgies and practices, such as the esoteric
Yujia Yankou rite, where it is recited up to 108 times during a subsection where the ritual space is visualized, as well as being incorporated into the
Āryavalokiteśvarā Bodhisattva Vikurvana Dhāraṇī (
Chinese: 觀音靈感真言,
Pinyin:
Guānyīn Línggǎn Zhēnyán), which is one of the
Ten Small Mantras that are still recited every morning as part of the standard daily liturgy at most modern
Chinese,
Vietnamese as well as
Japanese Ōbaku Zen Buddhist temples. For instance, according to Hsuan Hua:"The first word is “Om”. When you recite “Om” once, all ghosts and spirits must place their palms together because this signifies their intent to maintain the rules and regulations. By conforming to the regulations, they stay on the proper way. Recite this once and all ghosts and spirits do not dare rebel and create confusion; they do not dare disobey orders. This is the first sound in the mantra. “Mani” means “silent wisdom”. Using wisdom one is able to understand all truths, and thus abide in the state of quiescence that is without birth. It is also defined as, “separating from filth”, which means living a morally pure life free of defilement. It can be compared to the “precious as-you-will pearl” which is extremely pure and immaculate. Whatever you wish to excel in can be done if you have the “precious as-you-will pearl”. It can also fulfill your wishes in accord with your thoughts. Every vow you make will be fulfilled. These are its benefits. “Padme” means “light perfectly illuminating”, and is also defined as “the opening of the lotus”. This is the wonderful mind of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. This is “Padme”. Next comes “Hum”, which means to “give rise to”. Anything at all can be created from this character “Hum”. It also means “to protect and support”. Recite this word and all Dharma protectors and good spirits come to support and protect you. It also means “eradicating disasters”. Recite this word and whatever difficulties you encounter will be eradicated. It also means “success”; whatever you cultivate can be accomplished. Recite the Brilliant Mantra of Six Words once, and the immeasurable Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Vajra Dharma protectors support and protect you. Therefore, when Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva finished saying this Brilliant Mantra of Six Words, there were seven million Buddhas who came to support, protect, and surround him. The power and capacity of the Brilliant Mantra of Six Words are inconceivable; “the Path and the response intertwine in an inconceivable way.” Therefore it is called the Secret School. If one were to explain in detail, the meanings would be limitless and boundless. They cannot be completely spoken. So I have just given this simple explanation for everyone." The mantra is also widely used by Taoist practitioners when creating
fulus (Taoist charms that are usually written in a talismanic script). == Transliterations ==