OM MANI PADME HUM

WHAT

This special yogic chant is Sanskrit, and it’s pronounced OHM-MAH-NEE-PAHD-MAY-HUM. It’s composed of four words, and those four melodic words are all the words on many of those colorful Tibetan prayer flags.

Om mani padme hum is an ancient Buddhist mantra. In English, this rhythmic chant literally translates to “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.”

There are a lot of different meanings and different opinions on what each syllable means.

WHO 

Tibetan culture tells us that to deeply know this phrase — to bring it into the very depths of one’s being — is to attain enlightenment.

According to a lecture given by the Dalai Lama, while it’s a good idea to recite this mantra over and over again, one must simultaneously meditate upon the meaning of each syllable.

WHERE 

It is said that the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum originated from one of the Mahayana Sutra, i.e. the Karandavyuha Sutra, which includes the Avalokitesvara's manifestations and works.

WHY

Chanting in general soothes the senses and sends energy to the parts of your body (or the chakra centers) that most need it.

Calming sounds are known to help heal the body and mind. Plus, with all the divisions in the world, chanting allows all voices to come together to show unity and oneness not just of the self, but of the community and world.

There are many reasons why yogis choose to chant this powerful mantra, but here are a few main benefits:

• It clears the mind, allowing you to detach from the ego

• The words help release karmas that may be holding you back

• These words can send out a message about the kind of life you wish to manifest

• It empties the body of everything but an awareness of the inside

HOW

First, the nature of a mantra and what it means:

In the Buddhist tradition, special words are repeated over and over again until they begin to gather a certain “emptiness”. This is not “emptiness” in the traditional sense where we imagine an experience of nothing…rather it’s experiencing ourselves in the moment without the usual attachment of ego. We become free or ’empty’ of everything but inner awareness. That form of enlightened awareness gives us the intuitive knowledge to save ourselves from suffering.

The one phrase that is said to sum it all up is this: “The jewel is in the lotus,” or “Praise to the jewel in the lotus.”

This is to say that within all of us is the lotus flower, it’s just covered up by a lot of mud and muck.

Reciting this mantra over and over again, with the right intention, is believed to get rid of the mud and muck until we are as sparkling, pure, compassionate and wise as the lotus flower itself.

Interestingly, each of the 6 syllables has certain Sanskrit meanings that are important. These oppose certain internal forces that cause suffering.

• Om (ohm)- Om is the sound or “vibration” of the universe. This sound is the most important of all; but in the context of chanting and mantras, it is meant to destroy attachments to ego and establish generosity.

Buddhist explain, OM there are three letters A, U, M, that represents our body, mind and speech. So there are three levels, body, speech, and impure mind level, that creates, that’s the basis of self. So therefore the experiencer’s pains and pleasure, the body, mind, mainly the body, mind… transform into pure, pleasant, ever pleasant body and mind. 

See, the body, mind and then automatically speech also. So that represents A, U, M. OM represent impure level, impure part and pure part.

• Ma (mah)- Removes the attachment to jealousy and establishes ethics.

• Ni (nee)- Removes the attachment to desire and establishes patience.

• Pad (pahd)- Removes the attachment to prejudice and establishes perseverance.

• Me (meh)- Removes the attachment to possessiveness and establishes concentration.

• Hum (hum)- Removes the attachment to hatred and establishes wisdom.

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.

        --Dalai Lama

In other words, we have to practice with the appropriate intention and understanding of the mantra.

Intention is everything.

Om Mani Padme Hum Prayer Flag

A prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. Currently, different styles of prayer flags can be seen all across the Tibetan region.

Prayer Flag Colors

Traditionally, prayer flags come in sets of five colors. The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order, blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The five colors represent the five elements and the five pure lights.

Five Elements Associated with Prayer Flag

Different elements are associated with different colors in the prayer Flag. They are,

• Blue: Sky (OM) 

• White: Air (MA)

• Red: Fire (NI)

• Green: Water (PADME)

• Yellow: Earth (HUM)

Belief

Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all-pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.

As wind passes over the surface of the flags, which are sensitive to the slightest movement of the wind, the air is purified and sanctified by the mantras. Old prayer flags are replaced with new ones annually on the Tibetan New Year.

Prayer Wheel

Spinning the written form of the mantra around in a Mani wheel (or prayer wheel) is also believed to give the same benefit as saying the mantra, and Mani wheels, small hand wheels and large wheels with millions of copies of the mantra inside, are found everywhere in the lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.