![]() ![]() The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Avalokiteshvara)Īvalokiteshvara’s name means "The Lord Who Looks Down (in compassion)."Īvalokiteshvara forms a protective trinity along with Manjushri and Vajrapani. O is pronounced like o in ore a is pronounced as u in cut e is pronounced as a in made ū is like oo in cool m in hum is pronounced ng Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. Use Left/Right Arrow keys to advance one second, Up/Down arrows to advance ten seconds. We’ve created a YouTube video of images of Avalokitesvara, accompanied by the mantra: Tibetans find Sanskrit hard to pronounce (so do westerners, actually, but in different ways) and so Tibetans pronounce "Padme" as "peh-may". The illustration above shows the mantra’s six syllables, which from left to right are: Om Ma Ni Pa Dme Hum. This mantra is very widely chanted in Tibet, and not only chanted but carved onto stones, printed onto flags, and embossed onto prayer wheels. I swear I remember hearing it chanted on an episode of the BBC Sci-fi series, Dr Who, when I was a young kid back in the 1960s, and even before that, in the 1940’s it featured on an American radio show called the Green Lama. ![]() This is probably the best known Buddhist mantra. The mantra would them mean “Om, O Jewel Lotus One, Hum” - the “Jewel Lotus One” being Avalokiteshvara.Īnd the Dalai Lama points out that just as a jewel can relieve poverty, so the compassionate mind takes away the poverty of unhappiness that exists in the world and replaces it with the wealth of wellbeing. If the mantra was originally in a non-Sanskrit language with different grammatical rules, however, and the vocative -e ending was applicable in that language to a masculine figure, then Manipadma could be Avalokiteshvara himself. If this is the case, assuming that the mantra is in classical Sanskrit, then Manipadma would have to be a feminine figure, but it’s unknown which figure that would be! Some have suggested that it might be an invisible consort of Avalokiteshvara. The central element, manipadme, seems properly to be a name, Manipadma (“The Jewel Lotus One”) with the -e ending signifying the vocative case, meaning that Manipadma - is being invoked (“O Jewel Lotus One”). The mantra is often “translated” as “Hail to the jewel in the lotus” but the Sanskrit simply can’t mean that. Just as the lotus can exist in muddy water without being soiled, so wisdom can exist in an impure world without becoming contaminated. Overall, the mantra is suggestive of the bringing together of the qualities of wisdom (the lotus) and compassion (the jewel). Mani means jewel, while Padme means lotus. Om, as I’ve explained before, has only a mystical meaning - suggesting primordial reality. And in the far east, Avalokiteshvara turned into the female Bodhisattva, Kuan Yin. There is also a 1000-armed form - the many arms symbolizing compassion in action. There are various forms of Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig in Tibetan). Avalokiteshvara means "The Lord Who Looks Down (in compassion)". Avalokiteshvara (or Avalokitesvara) is a Bodhisattva who represents compassion, and his mantra also symbolizes that quality. Mani stone, carved with Om Mani Padme Hum. Even Jayarava, who’s pretty hot on the Sanskrit these days, couldn’t make much of it. The “translation” towards the end involves a lot of guesswork. Pracale Pracale, (moving, trembling, shaking) Tadyatha (thus): Om Dhāra Dhāra, (bearing) Maha Karunikāya, (to the greatly compassionate one) Nama Aryā Avalokiteshvarāya (homage to noble Avalokitesvara) Samyak SambuddhebhyaH, (to the fully and perfectly awakened ones) Nama Sarva TathagatebhyaH (homage to all tathagatas) ![]() ![]() Samyak sambuddhāya, (to the perfectly awakened one) Namah Aryā Jñāna Sāgara, (homage to the ocean of noble wisdom) Namo Ratna Trayāya, (homage to the triple gem) The version I have, which is an attempt to correct a corrupted Tibetan version is: Yes, this is the mantra of the 1000-armed Avalokiteshvara. Arranger: Haun Tung Sunperformer: Ya Ging Ging and Song Huei Liouvocals: Shen Horng ![]()
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