Om Mani Padme Hung

Mani mantra a4

It is said that those who repeat this mantra will be led to liberation. In the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, the historical Buddha himself refers to om mani padme hum as ‘the most beneficial mantra.’ By repeating it, and by deeply understanding its meaning, we purify our ordinary bodies and each of our mental afflictions. We realize the six perfections and manifest the perfect union of compassion and wisdom.

The mantra meditation reminds us that we each carry the seeds of Buddhahood within. When we commit to the path and ask for the blessings of compassion, these seeds flower, revealing the jewel in the lotus. To practice om mani padme hum meditation, we engage body, speech and mind by using a mala to count our recitations, repeating the mantra 7, 21 or 108 times. At the same time, we can visualize Avalokiteshvara blessing us with compassion and understanding by sending us warmth, love and light. As our practice matures, our identification with the bodhisattva of compassion purifies our hearts so we too can send out rays of light, love and benefit to all sentient beings.