# om mani padme hum oṃ maṇi padme hūm̐ (sanskrit: ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ ipa:) is the six-syllabled sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed shadakshari form of avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva of compassion. it first appeared in the mahayana kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra where it is also referred to as the sadaksara (sanskrit: षडक्षर six syllabled) and the paramahrdaya or "innermost heart" of avalokiteshvara. in this text the mantra is seen as the condensed form of all buddhist teachings the precise meaning and significance of the words remain much discussed by buddhist scholars. the literal meaning in english has been expressed as "praise to the jewel in the lotus" or as a declarative aspiration possibly meaning "i in the jewel-lotus". padma is the sanskrit for the indian lotus (nelumbo nucifera) and mani for "jewel" as in a type of spiritual "jewel" widely referred to in buddhism. the first word aum/om is a sacred syllable in various indian religions and hum represents the spirit of enlightenment in tibetan buddhism this is the most ubiquitous mantra and its recitation is a popular form of religious practice performed by laypersons and monastics alike. it is also an ever-present feature of the landscape commonly carved onto rocks known as mani stones painted into the sides of hills or else it is written on prayer flags and prayer wheels in chinese buddhism the mantra is mainly associated with the bodhisattva guanyin who is the east asian manifestation of avalokiteshvara. the recitation of the mantra remains widely practiced by both monastics and laypeople and it plays a key role as part of the standard liturgy utilized in many of the most common chinese buddhist rituals performed in monasteries. it is common for the chinese hanzi transliteration of the mantra to be painted on walls and entrances in chinese buddhist temples as well as stitched into the fabric of particular ritual adornments used in certain rituals the mantra has also been adapted into chinese taoism # meaning and effects a stele of sulaiman was 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 tibetan uighur 'phags-pa tangut chinese 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 _maṇi padme_ is often interpreted as being in the locative case "wish-fulfilling jewel in the lotus" sanskrit _maṇi_ "wish-fulfilling/priceless gem jewel cintamani" and the locative of _padma_ "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 _oṃ_ syllable and followed by the _hūṃ_ 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 _maṇipadme_ is in fact a noun of address addressing in the vocative case a bodhisattva called _maṇipadma_ "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 "they 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". ey 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. thus the mantra could in fact mean "o they with the jewel in ir lotus" according to alexander studholme however the meaning of manipadme "should be parsed as a tatpurusa or 'determinative' compound in the (masculine or neuter) locative case" meaning "in the jewel-lotus" or "in the lotus made of jewels" which refers to > 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 _maṇipadme_ would have been quite naturally associated with the mode of the rebirth of human beings there. the recitation of oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ 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 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 of ir 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" // republic of bob