The Meaning of OM MANI PADME HUNG
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Dear friends,
I came across this beautiful video of HH the Dalai Lama giving a short teaching on the meaning of Chenrezig’s (aka Kuan Yin or Avaloketishvara) mantra, OM MANI PADME HUNG, to a teenager in one of His Holiness’ talks. I thought I’d share it here for all of my students and friends…
It is important to know the meaning of mantras and the purpose of reciting them. Most of us do mantras every day as part of our daily prayers… so it’ll be very useful to understand the video in order to gain the maximum benefit while reciting mantras.
Do watch this short 5 minute video and let me know what you have understood.
Tsem Rinpoche
The meaning of Om Mani Padme Hung by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/om-mani-padme-hung-dalai-lama.mp4
Transcript:
I have always been speaking the prayer OM MANI PADME HUNG, but without actually knowing what it means. I have been asking this question to many of my elders but I fail to get the answer. So what does it mean?
Prayer and also recitation of mantra, just simply repeat the sound? Not much happen.
Particularly OM MANI PADME HUNG, that’s one Buddhist mantra. The sound, the whole Buddhist system is utilize human intelligence the maximum way, through that way, transform our emotion. That’s Buddhist way of thought.
The other tradition, most of these Church tradition many through faith, through prayer, to God, to creator. It is also, immense powerful, wonderful thing. All religious tradition carry same message or same practice. The practice of love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, self discipline… same.
Then, most of the church religions, prayer is most important part. Buddhist, Buddha’s student, you are your own master, your future entirely depend on yourself.
So, in Buddhism, Buddha taught study is very very important, knowledge is very important, in order to utilize human intelligence fully. We have to know, how to use and in order to utilize, you must know the mental function, mental system, these things as I have mentioned before.
So, you pay more attention, study what’s Buddhist system, then with understanding about the whole system, transformation of our mind, with that clear, full knowledge, that ultimate end and sincere motivation, then recitation of this mantra is very useful. Clear?
OM MANI PADME HUNG, of course I don’t know if it’s relevant to explain here or not, I don’t know. But you see the six syllabus OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG.
So OM that some mantra is common in Buddhism and also many different religion, Hinduism… ‘OM’. But here, Buddhist explain OM there are three letters A, U, M, that represents our body, mind and speech. So there are two levels, body, speech, mind impure 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 represent A, U, M. OM represent impure level, impure part and pure part.
Now how to transform impure part into pure? Three impure transform into pure three, then MANI and PADME. MANI means jewel, here jewel meaning altruism, infinite altruism. Then PADME, PADME means wisdom. Altruism and wisdom combine that’s represent HUNG. HUNG carry meaning of combination, altruism and wisdom combine. Through that way, that’s the proper way, method to purify three impure, in order to become pure three body, speech and mind. Clear?
More videos on the topic of Mantras:
1. “MANTRAS – Holy Words of Power” by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2hFuMhh658
2. Mantra can change Me 心咒可以改变我（附中文口译）– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vTLrc-Yirg
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Om mani padme hum is an ancient Buddhist mantra. While it is one of the most commonly chanted mantras in general. Generally, each syllable represents one of the six goals of Buddhist existence and helps heal or purify and bring forth the positive qualities associated with that goal. Chanting in general soothes the senses and sends energy to the parts of our body. Calming sounds are known to help heal the body and mind. Chanting OM MANI PADME HUM , is the essence of all Dharma that’s the purest Dharma.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing with us the video of which HH Dalai Lama explained it all.
Wonderful teachings of the meaning of OM MANI PADME HUNG. The Om Mani Padme Hung mantra is at the heart of many Buddhist traditions. When one recite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung to oneself, it invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. It will then transform our impure body, speech, and mind.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
In order to recite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung meaningfully , the Dalai Lama says we should study the Dharma and gain full knowledge.All of Buddha’s teachings, the Dharma, have been compiled as the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment or the Lamrim. Studying Rinpoche’s blog and youtube teachings would give us all the Dharma that we find in the Lamrim.
The Dalai Lama says that once we have studied and gained full knowledge of the Dharma, we should practice it via transforming our minds. With full knowledge and a pure motivation, the recitation of this mantra becomes very meaningful. In essence the mantra means that we transform our impure state of body, speech and mind to a pure “ever pleasant” state through altruism and wisdom. The pure state would be the state of full enlightenment.Altruism and Wisdom are the two lineages of the Lamrim – Altruism is the method or Extensive Lineage and Wisdom is the Profound Lineage. Hence the Mantra is the entire Dharma (of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment)with its two Lineages- the whole path to Enlightenment!
When we recite the mantra, we are , in a nutshell, tracing the whole path of practice of the Dharma, all the way to Enlightenment!
Thx Rinpoche and H.H Dalai Lama for sharing. I did know this mantra more than 25 years but thus us the first time I truly understand the meaning of the mantra. Most of people know this is Kuan Yin mantra. Purify body ,speech and mind (transformation from impure to pure) is the meaning of this mantra.how to do it?in my opinion, is following Buddha teachings.Wisdom and compassion are the most important thing to apply on mind transformation.
Also this great mantra of Avalokiteshvara is known to be able to close the doors for a rebirth in the six realms of samsara. When we purify our body, speech and minds, we create the pure body speech and mind to appear which is the buddha’s body speech and mind.
When we recite mantra, we need to back it up with understanding and knowledge. With more knowledge then our when we recite the mantra it is powerful and can give us the effects we long for.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this very good video of the H.E. The Dalai Lama. I love this explanation. So clear.
Andre
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.The explanation given by the H.H.Dalai Lama was informative on the mantra OM MANI PADME HUNG.
In being mindful and with the correct motivation ,when we are reciting it would bring better results.
Thanks for Rinpoche sharing. I feel the explanation are so wonderful.
We should understand what we recite everyday. That made sense what we practice. Our minds not like a machine and how fast we can recite the mantra how many mantra we recite daily doesn’t bring much benefits to us if our mind doesn’t made it clear what we recite. Understanding what we do are importance.
Thanks.
As said, reciting the mantra of Avalokitesvara or Kuan Yin Pusa as known to the Chinese, is said to fulfil the six perfections and to protect the reciter against misfortune. A typical Tibetan exegesis relates each of the six syllables to the six realms of conditioned existence. Avalokitesvara,or Kuan Yin Pusa, whose name means “one who sees and hears the cries from the human World” appears in each realm offering what the inhabitants need in order to awaken from that state. It is said each of the letters in Tibet, is coloured to match the colour of Avalokitesvara’s manifestation in that realm. The mantra then is seen as activating that quality in the universe which liberates beings in whatever realm they are in. It is said that she cares for the souls in the underworld, and is invoked to free the souls of the deceased from the torments of purgatory as a mother of compassion with motherly loving kindnesses!!! Om mani padme hung.
Thank you, Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful teaching by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Om Mani Padme Hung. All this time I wouldn’t have known the true benefit and meaning of such a wonderful short mantra. Thank you for telling me that.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the video by H.H Dalai Lama on the explanation of Om Mani Padme Hung. Like what H.H Dalai Lama has shared, by having the knowledge and understanding, together with sincere motivation helps to maximize the potential of mantra recitation. At least for me by understanding the meaning behind the mantra, it helps with visualization – purify my body speech and mind through mantra recitation. Thank you Rinpoche, may Rinpoche stays healthy and continue to turn the Dharma wheel and continue benefit all of sentient beings.
Oh so thats what OM MANI PADME HUNG means! I never knew that, but it is very nice to know be able to know that. The Dalai Lama gave a good teaching and talk about this topic, and i would like to thank Rinpoche for sharing this very interesting information with us.
感谢Rinpoche 的分享，这让我更了解与明白 Om Mani Pad Me Hung 的诠释。。。
我会将此所知道的传达给身边的人，这样当我们持念的时候会更有信心与精进。。。
His Holiness the Dalai Lama states that the main method in Buddhism is to transform the mind through knowledge and motivation. So we all need to read all the blogs and videos in Rinpoche’s blog as it is a repository of the entire Buddha Dharma, attend Dharma class for better understanding and contemplate on the meanings of the Dharma. Then through that understanding and practice, chant the mantras and really actualizing the meaning of the mantra. In the case of “Om Mani Padme Hum; it is to transform the body, speech and mind from the impure state to the pure state through altruism and wisdom.
How wonderful. I aspire to actualize the mantra!
WIth Folded Hands!
“So, you pay more attention, study what’s Buddhist system, then with understanding about the whole system, transformation of our mind, with that clear, full knowledge, that ultimate end and sincere motivation, then recitation of this mantra is very useful. Clear?”
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this teaching with us. The meaning of Om Mani Padme Hung is for us to develop deep compassion is a reminder for us not to inflicted any harm to all mother sentient being even down to our enemies .
Knowledge is very important, we must study Buddha’s teachings practise compassion, love, tolerance, forgiveness and self discipline. We have to transform our mind and recite the mantras with sincere motivation then it is very useful, if not it is just merely the repetition of sound, not much happen. Thank you for sharing the meaning of the mantra by H H Dalai Lama in this video.
Thanks Pastor for your further advice to emphasize on studying the Buddha’s teachings.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this short but important video teaching by The Dalai Lama.
My understanding from the video is that OM MANI PADME HUNG is mantra that gives aspiration to transform our body, speech and mind from our delusion state to a pure state through the compassion and wisdom of Buddha.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing on H.H. Dalai Lama’s explanation of mantra Om Mani Padme Hung. By knowing the meaning of this mantra, we can visualize our body, speech and mind to be purified with altruism or selflessness quality and wisdom from Buddha’s teaching during the recitation of this mantra. I am truly fortunate and feel blessed to have listened to H.H. Dalai Lama’s explanation on this video. May Rinpoche stay healthy and long life. Om Mani Padme Hung.