Om Mani Padme Hum
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The Mantr(a) Of Compassion
May 19, 2024: The Times of India
The Buddha's teachings are summed up by this six-syllable mantra, roughly translated as ‘The Jewel is in the Lotus’. It is chanted repeatedly to connect with and summon unconditional characteristics of compassion. It is used in Tibetan Buddhism to invoke Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion.
The number six has a symbolic spiritual meaning that connotes finding balance between the spirit, which represents the spiritual world, and the mind, which represents the material world. Though it is connected to both negative and positive meanings in certain traditions, it is all about spiritual development and growth.
In some thought schools, it represents Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and creativity, and is thought to have strong feminine energy. Additionally, it stands for tenacity, resolve, and a deeper understanding of self-expression. Generally, mantras in Hinduism begin with AUM, in Buddhism too several mantras begin with it. AUM is symbolic of the Shabda Brahmn, pranava, primordial sound of creation, the essence of the purest form of consciousness, and a meditation aid. It is a symbol of the ultimate truth as well as sound. It suggests the three trigunas, rajas, tamas, and sattva; the three levels of awareness, jagrit, swapna, and shushupti, and the three stages of cosmic creation.
In Buddhism, AUM represents the impure body, speech, and mind as well as the Buddha's exalted pure body, speech, and mind. Buddhism says nobody is perfect. The journey to perfection is a gradual process that involves leaving im- pure states and attaining purity. The subsequent four syllables demonstrate that. Mani in Buddhism stands for the three golden virtues: love, compassion, and the selfless desire to achieve enlightenment. Ni is said to dissolve one's ties to desire and passion, whereas Ma is thought to dissolve one's connection with transient pleasures. This practice of non-attachment is a gem that symbolises the enlightened mind’s benevolent nature, which can purify the mind and grant the wishes of sentient beings.
The third word, two-syllable padme, literally means ‘lotus,’ a representation of enlightenment.
Hinduism also uses this symbolic connection. According to Sri Aurobindo, wisdom blossoms when a lotus flower blooms. The words ‘pad’ and ‘me’ symbolise letting go of all attachments to prejudices, possessiveness, and preconceived conceptions. In Patanjali's yog, it is analogous to aparigraha. When this occurs, the wisdom gained by understanding of emptiness blooms.
Hum, the fourth word in the mantra, states that all negative traits exist in the samsara. The complete mantra asserts that the lotus' blossoming, representing wisdom, resides within. But our intense passions dirt and mud have buried it.
This hum is the final, low, constant sound of the pranava, AUM which is produced by pursing of lips. When the lips are pursed, neither internal air escapes nor the uttering of distinguishable sounds occurs. The universe emits a clear, unbroken hum which shows that creation and expansion are not only ongoing but also eternal. Additionally, it implies that unity and dissolution coexist. It alludes to awareness that contains the totality of wisdom as well as the means by which it can be achieved.
Finally, one can elevate their impure body, speech, and mind into a Buddha's elevated, pure body, speech, and mind by repeating this mantra. The mantra asserts that one must look within to achieve Buddhahood. ■