Meaning
Mantras may be interpreted by practitioners in many ways, or even as mere sequences of sound whose effects lie beyond strict meaning.
The middle part of the mantra, maṇipadme, is often interpreted as "jewel in the lotus," Sanskrit maṇí "jewel, gem, cintamani" and the locative of padma "lotus", but according to Donald Lopez it is much more likely that maṇipadme is in fact a vocative, not a locative, addressing a bodhisattva called maṇipadma, "Jewel-Lotus"- an alternate epithet of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. It is preceded by the oṃ syllable and followed by the hūṃ syllable, both interjections without linguistic meaning.
Lopez also notes that the majority of Tibetan Buddhist texts have regarded the translation of the mantra as secondary, focusing instead on the correspondence of the six syllables of the mantra to various other groupings of six in the Buddhist tradition. For example, in the Chenrezig Sadhana, Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche expands upon the mantra's meaning, taking its six syllables to represent the purification of the six realms of existence:
| Syllable | Six Pāramitās | Purifies | Samsaric realm | Colours | Symbol of the Deity | (Wish them) To be born in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Om | Generosity | Pride / Ego | Devas | White | Wisdom | Perfect Realm of Potala |
| Ma | Ethics | Jealousy / Lust for entertainment | Asuras | Green | Compassion | Perfect Realm of Potala |
| Ni | Patience | Passion / desire | Humans | Yellow | Body, speech, mind quality and activity |
Dewachen |
| Pad | Diligence | Ignorance / prejudice | Animals | Blue | Equanimity | the presence of Protector (Chenrezig) |
| Me | Renunciation | Poverty / possessiveness | Pretas (hungry ghosts) | Red | Bliss | Perfect Realm of Potala |
| Hum | Wisdom | Aggression / hatred | Naraka | Black | Quality of Compassion | the presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig) |
Read more about this topic: Om Mani Padme Hum
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