OM MAṆI PADME HŪM

This Sanskrit phrase is an exclamation often uttered by Mahāyāna Buddhist devotees of Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. In some ways, it could be said to be equivalent to the Christian ‘Maranatha!’ or ‘Hallelujah!’ or the Hindu ‘Om shanti!’ The phrase first appears in the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, dating from between the 4th and 7th centuries CE, but it was probably being used several hundred years before that. The first and last of the six syllables, om and hūm, are vibratory sounds (praṇava) which have no meaning as such but function as an introduction and a conclusion. The four other syllables, ma ṇi pad me, mean ‘Jewel Lotus,’ an alternative name for Avalokiteśvara, compassion being the most precious and gemlike constituent of the bodhisattva’s pure, lotuslike mind. Uttering Om Maṇi Padme Hūm is believed to evoke Avalokiteśvara’s help but it can also be an expression of devotion, of praise and, when chanted for prolonged periods, even a meditation.