Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of the great compassion one Avalokiteshvara, the lord who enlightens through sound. There are many meanings on many levels to Om mani padme hum. There are inner, outer, and secret meaning as well as many esoteric applications but loosely translated in direct relation to Avalokiteshvara is, the one who rises from the primordial ground of luminous wisdom with the jewel and the lotus. This jewel is no ordinary jewel but a wish-fulfilling jewel that can bestow the most precious of wishes, enlightenment. It also represents clarity, luminosity, and indestructibility, which are some of the qualities of the enlightened mind. This lotus is no ordinary lotus either but the birthplace of all the Buddhas. The lotus represents the lotus family of Buddhas, purity, transformation, transference and transcendence. Om represents the accomplishment of transcendence and Hum represents the ground primordial luminosity of enlightened awareness.
Om Mani Padme Hum is also known as the six-syllable mantra of great illumination. Though mani means jewel and padme means lotus all together there are six syllables and its recitation purifies all of the six realms of samsara's cyclic existence. The four main parts of the mantra are named after four celestial energy spheres from which the divine energies descend from when reciting the mantra.
The seed syllables of the mantra that purify the six realms of samsara are:
Om purifies the god realms internally and prevents taking rebirth there externally.
Ma purifies the demi-god realms internally and prevents taking rebirth there externally.
Ni purifies the human realms internally and prevents taking rebirth there externally.
Pa purifies the animal realms internally and prevents taking rebirth there externally.
Mi purifies the hungry ghost realms internally and prevents rebirth there externally.
Hum purifies the hell realms internally and prevents taking rebirth there externally.
The external locations of the six realms of samsara are:
The god realm exists in the upper strata of the heavens.
The demi-god realm exists in the lower strata of the sky.
The human realm exists on the upper dwellings of the earth.
The animal realm exists in the lower dwellings of the earth.
The hungry ghost realm exists inside the earth.
The hell realm exists in the depths of the earth.
The internal locations of the six realms of samsara are:
The god realm exists in the crown of our head.
The demi-god realm exists in our throat center.
The human real exists in our heart center.
The animal realm exists in our navel center.
The hungry ghost realm exists in our secret center.
The hell realms exists in the spring well of our feet.
The characteristics of the six realms of samsara are:
The god realms suffer from arrogance.
The demi-god realms suffer from jealousy.
The human realms suffer from attachment.
The animal realms suffer from ignorance.
The hungry ghost realms suffer from greed.
The hell realms suffer from hatred.
The pre-existing seed syllables and the colors of the six realms of samsara are:
The crowns seed syllable is Ah and its color is pale white.
The throat seed syllable is Su and its color is pale yellow.
The heart seed syllable is Nri and its color is pale blue.
The navel seed syllable is Tri and its color is pale green.
The secret seed syllable is Pre and its color is pale red.
The foot seed syllable is Du and its color is sooty black.
Some examples of the six realms of samsara in our human realms are:
The politicians live in the god realms.
The pop stars live in the demi-god realms.
The middle class lives in the human realms.
The uneducated or mentally challenged live in the animal realms.
The impoverished live in the hungry ghost realms.
The war victims and those suffering from urban plight live in the hell realms.
The nature of samsara is suffering
All of these realms commingle and interact with the other realms of samsara's suffering individually and simultaneously. Though sentient beings may suffer from one major characteristic they also contain all of the characteristics of the other realms. An animal such as a lion might suffer from pride. A human like a president might suffer from ignorance. A god might suffer from hatred and a hungry ghost might suffer from jealousy. The wheel of samsara turns round and round and any form of mundane happiness that we acquire in samsara like health and wealth is only as fleeting as our uncertain lifespan, or a dew drop in the desert wind. The only thing we will take with us at the time of death is our good and bad karma, merit and spiritual wealth. Everything else will stay behind and dissolve back into the earth and samsara's wheel of continual suffering.
The benefits of reciting Om Mani Padme Hum
By developing the power of the six-syllable mantra suffering on every conceivable level can be treated and even cured. Physical diseases can be treated and cured. Mental diseases can be treated and cured. Spiritual diseases can be treated and cured and complete liberation from the wheel of samsara can be obtained. It is said that in this degenerate stage of human evolution that even seeing a picture of a Buddha or hearing its name is a blessing. To actually come in contact with a qualified teacher, teachings and to practice with results are very rare indeed. If this is your first time coming into contact with this mantra of inconceivable wisdom then you too can recite Om Mani Padme Hum and begin a complete healing process from our mental and physical aggregates into the sublime blessings of your own wisdom mind. If you are familiar with the Mani then maybe there are some new applications here that might benefit your practice.
How to access the power of Om Mani Padme Hum
To hear this mantra or recite it even once is to receive a blessing but to continually recite it throughout one's life and realize its power is to reach complete liberation from samsara's wheel of suffering. Just by reciting Om Mani Padme Hum healing energy begin to generate in your being. A certain amount of stability and power is developed when you recite it one hundred thousand and one million times. Better yet is to receive tantric initiation into the mantra which will immediately connect you with its power. Either way the time to begin reciting Om Mani Padme Hum and access its power is right now.
The physical benefit of reciting Om Mani Padme Hum
Reciting the six-syllable mantra of great illumination will have immediate physical benefits. When you concentrate on the injured or diseased area of concern and recite Om Mani Padme Hum healing energy from other areas of your body, the environment and celestial energy fields will gather there and the healing process will begin. To increase the healing process just increases the amount and intensity of the recitation. Flood the area with the divine white light of the mantra's vibration and disperse the black sooty diseased energy into the absolute sphere of equanimity. For general health, purification and harmonization you can recite the mantra internally or externally and allow its vibration to circulate throughout your whole body without concentrating on any one area. Just follow the vibration and light with your mind's eye and allow it to flow freely throughout your energy centers and channel systems. If you want to concentrate on any one body part just bring the mantra's vibration back to the area of concern and a greater amount of healing in that area will take place. It will disperse the diseased energy and blood stasis harmonizing the area back to health and when practicing to perfection, even into the youthful vase rainbow body of immortality.
The mental benefits of reciting Om Mani Padme Hum
Mental agitation is a result of stagnation and imbalances in the organs and channels systems and that's it. Each organ and their corresponding channels harbors and controls different emotions and that's the major reason why everyone perceives situations in different way. A certain situation will make some people laugh, some people cry and some people to get angry. The object or situation they perceive is always neutral regardless of how good or bad one perceives it to be, but the reason why they react with different emotions is solely based on their psychophysical condition. A car accident has created a traffic jam and everyone is late for work. Some people will laugh and call the driver an idiot, some will cry and try to rescue them, and some will get angry and curse them for making them late. The nature of the car accident is perfectly neutral only the reaction of the individuals will classify it as good, bad or indifferent. Their classification of the event is solely based on their physical, mental and spiritual condition in coordination with the nature of their organs and channel systems. Like Amituofo and all mantras, Om Mani Padme Hum has the ability to neutralize the sway of emotions when stimulated by externally-internally arising phenomenon and circumstances. Mantra recitation is therefore the greatest form of subjecting mental agitation and diseases restoring calm abiding and equilibrium in the practitioner.
The spiritual benefits of reciting Om Mani Padme Hum
Since beginningless time we have repeatedly taken rebirth in all six realms of cyclic existence in all forms of life from the lowest to the highest. By reciting the six-syllable mantra of great illumination each syllable purifies the internal and external realms of samsara and blocks the doors of their rebirth. It purifies our organ and channel systems restoring our health into the youthful vase body of immortality. And, it harmonizes our unstable minds bringing about the calm abiding of deep samadhi. Thoughts of past, present and future run through our minds in series one after the other like the clouds of a hurricane. By reciting Om Mani Padme Hum the mind becomes stable from the dualistic fixation of past or future, good and bad, happy or sad and brings them back to our original and perfect state of enlightened awareness, deep samadhi. Maintaining this state of deep samadhi fruition of enlightenment and cause in the mind both harmonize for realization of the pure undefiled Dharmakaya and liberation from rebirth into the lower realms of existence is achieved.
Healing others with Om Mani Padme Hum
Om mani padme hum can also be used to treat and liberate the suffering of other sentient beings physically, mentally and spiritually. To transmit the powers of the six-syllable mantra reflect on your own enlightened nature and visualize yourself as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvarava. Begin your recitation of Om Mani Padme Hum and apply the four techniques of the great compassion palm energy transmitting system. Visualizing yourself as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvarava allow you to reflect upon your own true nature and empowers yourself with the Bodhisattva's qualities. Recitating Om Mani Padme Hum builds up a protection shield around you and allows you to generate a greater energy flow. Using the great compassion palm techniques gives you greater control over the transmission process. Place your mind in the sky, gather your energy by raising your palms over your head and draw them down to the area of concern using the four techniques of the great compassion palm.
The techniques of the great compassion palm are:
Pai Pump your palms up and down over area of concern while reciting Om Mani Padme Hum. This increases the pure energy while draining the diseased energy.
Zhuashuai Grab the sick energy above the area of concern and throw it down towards the feet flicking any remaining energy off your fingers. This drains out the sick energy.
Zhao Allow the palms to hover over the area of concern and transmit the healing energy into the area. This engenders the health of the diseased area.
Shudao After establishing a good energetic connection with the diseased energy in the area of concern draw it down and out through the feet dredging the related cannels.
Increasing your energy with Om Mani Padme Hum
the kidneys are the main store house for physical, mental, and spiritual energy and is also the main store house for sexual energy. Therefore By tonifying the kidneys through energy cultivation and meditation a practitioner can increase his health, healing and enlightenment. Visualize Avalokiteshvarava above your head holding the wish fulfilling vase filled with the liquid light elixir of immortality. As you recite Om Mani Padme Hum for a couple of minutes concentrate on the liquid light elixir getting stronger and brighter. On your last recitation of Om Mani Padme Hum visualize Avalokiteshvarava pouring the warm liquid light elixir and the Hum seed syllable into your your Brahman aperture, down through your central channel, and branch off into both of your kidneys. Then use your abdomnal breathing to increase the warm liquid light in your kidneys for just a minute or two. Draw down the elixir several more times and then increase the energy in your kidneys with abdominal breathing. After a few minutes of abdominal breathing just sit dissolved in meditation for as long as you can. When you're done place your palms on your kidneys and rub them up and down thirty six times. Then place your palms on your abdomen and roll them clockwise and counter clockwise nine times each. With continual practice you should begin to see a transformation in your self physically, mentally and spiritually.
Treating sentient beings in passing with Om Mani Padme Hum
Quite often we see people or animals either suffering or dieing while we're traveling down the road. If they are sick or injured visualize yourself as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvarava and concentrate on their area of concern. Recite Om mani padme and then as you recite the hum with some force draw the sickness down through their feet with the power of your concentration. Do it once or many times it can have profound effects for you and the suffering.
Opening your Brahman aperture with Om Mani Padme Hum
To open the heaven's gate of the Brahman aperture take a large and slow breath. Concentrate on the left lower part of your abdomen and recite Om. Then the left upper part of your chest and recite Ma. Then the right upper part of your chest and recite Ni. Then the right lower part of your abdomen and recite Pa. Then four fingers bellow you navel and recite Mi. Then recite Hum while drawing the energy up through your central channel with your mind's intent, through the Brahman aperture and into space all in one breath. Repeat this many times until you get some realization such as a tingling feeling or red and white pus dot on top of your head at the Brahman aperture.
Transfering the consciousness of the dead with Om Mani Padme Hum
For people who are dead or near death visualize yourself as Avalokiteshvarava. Connect your mind with the energy of their heart center and their consciousness and recite Om Mani Padme. Then recite Hum with some force and draw the energy of their heart center and their consciousness up through their central channel, out through their Brahman aperture and into the center of space. Spend as much time as you can with them until you see some red and white pus signs on the top of their head at the Brahman aperture. They should also have a light smile on their face and their heart center should be cool. Then you know the transference is complete.
The vast ocean of teachings on Om Mani Padme Hum are inexhaustible. After the great lotus born Guru Padmasambhava, who's very speech is Om Mani Padme Hum, firmly established the Vajrayana teachings in China, Mongolia, Tibet, Kham, Jang, and Hor the disciples who gathered for their final teaching asked for the most condensed and powerful teaching on an expedient means to enlightenment. The fully enlightened Nirmanakaya Orygen Rimpoche replied, just continually recite Om Mani Padme Hum with faith, love and devotion and liberation from the samsaric world of pain and suffering will surely be achieved.
May all sentinent being who come in contact with this teaching on the sound-light vibration of Om Mani Padme Hum be freed from their suffering and the causes of their suffering. May they never be disassociated from the perfectly pure mandala of intrinsic awareness free from both attachment and aversion, hope and fear.
Om Mani Padme Hum