Glossary · Buddhist philosophy & practice
Om Mani Padme Hum
Om Mani Padme Hum (Sanskrit: ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ; Tibetan: ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ) is the six-syllable mantra associated with Avalokiteshvara, pointing to the union of wisdom and compassion: the jewel in the lotus.
Recited as a practice, it is less a formula to believe than a way of steadying attention on compassion until it becomes the mind's default direction.
Sources
The term is rooted in the canonical sutras and traditional commentaries of Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, where it is treated as a contemplative method for training the mind rather than an object of belief.
