Padmasambhava mantra
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Oṃ Āh Hūṃ Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hūṃ
(Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum)
Padmasambhava was a historical teacher who is said to have finally converted Tibet to Buddhism. He was a renowned scholar, meditator, and magician, and his mantra suggests his rich and diverse nature.
Om Ah Hum, as we’ve seen, have no conceptual meaning. Often they’re associated with body, speech, and mind respectively (i.e. the whole of one’s being. So there’s a suggestion that we are saluting the qualities that Padmasambhava represents with all of our hearts (and minds, and bodies).
Vajra means thunderbolt, and represents the energy of the enlightened mind. It can also mean diamond. The implication is that the diamond/thunderbolt can cut through anything. The diamond is the indestructible object, while the thunderbolt is the unstoppable force. The vajra also stands for compassion. While it may seem odd to have such a “masculine” object representing compassion, this makes sense in esoteric Buddhism because compassion is active, and therefore aligned with this masculine symbol. (The term “masculine” does not of course imply that compassion is limited to males!)
Guru, of course, means a wise teacher. It comes from a root word, garu, which means “weighty.” So you can think of the guru as one who is a weighty teacher. Padmasambhava is so highly regarded in Tibetan Buddhism that he is often referred to as the second Buddha.
Padma means lotus, calling to mind the purity of the enlightened mind, because the lotus flower, although growing in muddy water, is completely stainless. In the same way the enlightened mind is surrounded by the greed, hatred, and delusion that is found in the world, and yet remains untouched by it. The lotus therefore represents wisdom. Again, while westerners would tend to assume that the flower represents compassion, the receptive nature of the flower gives it a “feminine” status in esoteric Buddhism, and to the lotus is aligned with the “feminine” quality of wisdom. And once again, there is no implication that wisdom is in any way limited to those who are female. The words masculine and feminine here are used in a technical sense that’s completely unrelated to biology.
And Siddhi means accomplishment or supernatural powers, suggesting the way in which those who are enlightened can act wisely, but in ways that we can’t necessarily understand. Padmasambhava is a magical figure, and in his biography there are many miracles and tussles with supernatural beings.
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Pronunciation notes:
- a is pronounced as u in cut
- aa (ā) is long, as in father
- m in hum is pronounced ng, as in long
- j is hard, like j in judge
- u is short, as in put
- ū is long, as in school
Comments
Comment from Aswad Munyir Abdul La’tif Strategic Martial Art Center
Time: January 28, 2008, 10:44 pm
Hotep Pu. Years ago I was in trance and this Archetype appeared to me. I did let it go, but now I know that it was a “coming of age” for me. I am opening Strategic Martial Art Center and I will be teaching meditaition as well as martial arts. If there are any tips, feel free to contact. I have studied meditaion since 1974. I studied with Richard Hickillman on KQED televiton when I was a kid. Hotep Pu.
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Time: September 1, 2008, 2:47 am
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Comment from Joshua
Time: October 15, 2008, 11:21 pm
If not mistaken, by the form of the mantra, is it possible that Tibetans pronounce this mantra more obscurely? Or is this not the same as the Guru Rinpoche Mantra:
“OM A HUM BENZA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUM”
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 16, 2008, 8:31 am
Hi Joshua.
Yes, Tibetan and Sanskrit are from different language groups, and so Tibetan has very different sounds in it. That makes it hard for Tibetans to pronounce Sanskrit words, and “Vajra” comes out as “Benza” and “Padma” as “Pema.” It’s the same mantra, but pronounced in a different way. Technically it’s incorrect, but since it’s the standard pronunciation in Tibet it doesn’t make much sense to take Tibetans to task over it, any more than it would make sense to correct English-speakers who say “Paris” rather than “Paree.”
Comment from Joshua
Time: October 16, 2008, 9:44 am
Thank you for your quick reply. I wish I knew of a handbook of some type that taught the general Tibetan pronunciation. I guess it will come with repeated listening, but not knowing what to expect makes it difficult to chant alongside a Tibetan monk, especially one who sings in polyphonic. I have noticed through studying the transliteration of the Tibetan scripts, that there are stark similarities to those of Sanskrit in structure and that some of the letters in the English transliteration are hit-or-miss. There’s probably a dialect thing going on as most of my instruction comes from the Gelukpa tradition. Thanks again for your help!
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