A Guide to Buddhist Mantras

Clicking on the link for each mantra below will take you to a page where you can read about that mantra, see the figure associated with the mantra (where applicable), and listen to an audio version of the mantra.

You can chant along to the mantra until you’re confident that you have it fully memorized. There are ten repetitions of each mantra (more or less) to help give you time to learn the mantra and chant along. You can replay the mantra until you think you’ve got it.

Please note that the mantras as written on this site lack some of the diacritic marks that allow for an accurate representation of the pronunciation.

(Diacritics, or accents, are little marks that indicate how a letter should be pronounced. Pali and Sanskrit have many more letters than the Roman alphabet, and these marks allow us to extend the number of characters available to us. Diacritics include the macron — a bar over a vowel that lengthens the vowel sound — overdots, underdots, and tildes. Unfortunately not all fonts possess those diacritic marks, and although some fonts do have the full range of accents not all computers have those fonts installed. There’s therefore no reliable way to represent diacritics on the web. You therefore may sometimes see strange characters or question marks in words.)

It’s best to listen to the audio files in order to get a better appreciation of how they are pronounced (taking into account the fact that I have a Scottish accent). In the heading of each page I’ve represented long vowels with a double vowel (eg. aa) or, where it’s possible to reproduce these in html, with a letter and diacritic mark (e.g. ?).

Note: Tibetans typically pronounce some Sanskrit sounds in a non-Indian way. For example they’ll tend to pronounce “padme” (pa-dmé) as peh-mé, and “svaha” as soha. Those who are familiar with the Tibetan pronunciation will therefore notice differences such as these.

Buddhist Mantras not associated with figures

Sabbe satta sukhi hontu
Om shanti shanti shanti
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

Buddhist Mantras associated with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Avalokitesvara: Om Mani Padme Hum
Manjushri/Manjughosa: Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih
Vajrapani: Om Vajrapani Hum
Green Tara: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha
Amitabha: Om Amideva Hrih
White Tara: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jnana Pushtim Kuru Svaha
Shakyamuni: Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuni Svaha
Padmasambhava: Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum
Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha): Om Bhaishajye Bhaishajye Mahabhaishajye Bhaishajyaraje Samudgate Svaha
Vajrasattva: 100-Syllable Mantra.

By following the links you can find out the meanings, pronunciations, and benefits of the Buddhist mantras listed above.

  • Amitabha mantra
  • Avalokitesvara mantra
  • Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) Mantra
  • Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā
  • Green Tara mantra: Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
  • Manjushri mantra
  • Om shanti shanti shanti
  • Padmasambhava mantra
  • Sabbe satta sukhi hontu
  • Shakyamuni mantra
  • Vajrapani mantra
  • Vajrasattva mantra of 100 syllables
  • White Tara mantra
  • The three refuges and five precepts
  • Postcript: About Transcendental Meditation

    • View Comments

    • I get a lot out of picking over a text with dictionary and grammar in hand. I usually learn more, sometimes I memorise the text, and I get a more detailed understanding. Of course one covers less ground, but it's more satisfying in the long run to know one text in detail, than a dozen superficially.

    • Me too, Jayarava. Especially when I'm teaching from a text (we were studying the Dhammapada in my prison class a while back, for example) I like to look at the original. And Ratnaguna's going to be doing a weekend on parts of the Sutta Nipata and I wouldn't dream of going without checking out the Pali.

      But I'd classify us more as amateur scholars. For the vast majority of people who are just starting out it's likely going to be a better use of their time and energy just to understand the teachings in their native tongue.

    • I have only just started investigating Mantras and chanting .. have been listening to 'Karma-avoiding Mantra' and it seems to 'speak' to me .. what is the chanting about and what they are actually chanting (phonetically)? Not knowing what the actual words/sounds are I get too caught up trying to figure that out rather than just concentrating on the sounds themselves.

      Thanks!

    • Well it begins with an Om and ends with a soha/svaha, but because it's a far-eastern version of a mantra I can't even guess what the middle part is. If you really like this mantra it's from a CD called "Buddhist Chants - Music For Contemplation And Reflection" and it's possible that the liner notes would tell you what the "lyrics" are.

    • .. you have worked out exactly the same bits I had :) .. The Om and the soha .. I will try the liner notes as you suggest ..

      Thanks again

    • Dear Bodhipaksa,

      Thank you for the lovely mantras you have on this site. Do you know of a CD with the mantras that are used by the FWBO - Free Buddhist Audio does not seem to have one. Do you have any suggestions?
      With Metta,
      Trish

    • Hi Trish,

      Sadly, I don't know of any such CD. Sunada and I have been talking about doing something along those lines, but we've both been busy with various projects and if it happens it'll be some way off in the future.

      Metta,
      Bodhipaksa

    • Hi Trish,

      I wonder if my suggestion meet your wish list...

      Go online to locate 'Imee Ooi '...she has produced beautiful CDs
      like Green Tara....Om mani Padme Hum...

      Best to you.

      Kelvin Ooi

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