Padmasambhava was a historical teacher who is said to have converted Tibet to Buddhism. He was a renowned scholar, meditator, and magician, and his mantra suggests his rich and diverse nature.
In Tibetan Buddhism the mantra is pronounced differently. There it’s Om ah hung benza guru pema siddhi hung. The difference arises solely because Tibetan and Sanskrit are from different language groups, and the sounds of Sanskrit are not easily pronounced by Tibetans. This doesn’t mean that the Tibetan form is wrong; Om ah hung benza guru pema siddhi hung is the official and correct form of the mantra in Tibetan.
The three syllables Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ have no conceptual meaning. They’re symbolic, and have symbolic meanings.
Oṃ is often regarded as being the primeval sound, and in fact the sound-symbol of reality itself. It represents the universal principle of enlightenment. You can read about Om in more detail on the page about the Om Shanti mantra.
Āḥ, in traditional explanations, is usually said to be connected with speech (more about that in a moment) but in Sanskrit “ah” is a verb meaning “to express , signify ; to call (by name).” So it suggests evoking, or calling forth, the manifestation of enlightenment.
Hūṃ is often thought of as representing the manifestation of enlightenment in the individual human being. This may be a complete coincidence, but hum is similar to the first person singular “aham,” which means of course “I.”
Often these three syllables are 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.
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.
Many Buddhist mantras start with Oṃ and end with Hūṃ.
One way you can think of this is that Oṃ represents the abstract principle of enlightenment, or the potential for awakening that exists in the world and in our minds. Hūṃ on the other hand represents our individual selves (hūṃ may be an ancient and non-standard equivalent of ahaṃ, which is the Pali and Sanskrit word for “I” (the first person singular pronoun). The middle part of the mantra is the invocation that connects us, as individuals, with enlightenment. In other words we’re inviting enlightenment to transform us.
In this case it’s the qualities of Padmasambhava (as “the thunderbolt teacher” and the “lotus realized one”) that are our bridge to enlightenment.
To hear the pronunciation of the Padmasambhava mantra, Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum, click below to hear a recorded version chanted by Bodhipaksa:
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Hey Nick, seems the Dalai Lama is making a great move. My take on the Tibet question: prior to Mao's invasion Tibet was rather remote and resistant to foreigners showing up. You know Marx starts off with "Religion is the opiate of the masses." and for the young revolutionary Mao the term Opiate in China was a particularly deadly desease. Hence his view on religion and the need to get rid of it. His army going to Tibet ultimately led to the removal of many high lamas along with The Dalai Lama to India form where they have proliferated around the world spreading the secrets of Tibetan Buddhism. In a way ironically what Mao did with his army was to spread this religion to a vast population which could never get to Tibet. Now The Dalai Lama is not just the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is The Dalai Lama of The World. Whereas Mao is a historical figure whose time has come and gone. His role in the evolution of man's spiritual dimension is tricky to figure. Perhaps unwittingly we all go through our lives hardly knowing what we are doing just like Mao. We think we are doing this when actually we are doing that. Hindsight is 20-20 and being caught up in the moment is usually charged with such intense emotional obscurations it is hard to know what is really happening today/now. Yet the wheel keeps on turning. Padmasambhava turned the wheel into Mantrayana and Longchenpa gave it a boost which Jigme Lingpa accelerated. Yet the wheel remains the same. I wonder when you are flowing over the water in your skull is it the water that moves, the skull that moves, the air, the mantra? Even though you exert physically does the world stream by you as you sit there still or are you moving through the world?
I glide the stream with crystalline alchemy, Mondo - on a good day - but truth not as dedicated practice since working as a boatman on the Thames at Hammersmith in 2007...
The point you make about the diaspora benefitting Western rollingminders etc is profound and was first made to me by Geshe Thubten Tenzin (the Dalai Lama's blood brother) in Darwin, Australia in late 2004 when he graciously gave me the Dharma name Thubten Trinley ('Tingley' the clown was born that very day and earned me right livelhood with the banjo in Subiaco Market in 2005!)... this wondefully patient, kind and bookish monk also gave me a copy of Enlightenment in the Palm of your Hand - because it caught my eye. The river is in my mind. hey, dude, gd to chat...
To deepen this Guru Rinpoche Mantra work I'd suggest Lama Anagarika Govinda's THE WAY OF THE WHITE CLOUDS. Back in 1969 I hardly knew what I was reading. The story of Padmasambhava 'racing' a Bon priest to the top of Mt. Kailas was a simple story of Him using His Siddhi's in a small miraculous way. Of course since then much has become clearer. "...Palm of Your Hand" I read back in '91 and got hit with "treat everyone as if they were your mother in a previous life." I now take it as fact that each and everyone one of us have indeed been each other's mother, father, sister, brother etc. in previous lives. Kind of like: ...infinity in the palm of your hand. As The Heart Sutra says: no birth and no death...no duality. Om ah aum banzar guru padme setta hung.
Hi Bodipaksa,
When I was in Dhanakosa there was a little note on the notice board, and it said that
Om - means the ultimate in the universe
Ah - means the process of transformation and
Hum - means the ultimate realised in me.
I really really like this translation, don't know where it comes from. I think it was Larry who put it up (if you know him)
Hi, Nene.
I thought I had written pretty much the same on the site somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it! Many mantras start with Om, which is reality itself, and end with Hum, which is the realization of reality within the individual. And whatever comes in between those two is the path. So in Om manipadme hum, for example, manipadme (an alternative name for Avalokiteshvara) is the means to get from the principle of enlightenment to its realization.
Oh, I just remembered, after much head-scratching, that those comments are not on the site, but are on the Sacred Sound CD that Sunada and I put together.
I may know Larry, by the way. I met a Larry who was Ratnadevi's partner, many years ago.
That's beautiful, thank you. You mean Sunada from Boston?
Yes, indeed!
ps, yes, that's the Larry
you mean Sunada?
Yes.
How interesting. How do you know her? I never met her, but recently emailed with her. I am planning to go to that region at the end of the year and can't wait to meet people from the Boston sangha. She said they 'only' have 15 order members, but here in Newcastle there are only 4! I am also SO curious how the American buddhists are. I lived in the Boston area for 2.5 years (happiest time of my life so far) but wasn't into Buddhism then. I did go there, very nice, but one had to attend lectures and had read so many books then that I couldn't bear more theory. Anyway. Do you know about Kripalu Centre by any chance? As that is where I plan to go.
ps, guess this is not good for public posting this piece of text I just wrote...
Nene
Hi, Nene.
Sunada writes and teaches on Wildmind, and she's in my chapter, so I know her quite well.
I think you misunderstood what she wrote to you. There aren't fifteen Order members in Boston -- there are just two or three. I think she was talking about the core group at her center (which is currently homeless). There's a couple of dozen Order members up her at Aryaloka, in New Hampshire.
I've never been to Kripalu. I've heard it's huge...
All the best,
Bodhipaksa