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:
Wildmind is a Community-Supported Meditation Initiative. Click here to discover the many benefits of being a sponsor.
View Comments
Isn't Om in this mantra equal to Om in Om Mani Pad-Me Hum?
There it stands for A U M, wich is the inpure body, inpure speech and inpure mind of the practisioner and also the Pure enlightened body, Pure enlightened speech and Pure enlightened mind of the Buddha and has a purifying quality.
According to his holiness the Dalai Lama in Kindness, Clarity and Insight from Jeffrey Hopkins
Yes, the Om in this mantra is the same as the Om in the Avalokiteshvara mantra. I don't know of any Buddhist text that breaks om down into A-U-M, although that's done in the post-Buddhist Upanishadic tradition.
I have to say, though, that Tibetans have a mania for making numerical correspondences, so that the six syllables of Om Mani Padme Hum are seen as corresponding to the six realms on the wheel of life, etc. I wouldn't therefore take the Dalai Lama's view on Om/Aum too seriously.
When listening to the mantra .. are you sure this is correct?
Americans seem to round off sounds, so vajra sounds like va-jahj-ra - but it should be with and I (as in the word "india"). Va-I-ra.
I have never heard a tibetan or a hindu pronounce vajra with round sounds.
Hi, Jon.
I'm not very sure what you mean by "round sounds," or exactly what you're trying to represent with your phonetic representations. I studied Pali, which is not quite the same as Sanskrit, I know, but close enough, for two years at university, so I'm reasonably confident in my pronunciations. Of course I don't pronounce everything perfectly, and sometimes I slip up.
The "v" in vajra is pronounced about half-way between a standard English "w" and a standard English "v" (I do not do a good job of getting my V's right).
Both A's resemble the vowel in the English word "cut."
The "j" is hard, as in "judge," although Americans wrongly tend to make it soft, as in French "je."
Could you be a bit more specific about which bit you think might be wrong?
Desde tu experiencia qué es mejor recitar el mantra en sánscrito o en tibetano
En tibetano sonaría así:
OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PEMA SIDHI HUNG
Hello everybody! I have been studying Sanskrit for the last 40 years from some widely recognized Indian teachers and I have not noticed any imperfections in the pronunciation of the mantra. See Introduction to Panini.
Hello There
I feel at a bit of a loss at the moment.
I've been calling myself a Buddhist for several years, meditating, studying, lived in a buddhist community etc. At the moment I am going through a hard period in my life and am continually being swept away by anger and negativity. I'm trying to go deeper and transform those deep energies by studying Padmasambhava and chanting his mantra, but the feelings of anger, resentment, lack of self worth keep over whelming me. I'm not in good conditions at the moment and won't be for a while- maybe this is an opportunity, but I feel defeated by life. any words of advice, encouragement?
Metta
Steve
Hi, Steve.
I sympathize.
My best advice would be to develop more self-compassion. You're suffering during these bouts of anger and negativity, but our usual response to this, when we're not blaming others, is to feel disappointed in ourselves, to blame ourselves.
Right now, call to mind something you feel resentful about. Be mindful as you let the resentment enter your mind. Now become aware of where the suffering connected with this resentment is located in the body. It may be in the gut, it may be in the heart, it may be elsewhere. Now recognize that suffering is present, and accept it. Allow it to be there. It's natural to suffer, and it's not a sign we've failed. It's just a sign we're alive.
Treat the suffering as if it was a dear friend who was in distress, and who had turned up on your doorstep. What would you ideally do? Cheer him up? Turn him away? Tell him to snap out of it? I suspect the best thing we can do is to mindfully be with the suffering friend until he's ready to tell us what's going on. Probably just knowing that he has a friend who is empathetic will reduce his pain by 90%.
Having accepted your suffering, send it lovingkindness. Bear the suffering tenderly in mind as you repeat, "May you be well; may you be happy; may you be free from suffering." Don't expect anything to happen. Just empathetically and compassionately accept your pain and wish it well.
Almost every time, doing this allows me to break out of a reactive cycle, and to feel whole again. It often allows me to move on, so that I can turn my compassion outward, toward others.
Hi Metta Steve, perhaps you know when Guru Rinpoche first came to Tibet there was a big problem with getting a monastery built. He used a mantra to turn it all around in a hurry and it seems like maybe this would help your situational circumstances too. Here it is:
A Ka Sa Ma Ra Tsa
Sa Ta Ra Ra Sa
Ma Ra Ya PHAT!!!
It rolls along fairly plainly until you get to PHAt which should be explosively pronounced.
I'd say try this one a few times a day for at least a week or so. Meanwhile keep up with saying his mantra the rest of the day. It is always best to have your Guru pronounce this for you so that you can get the intonation and say it like he does.
Good luck with your circumstances.
Can some one plz comment on Termas ( treasures ) and Tertons.
Tulku Thondup has written a commentary on The Third Dodrupchen's work on Tertons and Termas. I suggest you get a copy and find the answers there. There are a variety of Termas which are/were hidden treasures of Padmasambhava to be discovered 'later' to continue his teachings. A Terton is the one who finds these Treasures which are either mind-transmissions or dakini scripts which he has to translate. It's a little complicated, so read HIDDEN TEACHINGS OF TIBET: AN EXPLANATION OF THE TERMA TRADITION OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM.
Thank you for the mantra- I was rereading the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, found Padmasambhava's picture on P. 70, mantra written on p. 71 - and was strongly moved. Came to google, to see if I could hear the mantra. It is amazing how deeply the picture alone creates energy and hope - will repeat the mantra as I hear it on this site. The author(Sogyal Rinpoche) writes the way Tibetans speak it, but has the sounds given in your mantra on the site. I have enjoyed reading the comments and would like to link up with other people of like mind in Canada.
Hi
I am a singer songwriter and have used a chant in one of my songs "om padme siddhi hum" is this a correct chant ? Or does it matter
Thanks
Ben
It's not a mantra, but it means something. Perhaps you've invented a new mantra!
Singing 'vajra songs' is a good thing according to Longchenpa. I suggest you work on incorporating the complete mantra. Why? A new insight for me is this mantra, Om Ah Aum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum is Manjusri's Crown. 'Om Ah Aum' is like a benediction amisdt the Buddha Families.
Vajra/Akshobya,
Guru/Ratnasambhava,
Padma/Amitabha,Siddhi/Amogasiddhi,
Hum/Vairocana.
This being the Crown of The Crown Prince; Manjusri.