Om Mani Padme Hum is believed to have a wish-fulfilling effect. It is the mantra of Buddh Avaloketeshvara who is also known as Buddha Kwan Yin. The Dalai Lama said that this mantra (also referred to as simply the Mani Mantra) can “transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech and mind of a Buddha”. Tibetan culture believes that this mantra holds all the teachings of Buddha as well as the truth of the nature of suffering and how to remove its root causes.

Om Mani Padme Hum translates to ‘The jewel is in the lotus’ – referring to the beautiful lotus flower that needs to that grow through mud and muck before it can realise its potential. A vast amount of spiritual energy gets generated when this mantra is chanted. It has a purifying and healing effect on the person who chants it as well as those around him or her. When the mantra is chanted (either aloud or in silence) it allows you to connect deeply with your innate loving and compassionate nature.

It is said that if you recite Om Mani Padme Hum 1000 times each day the next 7 generations of your descendants will be born in higher realms and that anyone who comes in contact with you will be blessed. It is recommended that you chant this mantra 7, 21, 49 or 108 times while entering a Mantra Meditation.

While it is simply beneficial to chant the Mani mantra, it is even more so when you meditate on the meaning of each syllable and chant it with a sincere heart, focus and pure intention. Each syllable frees something in the universe from the need to reincarnate. The pause after each repetition of the mantra is important as it signifies that there is nothing and no-one left to be freed. Through sincerely reciting the Mani mantra you wish freedom for all of creation.

Om (Aum)

Pronounced as Ohm or aaaauuuummmm and frees the Gods.

Om is believed to be the ancient and original sound vibration of the universe. The universe was created with this sound and it holds everything that is, was and ever will be. The sound vibration created by changing Om dissolves pride and our ego while cultivating kindness and generosity. It elevates the level of consciousness.

Changing Om with your palms together concentrates your mind in order to unify your mind, body and mouth. You can read more about Om mantra here .

Mani

Pronounced as Mah-nee. Man frees the gods and ni frees humans.

Mani means jewel. Ma dissolves jealousy and the attachment of fleeting pleasures. Ni also dissolves attachments – especially attachments to desires and passions while cultivating patience.

Padme

Pronounced as Pahd- meh. Pad frees animals while me frees hungry ghosts.

Padme means lotus and represents wisdom.

Pad dissolves attachments to prejudices and judgmental ideas. It also grows perseverance.

Me releases attachments to being possessive and grows powers of concentration.

Hum

Hum or Hung frees demons that live in hell.

Hum is the Tibetan form of affirmation meaning ‘so be it’ or ‘amen’. It releases attachments to aggression and hatred. It also refers to that which is unchanging and cannot be disturbed by anything. Hum cultivates wisdom.

There are 15 benefits to chanting Om Mani Padme Hum.

1. You will meet virtuous kings in all your lifetimes and by being in their presence you will have many opportunities to practice Dharma.
2. You will be reborn in virtuous or holy places. These places will be filled with holy objects, statues and stupas etc and give you the opportunity to practice Dharma, to create happiness and to accumulate merit. By being surrounded by others practicing Dharma (the cause of happiness) you will be inspired to perseverate in your own practice.
3. You will always have good fortune which will help you in your Dharma practice. If good things happen to you, you will be more inspired to practice Dharma, to receive teachings and to meditate.
4. You will meet good and virtuous friends.
5. You will receive a perfect human body.
6. Your mind will become familiar with the path and with virtue.
7. You will not allow your vows and morals to become corrupted.
8. You will encounter kindness and experience harmony with others.
9. You will always have enough wealth and a means to make a living.
10. You will be protected and served by others.
11. Your wealth will not be stolen or taken away by others.
12. Your every wish will come true.
13. You will be protected by nagas (semi-divine creatures) and devas (divine creatures).
14. You will see Buddha and hear the Dharma in all your lifetimes.
15. By listening to the Dharma you will be able to cultivate the ultimate emptiness.

In addition to these the mantra also has the ability to heal diseases and to protect from harm. Even just touching, seeing or inhaling the breath of someone who regularly chants the Mani mantra will benefit you.

Besides chanting the mantra, you can wear it on your upper body (in the form of a necklace of bracelet for example). According to the Bhagavat, writing these six syllables equates to writing 84, 000 Dharma treasuries.

Om Mani Padme Hum is a powerful mantra that can invite change into your life – even if you just chant it once a day… but with intention.

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The day they arrived I ripped the package open and instantly feel in love. I felt super spiritual and aware, because my rosewood mala even came from Nepal – never mind that it was dyed and stained most of my arm red when I did yoga on a humid day!

That was almost 5 years ago. Since then I have learned a lot about yoga and spirituality, about what spirituality is and what it looks like. Now my mala is no longer something pretty that I wear to look like a yogi. It is a powerful tool that I use for meditation practice to create mindfulness, focus and enhance my self-awareness.

Why are there 108 beads?

Malas represent the path of the sun and the moon across the sky, called the ecliptic. The ecliptic is divided into 27 equal parts called nakshatras and each of these are divided into 4 sectors, called paadas. Together this makes up the 108 steps that the sun and the moon take through the sky.

 Each one of these steps represents a specific blessing force and as you move each bead through your fingers you align yourself with these forces.

 In Buddhism it represents the 12 astrological houses multiplied by the 9 planets in our solar system.

 Some believe that we take 10, 800 breaths during the day (while it is light) and 10, 800 breaths at night (while it is dark).

 Others believe that there are 108 each of earthly desires in mortals, lies humans tell and delusions or forms of ignorance humans prescribe to.

 The 108 possibly also represent the most important 108 Upanishads, and some say the beads represent Krishna’s gopis (close servants), with Krishna himself being represented by the Guru Bead.

The Guru Bead is the 109^th bead on a mala. It is usually larger than the others and doesn’t get counted. When you get to this bead, you can flip the mala around and move backwards through the beads as you continue with your mantra, moving through the blessings again. Turning the mala around also avoids you going over the Guru bead – an action that could represent stepping over your teacher or the divine.

 The Guru Bead also represent the summer and winter solstices, when the sun stops and ‘turns’ and the seasons start to change. This is a way to remind us that we are connected to the cycles of nature and the universe.

 There are 108 energy lines that run from the heart chakra, leading to self-realization, while Ayurveda recognises 108 sacred places (crossways between matter and consciousness) in a human body. According to Hinduist beliefs, we have 108 Earthly Desires that we need to give up before we can become the 108 Energy Lines that form our higher and enlightened state of existence.

 Ancient Hindu scriptures known as Veda believe 108 represents the wholeness of the universe. For them the 1 represents the solar (or God and higher truth), the 0 is the lunar (emptiness and completeness in spiritual practice) and the 8 represents infinity and eternity, and thus the entire universe.

 Tassels represent the connection between us and the divine (as it holds everything together), while the string of the mala shows how everything is connected.

How to use a mala.

Malas are used during meditation or prayer in conjunction with a mantra or spoken phrase. This is Japa meditation, which means ‘muttering’ or ‘to recite’ in Sanskrit. They can also be used during pranayama practice.

 Some malas have space beads that divide the mala into four sections of 27 beads – they are there for you to keep track of where you are and should not be counted. These beads act as a reminder to be mindful and to bring you back to the present moment during your meditation.

The mala is generally held in the left hand and each bead is passed along as the mantra is spoken or thought. The beads should be held between your thumb and index finger and the thumb pulls the beads to slide along the index finger with each completion of the mantra.

 Mantras can be used for 4 purposes: to increase, to overcome, to soothe or appease or to tame by forceful means.

 A popular mantra to use with a mala is ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’. This mantra is said the hold all the teachings of Buddha as well as the truth of the nature of suffering and how to remove the root cause of it. Other popular mantras are ‘Om’ and the Gayatri Mantra.

 They are powerful meditation tools but can also be worn around the neck as a reminder of being mindful, and/or the intention represented by your mala. You could also place it at the top of your yoga mat while you practice, to increase your set intention.

How do you choose a mala?

 Like most things spiritual, your connection with your mala beads is unique.

While malas are usually made up of 108 beads, you can find shorter mantras, with 9, 18 and 27 beads to wear around your wrist.

 Bodhi seed, red sandalwood and lotus seed malas are recommended for universal use.

 Mantras intended to soothe or appease should be used with malas made from crystal, pearl or mother of pearl beads that are clear or white in colour. This clears away obstacles (like illness or bad luck) and purifies someone who is unwholesome.

 To increase something mantras are used with malas made from gold, silver, copper or lotus seeds. These mantras usually focus on increasing your life span, knowledge and merit.

 Sandal wood, saffron or other fragrant woods combine with mantras for overcoming others. The intention behind this should be self-less, only with the wish to help others.

Raksha seeds or human bone beads can be used by holy men to tame extremely harmful spirits or general afflictions.

 Base materials like rudraksha, sandalwood and rosewood all have their own unique properties. Sandalwood have calming and meditative qualities while rudraksha is healing and rosewood has protective qualities. All three of these are considered to increase prosperity and abundance.

 Many malas are made by incorporating different crystals or gemstones into the pieces. They can either form part of the mala as the 108 beads, or the Guru bead. The mala will carry the energy and vibration of the gemstones, like love if it is made up of rose quartz for example.

 Some malas have tassels or bells while others are plainer. When choosing your mala, look at what you would like to invite into your life, consider the intention that you will set with your mala, but above everything, get quiet and let your intuition guide you.

Remember that your mala is a sacred object and thus needs to be treated with respect. Keep it with your other spiritual objects and don’t let it touch the floor or get wet and dirty.

 Malas are not only beautiful pieces to wear, but they are a physical reminder to come back to practicing mindfulness. They are helpful tools to assist during meditation and pranayama and they can amplify mantras and intentions through their unique qualities.

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