Whenever I use the term Mantra, people go into a deep thought – a lot of superstitions come into their mind. But it is simply a sound which when recited can help the person alter his state of consciousness, usually to a state of bliss. Today I wish to write about “Om Mani Padme Hum” which is a famous Buddhist mantra to connect to the energy of compassion in the universe.

It is broken down into 4 words :

AUM – Aum is a significant word in Hindu literature. It is even theorized it was the sound made during the event of big bang. His Holiness, Dalai Lama dissected AUM into three sounds A,U and M meaning Body, Mind and Speech. Mani – Mani in most of Indian languages means “Jewel”. Just like a Jewel can remove a person from poverty, ‘Mani’ in the mantra indicates removing the mind from suffering. It also signifies compassion towards all the living beings in the world. Padme – Padme/Padma usually refers to the sacred lotus flower.Lotus is a sacred flower in Hinduism/Buddhism as most people relate their Kundalini awakening to blossoming of a thousand petal lotus. Lotus resembles wisdom, it is present in a pond with a lot of mud but it blooms from the murky area into a beautiful flower. This shows that even though we live in a world of anger, greed and consumerism, we must bloom and help others to get out of it and spread the word of kindness, compassion and love. It also signifies the wisdom of emptiness – the wisdom of understanding that we have a reptilian brain and stop doing what it craves and having a empty mind. By empty mind, I mean the mind which is free of thought process originating from the logical brain so that we could start looking inward for peace and serenity. Hum – Hum means integration. It is present in the Mantra to denote the indivisibility of wisdom and method(compassion). It tells us that only when you integrate wisdom and compassion can one truly achieve the state of purity in body, mind and speech.

Now that we know the meaning and are eager to give it a try, we all ask a simply question before we start – Can it be scienticially proven that Mantras really alter the state of mind? My answer is a definitive “Yes”. Various research articles on Mantras has shown us that Gamma wave pattern in our brain increases to a high level which can have miraculous benefits like ‘Increased mental activity/cognitive enhancement, freedom from distractibility, high levels of info-processing, learning and focus, high short-term memory ability and migraine prevention(Quoted from research article)’.

So, what are you waiting for?? Start practising and reap the benefits 🙂

Further resources for those who crave for more knowledge:

Dalai Lama on Om Mane Padme Hum – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QQKDP8SQZg&t=180s The mantra – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4GYHcJgRcI&t=344s Short video on how to chant the mantra – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxu0WUl6VHM