Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying this mantra, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion.

They also believe you can produce the same effect by spinning the written form of the mantra around in a prayer wheel (called “Mani wheels” by the Tibetans). The effect is said to be multiplied when more copies of the mantra are included, and spinning the Mani wheels faster increases the benefit as well.

(www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/prayer-wheel.htm. Mantra image thanks to Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche ; Animated GIF version thanks to Steve Bennett).

Om Mani Padme Hum. In English this means “the jewel in the lotus of the heart”; it is a reference to the hidden spark of divinity within each of us. The six syllables of the mantra are said to purify the six negative emotions: pride, jealousy, desire, ignorance, greed, and anger, while simultaneously engendering the six qualities of the enlightened heart: generosity, harmonious conduct, endurance, enthusiasm, concentration, and insight.

(Copyright ‘Good Karma’ Deb Platt & Bob Platt)