Seven Buddhist Mantras
A Buddhist mantra is a short phrase repeated aloud or silently to steady the mind and set an intention. Seven of the most widely chanted are the Medicine Buddha, Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Avalokitesvara, Amitabha, Green Tara and White Tara mantras — each traditionally used for a different purpose, from healing to compassion to protection.
Buddhist mantras are syllables and words chanted repetitively as part of a centering, consciousness-shifting practice. Their exact function can vary, but all have a goal of helping to inspire and invoke Enlightenment.
Chanting a mantra can assist in specific life concerns as well as offer a way to focus during meditation. It’s also believed that some mantras call forth helpful guides and energies to assist us on our path. Here are seven examples of mantras to try in your own practice:
The Medicine Buddha Mantra
This mantra helps to bring about success in all areas of life, assisting in relieving suffering to pave the way for success, growth, happiness and Enlightenment:
Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze Maha Bekanze Radza Samudgate Soha
Tayata: I now invoke
Om: The Universal sound
Bekanze Bekanze: Release the pain of illness
Maha Bekanze: Release the pain and darkness of delusion
Radza Samudgate: To achieve supreme spiritual heights
Soha: I offer this prayer to the Medicine Buddha
Lotus Sutra Mantra
This mantra is central to Nichiren Buddhism, which combines Buddhist teachings and wisdom from the Japanese teacher Nichiren Daishonin. The mantra offers devotion to the Lotus Sutra, which teaches that everyone has the potential to become Enlightened:
Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo
Nam: I pledge devotion
Myo: To the perfection wondrous beyond conception
Ho: The Dharma
Renge: Of the Lotus Flower
Kyo: Teaching (Sutra)
Shakyamuni Mantra
Shakyamuni, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, refers to the historic Buddha. He embodies Buddha nature, and this mantra is an homage to this first Buddha. The Shakyamuni Mantra has a goal of bringing forth the same Buddha nature that resides in us all.
Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha
Om: I invoke the Universal sound, Buddha nature
Muni Muni: And the wise one, wise one
Mahamuni Shakyamuniye: Of the Shakyans
Svaha: Hail to thee!
The Avalokitesvara Mantra
Tibetan Buddhists chant this mantra as a prayer to invoke the blessings, power and benevolent attention of Chenrezig, or “compassion embodied.” This mantra focuses on both giving and receiving compassion. It is often carved in stone where it can be seen by practicing Tibetan Buddhists.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Om: I invoke the Universal sound
Mani: The jewel, the goal of Enlightenment, love and compassion
Padme: Lotus wisdom
Hum: And a pure, indivisible unity of wisdom with practice
Amitabha Mantra
This mantra means “To overcome all hindrances and obstacles.” It is said to protect the chanter from harm and help them to overcome obstacles standing in the way of Enlightenment. One’s loving, compassionate nature is enhanced, and many blessings await those who chant this mantra.
Om Ami Dewa Hrih
Om: I invoke the Universal sound
Ami: Infinite, limitless light
Dewa: Deity, Buddha nature
Hrih: With conscientiousness and self-respect
Green Tara Mantra
This mantra helps the chanter to overcome physical, emotional, mental and relationship blocks. The Green Tara figure is called upon to offer assistance. The only thing required is for the chanter not to cling to any one outcome; the more detached and non-grasping we can be, the happier we become.
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha
Om: I invoke the Universal sound
Tare: And the Green Tara
Tuttare: To bring deliverance from suffering and delusion
Ture: Paving the way for compassion and Enlightenment
Soha: I offer this prayer to Green Tara
White Tara Mantra
This mantra is associated with longevity, good health and compassion. It is often chanted with positive intentions for the good of someone else in mind.
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jnana Pustim Kuru Soha
Om: I invoke the Universal sound
Tare: And the White Tara
Tuttare: To bring deliverance from suffering and delusion
Ture: And bring instead compassion and Enlightenment
Mama: To myself and to…
Ayuh: Long life and longevity
Punya: Merit from living life ethically and with good intention
Jnana: Wisdom
Pustim: Abundance, wealth and good things
Kuru: Like the auspicious land North of the Himalayas
Soha: I offer this prayer to White Tara
Wear the mantra
A mantra works by repetition. These are the pieces our customers reach for when they want the words close by between sittings.
Om Mani Padme Hum Cuff — The Compassion Mantra
Bracelets — The Avalokitesvara mantra, carved in stone across Tibet for centuries, etched here into sterling silver. Worn on the wrist it sits where you can read it, which is the point.
Spinning Tibetan Mantra Ring
Rings — The outer band turns, the way a prayer wheel turns. A quiet thing to do with your hands when the mind will not settle.
Om Mani Padme Hum Adjustable Ring
Rings — The six syllables, adjustable so it fits whichever finger you want it on. Small enough to wear every day without thinking about it.
Medicine Buddha — For the Healing Mantra
Statues — The first mantra in this article belongs to him. A figure for the corner of a room where you sit, or a desk where the day gets difficult.
Shakyamuni Buddha in Detailed Brass
Statues — The historic Buddha, whose mantra calls forth the Buddha nature already in the chanter. Brass with colored detailing, made to be looked at closely.
Questions
What is a Buddhist mantra?
A mantra is a syllable or phrase repeated during meditation, aloud or silently. The repetition occupies the thinking mind enough to let it settle. Different mantras are traditionally associated with different aims — healing, compassion, protection — and some are said to invoke the qualities of a particular Buddha or bodhisattva.
What does Om Mani Padme Hum mean?
It is the Avalokitesvara mantra, chanted as a prayer for compassion. Om invokes the universal sound; mani is the jewel, the goal of enlightenment; padme is lotus wisdom; hum is the indivisible unity of wisdom and practice. It is often carved into stone along Tibetan paths.
Which Buddhist mantra should a beginner start with?
Om Mani Padme Hum is the usual starting point. It is short, widely known, and easy to hold for several minutes without losing the thread. If you are drawn to a particular aim — healing, say — the Medicine Buddha mantra is an equally good beginning.
How many times should you chant a mantra?
Traditionally 108 times, which is why a mala carries 108 beads: one bead per repetition, so you can keep count without counting. There is no rule requiring it. Many people simply chant for a set length of time and let the number fall where it falls.
Do you have to be Buddhist to chant a mantra?
No. Mantra practice is used by people of many backgrounds and none, as a way to steady attention. If you are chanting a mantra from a living tradition, it is worth learning what the words mean and where they come from rather than treating them as sound alone.
What is the difference between a mantra and an affirmation?
An affirmation is usually a statement about yourself in your own language, written to be believed. A mantra is an inherited phrase, often in Sanskrit, Pali or Japanese, whose power is traditionally held to lie in the sound and the lineage as much as in the literal meaning.