Wisdom Compassion: Trí Tuệ Từ Bi

Oṁ Mani Padme Hūṁ

 Oṃ  - Syllable Purifies Pride / Ego, originating in the devas realm and is white in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Generosity.

 Ma  - Syllable Purifies Jealousy / Lust for entertainment, originating in the asuras realm and is green in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Ethics.

 Ṇi  - Syllable Purifies Passion / desire, originating in the human realm and is yellow in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Patience.

 Pad  - Syllable Purifies Ignorance / prejudice, originating in the animal realm and is blue in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Diligence.

 Me  - Syllable Purifies Greed / possessiveness, originating in the hungry ghosts realm and is red in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Renunciation.

 Hūṃ  - Syllable Purifies Aggression / hatred, originating in the hells realms and is black in color, belonging to the Six Pāramitās of Wisdom.

The mantra is seen as activating that quality in the universe which liberates beings in whatever realm they are in.

Mahāsiddha Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche who passed into parinirvana in 2007 and belonging to the Drikung Kagyu Tradition, attained complete enlightenment due to his efforts in one life. He taught that reciting this mantra is:

• A prayer and offering to the body, speech, mind, qualities and activities of all the Buddhas.

• It purifies obscurations of body, speech, mind, afflictive emotions, habitual tendencies and obstructions to omniscience.

• It completes the 6 paramitas.

• It help keeps all the vows of the three levels: hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana.

• It purifies the 6 kinds of suffering in the 6 realms and closes the doors to the 6 realms.

In the Sūtra designed as a Jewel, it is mentioned that recitation of this mantra will:

• Attract all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Gods, Nagas and other dimensions of beings to protect you.

• You will be blessed to receive enlightenment within 7 lifetimes.

• All the beings who live in and on your body will also be liberated.

• You will gain tremendous confidence, wisdom and compassion.

• You will become a Vidyadhara, and those who contact you will also become bodhisattvas.

Guru Rinpoche also said, "The mantra: Oṁ Mani Padme Hūṁ is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ heart, the root of the eighty-four thousand teachings of the Buddha, the essence of the Five Buddhas, and the essence of the secret holders. To the knowledge of me, Padmākara, A teaching more profound and more swift (than this practice of Chenrezig and Mani mantra) Has never been taught by the Buddhas of the three times."

Lord Avalokiteśvara also said: "Be motivated by faith, devotion and compassion…Whatever appears is the form of Avalokiteśvara, in whom all victorious ones unite; audible sounds are the sound of the six-syllable essence mantra the absence of any ultimate conceptual reference-point is the uncontrived realm of bodhicitta. Never be separate from these three key points; continually recite aloud the six syllable mantra - that alone is sufficient."

If one recites the mani mantra 1000 times per day:

• One’s children up to seven generations will not be reborn in the lower realms. This is one way that parents can benefit their children and grandchildren.

• Then one’s body becomes blessed. So when a person who recites one thousand Oṁ Mani Padme Hūṁ every day goes into water, into a river or ocean for example, that water becomes blessed. Whoever that water touches fish, tiny or big animals, or tiny insects, the negative karma of all those sentient beings is purified and they do not get reborn in the lower realms.

• At the time of death, when the body is burnt, even the smoke that comes from it purifies the negative karma of whoever it touches or whoever smells it. The negative karma of those sentient beings to be reborn in the lower realms is purified.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, or Chenrezig as he is known in Tibet, is associated with the quality of Karuṇā or Compassion. His name literally "Lord who looks down", and is said to relate to his looking upon the earth and it's suffering beings with compassion. Avalokiteśvara comes in many forms. There are a number of two armed forms, and a form with one thousand arms and eleven faces! This image is of his four armed form is known as Ṣaḍakṣarī (six syllabled) Avalokiteśvara, because of the association with the popular mantra itself. He holds a Cintāmaṇi or wish fulfilling jewel to his heart, and in his upper left hand a lotus in full bloom, and in his upper right hand a mālā for counting mantras.

In East Asia such as China, where Avalokiteśvara was very popular, he underwent a change and became Kwan Yin (In Chinese 觀音, also spelled Guān Yīn, in Japanese: Kannon and in Vietnamese: Quán Thế Âm or Quán Âm) a female Bodhisattva. Kwan Yin actually translates an earlier version of the name of this bodhisattva: Avalokitasvara. Svara means sounds and the name Avalokitasvara means "regarder of sounds or cries" which is how the name often appears in English translations of the Chinese Lotus Sutra for instance.

Avalokiteśvara is a member of the Lotus family which is headed by Amitābha Buddha.

The Bodhisattva Tārā, who has two common forms  Green Tārā  and  White Tārā  is said to have been born from his tears when he observed the suffering of beings in the world.

Notes on the Avalokiteśvara Mantra:

The earliest known text containing this mantra is the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (Vietnamese: Kinh Đại Thừa; Trang Nghiêm Bảo Vương). The Kāraṇḍavyūha contains elements which are later equated with Tantric Buddhism, though it is not a tantric text. In this sūtra the mantra is presented in terms very similar to Pureland Buddhism: the mantra is for instance an example of namanusmriti or calling to mind the name which is an important practice in the White Lotus Sutra, and in the Sukhāvatīvyūha sūtras. Reciting the mantra is said to fulfill the six perfections and to protect the reciter against misfortune. The six syllable mantra is frequently translated as "oṃ the jewel in the lotus hūṃ", maṇi being a jewel and padma a lotus. 

Sources:

www.visiblemantra.org

www.wikipedia.org

Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra also known as "The Basket's Display" (PDF File) Source: 84000.co

A Short Practice of Chenrezig (PDF File) Source: K.T.D.