Benefits and Qualities of the Six Syllables Mantra

Spoken by Penor Rinpoche

Presently, we are in the dharma-ending age, where people have limited wisdom, faith and
diligence. Thus, it is necessary to persevere diligently in the practice of dharma. A practice that fulfills
this necessity is reciting the six-syllables mani mantra while viewing through one’s devotion that the
guru is not different from Chenrezig. The six syllables mani mantra is very easy to recite and
encompasses the essential meaning of all the Buddha’s teachings. It is the heart-essence of
Chenrezig (or Avalokiteshvara) and brings infinite blessings. If one takes it as one’s primary practice,
then all humans, celestial beings, and even the harmful ghosts or gods will bless you benevolently and
you will have a long life without any sickness or calamities. In the next life, you will be reborn in
Potala mountain or Amitabha’s pureland, or at least, you will take rebirth in a land where the Buddha-
dharma is flourishing. This is because Chenrezig’s heart mantra is imbued with the limitless blessings,
loving kindness and compassion of all the Buddhas.

In a sutra, it says, “If one recites this mantra, innumerable Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Gods, Dragons
and beings of the eight classifications will congregate where one dwells and there will be endless
dharma-doors of samadhi. Seven generations of the family of one who recites (this mantra) will be
liberated. The worms (or sentient beings) in one’s stomach will attain levels on the Bodhisattva
path. Such a person (who recites the mantra) will perfect the paramitas daily, have unimpeded
eloquence and purify his wisdom aggregate. Whenever his breath touches others’ bodies, it would
cause that person to attain levels on the Bodhisattva path. If, for instance, all beings below the fourth
heaven realm attained to the seventh bhumi Bodhisattva position, all their combined merit would be
the same as reciting the six syllables mani mantra once. If one used gold and jewels to build Buddha
statues as numerous as dust, it would not be as meritorious as writing one syllable of the six syllables
mani mantra. If one obtained the six syllables mani mantra, one will not be contaminated by the
greed, hatred and ignorance. If one wore this mantra on the body, one will likewise not be
contaminated by the sickness of greed, hatred and ignorance. Anyone who wears, touches, sees (the
mantra), all such sentient beings will attain the levels on the Bodhisattva path and be forever set apart
from the sufferings such as birth, old age, sickness and death.”

The six syllables mani mantra of Chenrezig, Om Mani Padme Hung, is the manifestation of all the
Buddhas’ compassion in the form of sound. Within it, the 84,000 dharma-doors of the Buddha are
encapsulated. Although there are many different kinds of mantras, such as awareness-mantra,
dharanis, secret mantras, but none of them is more sublime than the six syllables mani mantra. The
vast benefits of reciting this mantra (which is usually just called ‘mani’) has been mentioned frequently
in the Buddha’s sutras and tantras. It is said that just reciting this mantra once is equivalent to
reciting all the 12 categories of the Buddha’s teachings. Reciting the six syllables mani mantra can
perfect the six bodhisattva paramitas and firmly seal off all possibilities of taking rebirth in the six
realms. This is a simple practice, easy to understand. All the people can practice its recitation and it
encompasses the essence of the Buddhadharma. If you are able to regard the mani mantra as your
refuge in times of happiness or suffering, then Chenrezig will always be with you. You will become
more and more devoted without even trying to. The realisation of the mahayana path will naturally
arise in your mindstream.

According to the records in the Jewel-Chest sutra, reciting a hundred-million times of this mantra will
cause all the organisms on one’s body to receive Chenrezig’s blessings and after one’s death, the
smoke from the cremation of one’s corpse can protect anyone who breathes it from rebirth in the three
lower realms.

Even one syllable from this mantra, whether it be ‘Om’, ‘Ma’ or ‘Ni’ has inconceivable power. It can
bless and cause sentient beings to be liberated. It is said that the Buddha, who has such extraordinary
power far exceeding those of any sentient being, is able to tell accurately how many raindrops there
are in a rainstorm lasting 12 years but yet, even he is unable to completely express the merit of saying
the mani mantra once. If the Buddha began to express its merit, even if all the world’s forests and
trees were made into paper, it would not be sufficient for writing down even the smallest part of the
merit of the mantra.

There is nothing in this world that can really frighten the god of death and make him retreat, but the
warm radiance of Chenrezig’s compassion can remove all fear that anyone felt at the point of
death. This is what is called, “the refuge which never deceives”.
The six syllables mani mantra is Chenrezig’s heart-essence, it is the bodhisattvas’ paramitas in the
form of mantra. If you recite this mantra, all the six paramitas will automatically arise and action-
bodhichitta will spontaneously be accomplished.

Mantra is one essential component of the Vajrayana path but not one mantra is better than the mani
mantra. It encompasses all the functions of all mantras and also embodies all the other mantras’
blessings and power. Even the great Karma Chakme and other well-learned noble beings could not
find any mantra in the teachings that was of more benefit, more quintessential and simple to practise
than the mani, and thus utilised the mani mantra as their main practice. Even hearing the mani
mantra can liberate one from samsara. Just as Chenrezig has said, anyone who practises this mani
mantra will perfect all the six bodhisattva paramitas and cleanse all their obscurations and karma.

In order to bless sentient beings, Chenrezig endowed the mani mantra with the same power as his
very own body, this is the ‘dedication of unborn emptiness’. Writing the six syllables mani mantra will
lead all beings who see it to be liberated. Reciting the six syllables mani mantra will lead all beings
who hear it to be liberated. If one thought of the mantra, then one will be liberated by recalling. By
wearing it on one’s body, there will be liberation by contact. If you are accustomed to regarding all
sounds as the mani mantra, then all the fearful sounds in the bardo will not cause you any trepidation.

In this age of the five degenerations, the compassionate Chenrezig’s blessings is exceptionally
strong. But, just as Guru Rinpoche has predicted, “in the future, there will be some beings with
insufficient merit who will not treasure the six syllables mani mantra.” Chenrezig’s emanation, the
Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo also said, “in the future, there will be some beings who will discriminate
the dharma due to their own self-clinging, they will abandon all positive actions and belittle the six
syllables mani mantra saying that it is a practice for old people or children. These people have been
led by the demonic obstacles into the deviant paths. Their future life would definitely be in the
hells. Thus you should not give rise to any doubt about compassionate Chenrezig’s dharma practice
but should instead practice it diligently, because this practice is the easiest to accomplish and there is
no other practice that bestows greater blessings that this.”

The six syllables mani mantra has worldly benefits such as removing all sickness, pain, negative
karma, obscurations and demonic obstacles, increasing one’s merit and prosperity. Its ultimate benefit
is to end samsara and bring one to the state of perfect unsurpassed Buddhahood.