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Join this channel to get access to perks: Among the Buddhist mantras commonly used by Tibetans, the Buddha Shakyamuni mantra – om muni muni maha muniye soha – is one of the most popular. (Along with some others, like the mantras associated with Avalokitesvara and Green Tara.) Many Tibetans recite this mantra every day, many times a day, while praying on their malas, or circumambulating or prostrating. (If you wish to experience this for yourself, you can learn how to visit Tibet here.) Who was the Buddha Shakyamuni? Although there are various Buddhas – such as Maitreya, the Future Buddha, or Amitabha, the Pure Land Buddha – it is the Buddha Shakyamuni that we mean when we say “the Buddha.” Shakyamuni Buddha was, historically, a spiritual master who lived and taught in modern day India and Nepal in either the 6th or 5th century BCE, and who founded Buddhism. The name Buddha means the “awakened” or “enlightened” one, and after his own awakening, Shakyamuni taught a path by which others might also be awakened to the true nature of reality, and freed from suffering. Before we explore the meaning of om muni muni maha muniye soha, you may want to know how Tibetans commonly pronounce it. What Does Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Mean? One simple way to interpret the mantra is to consider that: Shakyamuni’s mantra is a play on his name. Muni means sage. Maha means great. So the mantra reads “Om wise one, wise one, greatly wise one, wise one of the Shakyans, Hail!” Of course, the mantra, like all of the great Buddhist mantras used by Tibetans, signifies infinitely more than the words that comprise it. This is a classic case of the sum of the whole being much greater than its parts When we recite the Buddha mantra, we are expressing and embodying that heart-essence. There’s a long, helpful guide to using the Buddha mantra for meditation at the Federation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’s (FPMT’s) Osel Shen Phen Ling’s web site “ From your heart, generate the request to the Buddha that he grant you inspiration to follow the path to full enlightenment; make this request on behalf of all living beings who are trapped in samsara. Rays of light stream from the figure of the Buddha before you. This light enters your body and quickly removes all negativities, obscurations and hindrances, freeing you to progress quickly on the path. Imagine that this light flows not only to you, but to all living beings situated in space around you. Imagine that they all receive such inspiration and blessings as you recite the name mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha as many times as possible. tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha“
