Today, the full moon (July 10th) is also “Universal Prayer Day”, and am happy to offer another musical offering, an aspiration prayer for love and compassion for the world and the beings within it. The Great Compassionate One, the fully awakened Buddha Avalokiteshvara’s six-syllable Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is medicine and soothing for troubled hearts and troubled bodies, speech and minds. It holds deep within the seed syllables a deep and non-conceptual message of love and compassion and hope.
There are 3 “movements” to the musical composition:
I. Generating love and compassion 00:00:00
II. Giving and Taking (Tonglen): Breathing in Suffering and Breathing out Love and Compassion 00:02:35
III. Dissolving into Emptiness 00:07:26
With so much conflict, fighting, hostility, hatred, division, sexism, racism, misogyny, material poverty, animal labour and mass slaughter the Om Mani Padme Hum six syllable mantra is an antidote to continuing that cycle of suffering based on the three poisons of attachment, aversion and unwise ignorance of reality.
This new musical composition and arrangement of the mantra, sung and arranged by myself, Adele Tomlin, with handpan backing sample music from Konstantin Rossler (Whisper from the Universe), explores the tones, emotions, resonance and meaning of the mantra through sound. Combined/intertwined with a brief spoken word guiding meditation on the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Breathing In Suffering and Breathing Out Light and Love (Tonglen, which literally means taking and giving in Tibetan) it is freely sung without prior composition melody and chanting and spontaneous from the heart. It can be divided into three sections:
Inspired by a recent empowerment of the 2nd Bokar Rinpoche’s musical empowerment of Avalokiteshvara in Taipei, Taiwan June 2025, as well as the increasing suffering and conflict and suffering of humans (and particularly animals used as mere objects for food). It is also dedicated to the root guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
But especially to one of the kindest, most generous supporters and genuine friends I have had the merit and fortune to meet in this lifetime, D. Whose actions spoke far louder and clearer than any words. You know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
May this open up our hearts even wider (and that of others) and may we all attain the vast, embracing love and compassion for beings, the planet and realise the ultimate bodhicitta, awakened mind of the great compassionate one, Avalokiteshvara.
For other original music and mantra chants by Adele Tomlin see here.
For original research and translations on Avalokiteshvara/the Great Compassionate One, see here. In particular, how the mantra was said to have originated and become widespread in Tibet, via the 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (1204-1283) after he was given the mantra and melody by dakinis, see here.
🙏🙏