Buddha teaches compassion because through sympathising with others and putting ourselves in other people's situation, we can try to understand strangers as well as enemies; That despite our varying fortune and deposition, we all have a universal wish. That is to be happy and to not suffer. Through compassion and generating loving kindness, we pray that all beings will be happy and will not have to suffer.

The Mantra OM MANI PADME HUM is a mantra that generates great love and compassion to all sentient beings, in hope that we can all be liberated from the ocean of suffering. Tibetans also regard OM MANI PADME HUM as Chenrezig mantra. Chenrezig which is the Tibetan name for Avalokiteshvara (sanskrit), is belived by Tibetan Buddhist as the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas and the Boddhisattva.

OM MANI PADME HUM

The story of Chenrezig begins with his vow to not rest until all beings are liberated from all the realms of suffering. After insistingly working on the task for a very long time, his head split because of the sheer number of suffering beings in all the realms. Amitabha Buddha who is belived to protect and guide humans in this world between the historical Sakyamuni Buddha and the next Buddha of the Future Maitreya, put the pieces back together with many arms and many heads so that Chenrezig could work with myriad beings at one time. For this reason, that is why Chenrezig is often visualised with eleven heads and a thousand arms. Chenrezig represents great love and compassion and it is believed that when we feel such emotions, we experience our connection with Chenrezig.

Chenrezig Mantra, OM MANI PADME HUM is believed to contain all the teachings of the Buddha. By saying this mantra or seeing it, it is believed to generate great emotions of loving kindness and compassion, motivating the liberation of all living beings from suffering. When saying the mantra as well, there is a specific relationship with each syllable to the six realms of existence. When saying OM, we should direct our mind to the gods in the God realm. While we should think of the Asura-world when we say MA. NI should be sayed with the world of men in thought, while PA should be said with animals in mind. When we repeat the words DME, we should direct our attention to the hungry ghosts and when we say HUM, we should direct our compassion to the Hell-beings. Thus this Mantra is not only the hope of liberation from suffering, it is also the mantra for all living beings in all realms to be liberated.