Top Buddhist Mala Mantras

There are hundreds of different sacred mantras used in Buddhism and many are very long and complex. We have found the following Buddhist mantras to be both very accessible and easy to pronounce as well as potent and powerful in the spiritual powers. The great aspect of mantra meditation is that you can chant mantras while doing many different activities.

Shakyamuni mantra

Om muni muni mahamuni shakyamuniye svaha

Shakyamuni is the traditional Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama. Shakyamuni’s mantra is translated as “Om wise one, wise one, greatly wise one, wise one of the Shakyans, Hail!”

Manjushri mantra Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih

Manjushri is a Bodhisattva who represents wisdom and insight. The individual syllables A RA PA CA and NA have no conceptual meaning, but they do have symbolic connections with various spiritual qualities. A leads to the insight that the essence of all things is unproduced. RA leads to the insight that all things are pure and free of defilements. PA leads to the insight that all dharmas have been “expounded in the ultimate sense.” CA leads to the insight that the arising and ceasing of things cannot be apprehended because in reality there is no arising or ceasing. NA leads to the insight that although the names for things change the nature of things behind their names cannot be gained or lost.

Green Tara mantra

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha

Goddess Tara, whose name means “star” or “she who ferries across,” is a female Bodhisattva of compassion and kindness. Her mantra can be translated as "OM! O Tara! I entreat you, O Tara! O swift one! Hail!"

White Tara mantra

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jnana Pustim Kuru Svaha

The White Tara goddess is associated with beauty, compassion and long life. Her mantra is often chanted as a dedication to a particular person. She is often pictured with seven eyes to symbolize the watchfulness of the compassionate mind.

Prajnaparamita mantra

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

This mantra is associated with the Buddhist Perfection of Wisdom texts. The mantra can be translated as “Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail!”

Mala beads mantra meditations

All of the above Buddhist mantras can be used with a mala beads mantra meditation. Find a comfortable seated position and hold a Buddhist bead necklace in your right hand. For every time you chant the mantra aloud or silently in your head, touch one of the beads. After you chant the mantra and touch the bead, then pull the bead towards you to advance to the next one. Repeat the above process until you have finished your mantra meditation.