Avalokiteshvara (or Avalokitesvara) is a Bodhisattva who represents compassion, and his mantra also symbolizes that quality. Avalokiteshvara means “The Lord Who Looks Down (in compassion)”.

Certain Sanskrit interpretations and meanings that are essential:

The syllable ”Om” is the vibration or „sound” of the universe. This primordial ancient sound is the most sacred of all, but in the context of chanting mantras, it is meant to establish generosity and destroy attachments to the ego.

The syllable ”Ma” removes the attachment to enviousness and establishes ethics.

The syllable” Ni” removes the attachment to desire and establishes humility.

The syllable ”Pad” removes the attachment to prejudice and establishes perseverance.

The syllable ”Me” removes the attachment to possessiveness and establishes a deeper concentration.

The syllable ”Hum” removes the attachment to hatred and establishes wisdom.

Likewise, each of the six syllables from this mantra is itself a prayer, each syllable of the mantra is itself the 6 perfections, each syllable is also related to the 6 Buddha families and each syllable also links them to the six incommensurable wisdoms:

the wisdom of equanimity;

the wisdom of activity;

the wisdom born of itself;

the wisdom of dharmadhatu (the realm of the Absolute Reality);

the discriminating wisdom;

the mirror-like wisdom.

The meaning of the Mantra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

“It is very good to recite the mantra oṃ ma ṇi pad me hūṃ but while you are doing it, you should be thinking of it’s meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast.

The first, oṃ is symbolic of the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. maṇi means jewel, symbolizes the factors of method-the altruistic intention to become enlightened, through compassion and love. padme meaning lotus, symbolizes wisdom. Just as a lotus grows from the mud, but is not sullied by the faults of mud, so wisdom is capable of putting you in a situation of non-contradiction whereas there would be contradiction if you did not have wisdom. …Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by hūṃ which indicates indivisibility…
Thus together these syllables mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, mind into the pure exalted body, speech, mind of a Buddha.”