Emptiness Mantra

Mantra of emptiness transliterated in Tibetan using Sogyal Rinpoche's calligraphy

oṃ svabhāva śuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāva śuddho ‘haṃ

[Sanskrit transliteration provided by Steven Goodman]

Note on Pronunciation

The apostrophe in the syllable ‘haṃ is a transliteration of the sanskrit avagraha (transliterated as the nya log in Tibetan). When the vowels "e" or "o" are followed by hrasva (short) "a", the "a" is elided (i.e. omitted) and replaced by a (silent) avagraha. Thus e + a = e' (pronounced "e") and o + a = o' (pronounced "o"). This elision is according to the 'rules of sandhi', which is the combination of sounds in an harmonious fasion. Thus, the word ‘haṃ occuring in isolation (or following a consonant) would be written ahaṃ (meaning the nominative singular pronoun "I").

External Links

• A Practical Sanskrit Introductory by Charles Wikner
• The Meaning of the Avagraha Symbol
• The Use of the Avagraha Symbol
• The Rules of Sandhi