The mani is the “admantine diamond” of the Void—the primordial, pure, and indestructible essence of existence beyond all matter or even anti-matter, all phenomena, all change, and all becoming, Padme—in the Lotus—is the world of phenomena, samsara, unfolding with spiritual progress to reveal beneath the leaves of delusion the mani-jewel of nirvana, that lies not apart from daily life but at its heart. Hum has no literal meaning, and it is variously interpreted (as is all of this great mantra, about which whole volumes have been written). Perhaps it is simply a rhythmic exhortation, completing
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