Om mani padme hum is six syllables, and in Tibetan practice it is the one most often written down. That is why it appears on so much here: on beads, on spacers, woven into cord, stamped on metal. The words stay the same; the object they are written on changes.
What the six syllables say
The mantra is read as the jewel in the lotus — compassion held inside the flower, which is how the phrase is usually given in English. It is not translated on any of these pieces. It is left in the original and worn as it is.
The forms here
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Mantra beads — round beads with the syllables cut into the surface, so the count and the words sit on the same object.
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Spacers — a single bone or metal bead carrying the mantra, used to break up a plain strand.
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Woven rope and cord — the mantra formed by the knotting itself, with no separate bead at all.
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Rings — the syllables carried on a band rather than a strand.
Choosing
If you count, take the mantra beads. If you want the words on something you already wear, take a spacer or a ring. The cord pieces are the lightest, and the ones that disappear under a sleeve.
The red cord bracelets carry the same mantra the same way.
