Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus

The Om Mani Padme Hum manta, a sacred mantra in Tibetan Buddhism. It is often directly translated as "Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus", but this is incorrect, as there is no precise literal translation, as much as there is only a figurative, symbolic translation, tied much more towards esoterica than literalism.

My original concept varied a great deal from this finished product. I was originally imagining something not specifically related to Buddhism, but rather, something that alluded to the "ethereal", esoteric concepts of various religions. In the end, Buddhism, with this mantra, provided something that deserved it's own "space".

The image is fairly simple. On a black background, I included some lighting, which I then swirled and blurred until it reached a state I liked. I then added within that lighted area a "ethereal" lotus, and a barely perceptible image of a Buddha.

Buddha Statue stock provided by: ~LadyTara-Stock

Lotus stock provided by: `emmil