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<p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Iconography</span></h3> <p>Mañjuśrī is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the&nbsp;lotus&nbsp;held in his left hand is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom. Mañjuśrī is often depicted as riding on a blue&nbsp;lion, or sitting on the skin of a lion. This represents the use of wisdom to tame the mind, which is compared to riding or subduing a ferocious lion.</p> <h3><span class="mw-headline">Mantras</span></h3> <p>A mantra commonly associated with Mañjuśrī is the following:</p> <dl><dd><i>"oṃ a ra pa ca na dhīḥ"</i></dd> </dl> <p>Tibetan pronunciation is slightly different and so the Tibetan characters read:&nbsp;<i>oṃ a ra pa tsa na dhīḥ</i>&nbsp;(Tibetan:&nbsp;<span lang="bo">ༀ་ཨ་ར་པ་ཙ་ན་དྷཱི༔</span>,&nbsp;Wylie:&nbsp;<i>om a ra pa tsa na d+hIH</i>)&nbsp;(Skt. oṃ arapacana dhīḥ)</p> <p>This mantra is believed to enhance wisdom and improve one's skills in debating, memory, writing, and other literary abilities. "<span title="International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration">Dhīḥ</span>" is the seed syllable of the&nbsp;mantra&nbsp;and is chanted with greater emphasis and also repeated a number of times as a&nbsp;Decrescendo.</p>