Just as a jewel can fulfil the wishes of a living being, so also can the unselfishness of enlightenment fulfil the wishes of living beings. The two syllables padme - that means lotus - symbolise wisdom. Just as the lotus grows upwards out of the mud without its beauty being spoiled by the sludge, so also can wisdom transpose us into consistent clarity - as a being -, whereas we would still remain entangled in extreme contradictions otherwise.

There is a wisdom which perceives the transience of all things, wisdom which perceives that everything is empty, regarding in itself wisdom which perceives emptiness and non-duality, that there is no separation between the subject, object and action; and wisdom which perceives the emptiness of all things. Thus although there are various forms of wisdom, the one which comes from experiencing emptiness is the most essential. Absolute purity must be achieved through the inseparable unity of method and wisdom, which is symbolised in the last syllable - hum - meaning inseparability.