Comment from alex flamm
Time: November 19, 2007, 6:01 pm

my wife is a nurse and she wanted to know if ther were and healing mantras or a mantra related to her feild of work.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 19, 2007, 7:07 pm

The White Tara mantra is said to promote long life, so that’s one candidate. The other, though, is a mantra that we don’t yet have on this site, and it’s the Medicine Buddha (Bhaishajyaguru) mantra. If you Google it you’re bound to turn something up.

Comment from Kashka
Time: December 3, 2007, 10:19 pm

I attend the Five Buddha Shrine in LAs Vegas, I know that they would be more than happy to help you out with healing mantras such as one for diabetes and for the kidneys. They’re amazing people & have helped me tremendously. Here is their info. Dari Rulai Lohan Temple – Five Buddha Shrine Vajrayana Buddhism 3043 Garnet Court Las Vegas, NV 89121 (702) 641-0522 Ask for Paul, JEN T, or David or find them on the web. Hope that helps.
By the way – This is my favorite informative/spiritual site – currently on the web- Thank you.

Comment from Laura Landy
Time: May 22, 2008, 11:30 am

Is there a way to download the fonts needed to see the diacritic marks?

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: May 22, 2008, 12:52 pm

Hi Laura,

Good to hear from you. To see the diacritics you’d need (1) to have a Unicode font installed on your computer. And (2) your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc) will need to be set up to actually use that font. Unicode is not itself a font — it’s a type of font that, to the best of my understanding, includes a wide range of characters that are non-standard in English, as well as the usual characters you’re used to. “Arial Unicode MS”, for example, is a commonly used Unicode font.

There are some instructions here that explain how to get a Unicode font onto your computer and (lower down the page) how to get your browser to use that font.

I hope that’s helpful. This is all a bit technical and out of my area of expertise.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from James
Time: May 28, 2008, 8:55 pm

I would say the best mantra to be used in the health field is that of the blue buddha know simply as Medicine Buddha. His Mantra is…
Teyata, Om Bekanze Bekanze, Maha Bekanze, Randza Samudgate Soha

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: May 29, 2008, 8:46 am

Hi Paul,

We still don’t have a page on the Medicine Buddha mantra, but we do plan to add one.

You might be interested to know that the correct Sanskrit form of the short mantra is (tadyathā) oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye mahābhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye rāja samudgate svāhā (although your version has one bhaiṣajye fewer and may be an alternative short version).

This mantra seems more than most to be mangled in Tibetan pronunciation. This doesn’t mean the Tibetan mantra is wrong. Tibetans have been doing it that way for a long time, of course, so they way you’ve rendered the mantra is therefore the proper way to pronounce the mantra in the Tibetan tradition, and if you’re part of that Tradition then you really have to chant it that way or you won’t be able to join in with their rituals, but I think it’s also good to know what the original Sanskrit is.

This is perhaps especially important since the English rendering is itself an approximation of the Tibetan approximation of how the Sanskrit would be pronounced. Thus you also find the Tibetan rendered in roman characters as:

Tadyatha Om Bhekhaze Bhekhaze Maha Bhekhaze Raza Samungate Svaha

and

Tadyatha Om bekaja bekaja Maha bekaja bekaja raja samudgate ya Svaha.

You can’t really make sense of all this variation without looking at the Sanskrit.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from Angela
Time: June 16, 2008, 2:17 pm

Please will someone record the 100-syllable Vajrasattva mantra (and then the 500-syllable mantra). The only recording I can find is by Tibetan monks; it sounds indescribably beautiful but Sanskrit with a Tibetan accent is SO difficult to follow.

Thank you.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: June 17, 2008, 10:23 am

Hi Angela,

It’s on my famously long list of things to do — but I do promise I’ll get that done.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from pema delma
Time: June 20, 2008, 7:47 am

Actually i really am hurt and sad for i losed my love. We are depart forever but still i love him and i want to get him back. We have a daughter to but coz of his family he hate me now. We are at the moment of last justice in court so please let me know the mantras to get him back and give me the remedies too. I will be really greatful to you and will never forget it at all. But please send me the reply as soon as possible. With many love and thanx (Pema.)

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: June 20, 2008, 10:26 am

Hi Pema,

I’m sorry to hear about the painful situation you’re in. I don’t think that there are any mantras that can “make” things happen, but a mantra of peace like the Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) mantra will help you develop compassion for yourself and for the other people involved. Even if you don’t get the outcome you would like you’d feel more at peace.

But although it’s hard to do it’s very important that you let go of any craving for a particular outcome (like getting your lover back) — that kind of craving just causes suffering for everyone concerned. If you let go you’re more likely to be at peace and also more likely to get what you want.

With metta,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from Kristen
Time: June 26, 2008, 9:50 pm

Hi. I’ve read that ‘infinite potential’ is an important theme in Buddhism, and I was wondering if there were any Buddhist mantras or phrases that address this theme?
Thanks.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: June 29, 2008, 2:15 pm

Hi Kristen,

In a way all of the mantras address the theme of our infinite potential, since they’re ways of connecting with our own Buddha nature. But as far as an explicit recognition of our infinite potential goes, the mantra that springs to mind is OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM. This says something to the effect of “OM: All things are inherently pure by nature; I too am inherently pure by nature.”

This mantra points directly towards our own Buddha Nature, which is our unlimited potential for compassion and wisdom. I hope this is helpful.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: July 19, 2008, 10:30 pm

Dear Respectable Bodhipaksa,

You are doing a great job for every bodhi heart finding their way to buddhism.
May the Blessing of the Triple Gems be with you and all living beings.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.

Kelvin Ooi

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: July 19, 2008, 11:33 pm

Dear Respectable Bodhipaksa,

Just to share.

These Buddhists mantras are great, and could be practised anytime of the day and place.
It is great to put aside 30mins each evening to recite a few of the mantras, for example ;

1. Om Ah Hum, Jetsun Guru Padma Siddhi Hum x21times ( Purifying the mind )
2. Om Mani Padme Hum or x10 ( Universal Mantra for Alleviating any emergency, danger )
3. Om Arapacana Dhih ” ( Manjusri Mantra for development of wisdom )
4. Om Vajrapani Hum ” ( Vajrapani Mantra for development of courage )
5. Om Tare, Tuttare, Ture Svaha ( Green Tara Mantra for arousing compassion )
6. Om Tare, Tuttare, Ture Mama Ayuh ” ( White Tara Mantra for Longevity, and Good Health )
Punya Jhana Pustim Kuru Svaha overcome life’s obstacles
7. Om Amideva Hrih ” ( Amitabha Mantra for development of happiness )
8. Om Muni Muni, Maha Muni, Sakyamuni Svaha ” ( Sakyamuni Mantra for development of faith )
9. Gate Gate, Paragate, Parasangate, Bodhi Svaha ” ( Prajnaparamita Mantra fo development of )
Englightenment
10. Om Santih, Santih, Santih ( Mantra for Peace )

May the Blessing of the Triple Gems be with all.

Kelvin Ooi

Comment from Peace
Time: August 20, 2008, 5:15 am

Are there any mantras to ward away evil and mantras for protection?

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 20, 2008, 8:22 am

In essence all mantras are protective and help ward off evil. Vajrapani, however, is noted as a protector and appears in an early Buddhist text as a protector of the Buddha.

Tara also protects from dangers.

There are also many Pali chants called paritta (I’d suggest Googling the term) that have a protective function. Here’s a particularly nice translation of a paritta that I found on Wikipedia:

“O Buddha, the Hero, thou art wholly free from all evil. My adoration to thee. I have fallen into distress. Be thou my refuge.”

Lastly, can I suggest one of my guided meditations, which encourages the visualization of a protective aura. This is something I used to do when I was feeling stressed. The aura I visualized gave me a strong sense of being calmly protected within a bubble.

Comment from Peace
Time: August 21, 2008, 2:36 am

Ah, thank you very much for answering my question.
I would like to ask another question, if it’s not a bother to you.
Is it alright to read suttas and mantras in English? Or would it be better to read them in Pali?

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 21, 2008, 8:06 am

Chanting mantras in the original language is pretty much standard practice. They generally don’t have a lot of conceptual context and since they’re generally short it’s not too hard to get a sense of what, if anything, the words mean.

But studying Buddhist suttas or sutras in the original is a massive undertaking. I studied Pali at university for two years and I still have to pick my way through a text with a dictionary and a grammar manual on hand. For all but scholars (amateur or professional) it’s much better to read those in translation.

Comment from Peace
Time: August 22, 2008, 9:27 pm

Thank you very much for answering my questions and sharing your knowledge.
I am most grateful

Comment from Jayarava
Time: August 23, 2008, 5:18 am

I get a lot out of picking over a text with dictionary and grammar in hand. I usually learn more, sometimes I memorise the text, and I get a more detailed understanding. Of course one covers less ground, but it’s more satisfying in the long run to know one text in detail, than a dozen superficially.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 23, 2008, 6:17 am

Me too, Jayarava. Especially when I’m teaching from a text (we were studying the Dhammapada in my prison class a while back, for example) I like to look at the original. And Ratnaguna’s going to be doing a weekend on parts of the Sutta Nipata and I wouldn’t dream of going without checking out the Pali.

But I’d classify us more as amateur scholars. For the vast majority of people who are just starting out it’s likely going to be a better use of their time and energy just to understand the teachings in their native tongue.

Comment from Diane
Time: October 5, 2008, 9:28 pm

I have only just started investigating Mantras and chanting .. have been listening to ‘Karma-avoiding Mantra’ and it seems to ’speak’ to me .. what is the chanting about and what they are actually chanting (phonetically)? Not knowing what the actual words/sounds are I get too caught up trying to figure that out rather than just concentrating on the sounds themselves.

Thanks!

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 5, 2008, 10:10 pm

Hi Diane: I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that mantra.

Comment from Diane
Time: October 5, 2008, 10:37 pm

Thanks for such a quick reply ..

This is a link to it if you would like to listen ..
http://diydharma.org/karmaavoiding-mantra-unknown

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 6, 2008, 12:34 pm

Well it begins with an Om and ends with a soha/svaha, but because it’s a far-eastern version of a mantra I can’t even guess what the middle part is. If you really like this mantra it’s from a CD called “Buddhist Chants – Music For Contemplation And Reflection” and it’s possible that the liner notes would tell you what the “lyrics” are.

Comment from Diane
Time: October 6, 2008, 7:12 pm

.. you have worked out exactly the same bits I had :) .. The Om and the soha .. I will try the liner notes as you suggest ..

Thanks again

Comment from Trish
Time: October 19, 2008, 12:24 pm

Dear Bodhipaksa,

Thank you for the lovely mantras you have on this site. Do you know of a CD with the mantras that are used by the FWBO – Free Buddhist Audio does not seem to have one. Do you have any suggestions?
With Metta,
Trish

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 19, 2008, 8:33 pm

Hi Trish,

Sadly, I don’t know of any such CD. Sunada and I have been talking about doing something along those lines, but we’ve both been busy with various projects and if it happens it’ll be some way off in the future.

Metta,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: October 21, 2008, 1:14 pm

Hi Trish,

I wonder if my suggestion meet your wish list…

Go online to locate ‘Imee Ooi ‘…she has produced beautiful CDs
like Green Tara….Om mani Padme Hum…

Best to you.

Kelvin Ooi

Comment from Trish
Time: October 22, 2008, 3:08 pm

Thank you for your suggestion, Kelvin – I’ll certainly follow it up!
Metta,
Trish

Comment from bhavya
Time: November 6, 2008, 4:06 pm

i want to knw the buddhist mantras for overall well being like getting positive energy ,having good aura around you,ward off
evil energy around me and being peaceful please hel;p me as i im in need of it desperately ,will look forward for your respo
nse

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: November 7, 2008, 9:52 am

Hi Bhavya,

You might like to try this mantra.

Cundi Dharani
___________

namah saptānām , samyak-sambuddha kotinam ..
tad-yathā …om …. cale cule cundi svāhā

( repeat as many times at each prayer time – reap good benefits )

Best wishes.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 7, 2008, 9:57 am

Any mantra, recited with full attention, will protect the mind and give you positive energy.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 7, 2008, 10:28 am

Also found as: namo saptanam samyaksambuddha kotinam tadyatha: om, cale, cule, cundi svaha.

The actual root mantra is the bit that follows “tadyatha,” which means “thus.” (All the C’s are pronounced like the CH in the English word “church,” but you can hear an audio version of the mantra here.)

It’s not a mantra I’m familiar with and it seems to be a rather late one. There’s a little bit about it on Visible Mantra, the sutra it’s from is found here, and you can see the script here, although the image is lifted from another site.

Comment from Shahid Ahsan
Time: November 15, 2008, 3:04 am

I am trying for a year to get texts of Budhist mantra and sacred holy books to read. I like to read them, for example from first line to the last. Like I can read the whole Bible or the whole Bhagavad Gita. But all I get is no mantra and no sacred and holy budhist book but zillions of web links that lead me to other Budhist web sites which show zillion more web links but no sign of any budhist sacred or holly book or mantra for me to read. Can you show me a web site where I can read an entire Budhist sacred book and mantra.
Regards
Shahid

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 15, 2008, 11:41 am

Hi Shahid,

There are so many Buddhist canonical texts, but no single source as with the Bible or Koran, which may be part of your problem. What’s regarded as a genuine Buddhist text varies from tradition to tradition as well.

In the Theravadin tradition the “holy” texts form what is known as the Pali Canon, and this forms a body of work many times larger than the Bible. Some of this is available online at Access to Insight and that’s a good place to start your researches. A text like the Dhammapada is a good one to start with.

There are also many later Mahayana texts, including the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, White Lotus Sutra, Vimalakirti Nirdesha, etc, but I’d suggest that it’s generally best to start with the Pali texts since they represent the earliest teachings and they’re generally more straightforward.

Comment from annie
Time: November 16, 2008, 3:25 pm

Dear Souls,

If you do not mind a recommendation, there is a very special book available called “The Mantra Book” by Lillian Too. It contains many mantras, their meaning, translations and explanations.

I have found it worthwhile maybe you will too.

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: November 17, 2008, 9:49 pm

Dear Souls,

Annie’s recommendation is good; Lillian writes from Malaysia and she has guru from Tibet and she’s good author
in several of her Feng-Shui books.

Best regards.

Kelvin

Comment from Jordana
Time: November 19, 2008, 7:07 am

Could somebody explainme the leaning of the following mantra: OM AMOKA VAIROSHANA MAHA MUDRA MANI PADMA SHUBARA PRABA RATAYA HUM

Thank you!

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 19, 2008, 8:49 am

Hi Jordana,

Yikes! That’s horribly mangled, so I’m not surprised you couldn’t figure out what it was. It’s a garbled form of the Vairocana mantra, which seems more usually to be found as:

Oṃ Amogha vairocana, mahā-mudrā, maṇi-padma, jvala pravartaya hūṃ

That would be something like

Om unfailing Illuminator, the great symbol, the jewel-lotus-flame set-in-motion hūm.

But you seem to have found a variant form:

Oṃ Amogha vairocana, mahā-mudrā, maṇi-padma, śubhra pravartaya hūṃ

śubhra means white, pure, shining, or immaculate, but given that Vairocana is the illuminator the primary sense is probably of radiance, like the light of a fire (śubhra, or radiance, having been substititued for jvala, or flame).

The shorter form of Vairocana’s mantra is:

oṃ vairocana hūṃ

Comment from Dharma
Time: November 19, 2008, 2:16 pm

Hello all-

I am seeking the perfect mantra for inscription on a wedding ring. I have looked everywhere for someone to do
Sanskrit calligriphic translation of the phrase “we attribute this union to a higher source”.

Is anyone able to help or make suggestions?

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 19, 2008, 4:05 pm

Hi Dharma,

You probably need two things:

1. A Sanskrit scholar who can reliably translate those words for you (and possibly another to check the translation), and
2. Someone to do the calligraphy.

There isn’t really a Sanskrit script as such — Sanskrit is written in a variety of scripts and you’d have to choose which you wanted.

Jayarava at visiblemantra.org might be able to do the calligraphy, but I’d hesitate to recommend a Sanskritist — perhaps you should check out universities.

Comment from mad buddhist
Time: November 25, 2008, 7:19 am

what type of mantra is “ohm manay paymay hum?”, i use it all the time and i’ve heard that if you whisper it to a hyper animal or an animal that doesn’t feel safe in your hands, it will calm down, is this true? if not what does it do? please answer as i love this mantra and would like to know the complexities of it.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 25, 2008, 8:29 am

Hi Mad,

That’s the Avalokiteshvara mantra, which is Om Mane Padme Hum (although in Tibetan pronunciation Padme becomes Pémé). My opinion would be that it’s the tone of voice you use in speaking to an animal that makes a difference rather than the words you use. I don’t think the mantra has any special powers. I’m sure some Buddhists would disagree, of course! Anyway, hopefully that link will answer your questions.

Comment from bhavya
Time: November 25, 2008, 9:02 am

hi bodhipaksa,

please can you help me how tp pronounce this i do not wan to make mistakes,namah saptānām , samyak-sambuddha kotinam ..
tad-yathā …om …. cale cule cundi svāhā
,would love to hear form as soon as posible…

thank you
bhavya

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: November 25, 2008, 9:24 am

As a quick guide, pronounce all short A’s (no bar over them) like the “u” in Elgish “cut” and all long A’s (ā) as in English “father”; all C’s are like the “ch” in English “church.”

The M at the end of saptānām and kotinam is like the “ng” in English “long.”

The “th” in yathā is not like the “th” in English “the” or “thin” but like the “t-h” combination in “hot ham.”

Comment from Kelvin Ooi
Time: November 25, 2008, 9:44 am

Hi there,

Om Mani Padme Hum mantra is popularly known as “The Jewel in the Lotus ”

The meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum is ” Om , salutations to the Jewel of consciousness ( the Mind )
which has reached the Heart’s lotus.

Each time we say Om Mani Padme Hum, we invoke the Devine Powers of Avalokitshvara, who has infinite
compassion and who out of his infinite compassion made a noble pledge to Buddha Amitabah that he will
liberate all sentinel beings from six realms of sufferings.

6 realms of suffering ;

1. OM liberates/purifies us from emotions of bliss and pride in the samsaric realm of the Gods.
2. Ma ” ” ” ” ” ” jealousy and lust fro entertainment in the samsaric realm of Demi-Gods
3. Ni ” ” ” ” ” ” passion and desire in the samsaric realm of Humans
4. Pad ‘ ” ” ” ” ” stupidity and prejudice in the samsaric realm of animals
5. Me ” ” ” ” ” ” poverty and possessiveness in the samsaric realm of hungry ghosts
6. Hum ” ” ” ” ” ” aggression and hatred in the samsaric realm of hell.

The mantra Om Mani Padme Hum purifies us at 3 levels, Mind, Speech and Body.

Make effort to overcome the 6 relams of sufferings.

Regards.

Kelvin

Comment from s
Time: January 26, 2009, 5:59 pm

Hi was going thru your site sp the comments section and was so happy to see you enthusiastic interaction which iam sure means a lot to someone who is seeking answers and ofcourse your knowledge is deep. great!! i was surfing for B chants and found one but unfortunately there is no album detail to help get the chants. if it is not too much trouble could i requeast u to visit the link an dlet me know ? think u might know for sure, thanks and all the very very best. take care

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: January 27, 2009, 9:44 am

Hi S:

I’m afraid that none of the mantras we have here are available in CD form at present. I’ve been talking to Sunada for a long time now about putting together a CD, and hopefully that’ll happen before too long.

Comment from s
Time: January 29, 2009, 8:00 am

thanks B . also do let me know when it goes on CD or online download if that is not to much trouble.
take care

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: January 29, 2009, 8:36 am

Hi S.

I’d suggest that you sign up for our monthly newsletter since I’m likely to forget to let you know. You can sign up using the form on our home page. I hope we won’t keep you waiting too long.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from rajjeev
Time: August 4, 2009, 6:11 am

Dear Sir
Which is the most powerful mantra or prayer in Buddhism

I’m aware of Om namu myo ho renge kyo
and Om mani padme hum

Thanks
rajjeev

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: August 4, 2009, 9:16 am

Hi Rajjeev,

I don’t think in terms of there being mantras that are less or more powerful. In Buddhist practice it’s the quality of attention that you bring to a practice that makes it effective. If you do any mantra with as much mindfulness, faith, and concentration as possible, then that mantra will be a powerful one.

It helps if you pick a mantra you’re attracted to — and in some cases that means picking a mantra that’s associated with a Buddha or bodhisattva that you’re attracted to. The interest and faith that you have in the deity will help you commit yourself to the mantra.

All the best,
Bodhipaksa

Comment from Nigel
Time: October 26, 2009, 11:59 am

In the Chinese transliterated version of the Cundi mantra, after

‘Om Cale, Cule, Cunde Svaha’, the Chinese version has a closing phrase; “Om Bu lin”.

Do you have any idea what the original Sanskrit may have been and what it means? Thank you!

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: October 26, 2009, 12:33 pm

I’m afraid I couldn’t begin to guess. Anyone else?

Comment from Nigel
Time: October 30, 2009, 12:12 am

I dug around and found that the ‘Bu Lin’ is representing Sanskrit ‘Bruhm’. I looked around more for ‘Bruhm’, and it appears to be related to ‘Brahm’ (maybe?).

So, Om Bruhm/Om Brahm being used to close a mantra recitation, might be an invocation of the divine spirit in creation? That is my current theory.

Comment from Jayarava
Time: October 30, 2009, 11:00 am

The original Sanskrit syllable is bhrūṃ भ्रूं (pronounced boron in Japanese, and bu lin in Chinese). Bruhm is just a spelling mistake I think.

In Shingon bhrūṃ is associated with Ekākṣara-uṣṇīṣa-cakra (Ichiji kinrin) – Wheel of the Crown of a Single Syllable. Also with the Karaṇḍa-mudrā dhāraṇī. For more on Uṣṇiṣa in Japanese Buddhism you could try Grotenhuis Japanese Mandalas.
Other Uṣṇiṣa deities are found in Buddhism as well.

A Tibetan version of the syllable can be seen here.
My Siddhaṃ calligraphy is here.

Another aspect of this bīja is that the strokes include elements of all the 13 main Shingon Deities and so is said to represent them all in one bīja.

bhrūṃ is not obviously related to brahm. It could be bhrū meaning ‘brow’ (they are actually cognate) – bhrūmaṇḍala is the arc of the eyebrow for instance. It may hark back to the verbal root bhṛ (to bear) which gives us bhrūṇ (to hope, fear etc) and bhrūṇa (an embryo). None of these are particularly connected with the ideas above – but that is mantra for you.

Bhrūṃ is being used here as a bīja for Cundī. Nothing to do with divine spirits or creation or Brahma.

See also here where they also suggest bhrum rather than bruhm in relation to Cundī

Regards
Jayarava

Comment from Nigel
Time: November 1, 2009, 7:29 pm

Jayarava,

Thank you immensely!!! For sharing your scholarship and insight with me! I am grateful to benefit. It would otherwise have taken me much longer to find this information.

Yes, the syllable was referred to as the Great Wheel One Syllable Mantra, and so I’m fairly certain that your interpretation is correct. Thank you again!

Comment from Arthur
Time: January 26, 2010, 5:46 am

Hi there,

I have a question regarding the importance of pronunciation of mantras. Currently I am chanting the 100 syllable Vajrasattva Mantra and I am aware of the different ways as to how the mantra is pronunced (i.e. Sanskrit, Tibetan, which differs quite a lot). I am thus quite confused as to whether it is really important to get the pronunciation perfect (like the Brahmins who insisted on absolutely correct pronunciation). I’ve read websites that said the attitude behind the chanting of mantra is more important than mere pronunciation – and this sounds like a very comforting advise.

What do you guys think?

Cheers
Arthur

Comment from Jayarava
Time: January 26, 2010, 1:13 pm

Hi Arthur

You can find my thoughts on this on my blog: A Pronouncement on Pronunciation.

Jayarava

Comment from Arthur
Time: January 27, 2010, 1:18 am

Thanks Jayarava. It was very comprehensive and I like what you said about getting as close to the original pronunciation (Sanskrit) as possible. Of course, this doesn’t mean the Tibetan way of saying the mantra is bad or wrong. I guess it bears down to personal conviction, at the end of the day.

I also heard the mp3 of the Vajrasattva Mantra you put up and am using it for my mantra chanting – personally, I would like to be as close to the original language as possible.

Thanks again, Jayarava.

Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: January 27, 2010, 10:34 am

To quote from jayarava’s excellent (but long) article:

So do we need to pronounce mantras correctly? I think we should make an effort on aesthetic grounds, it is more beautiful; and also on the basis that we all like our names to be pronounced correctly. I find it is a useful mindfulness practice, and most people need to be more mindful! But outside of the tantric tradition it is not vital, and, sadly, even within that tradition it seems to be many centuries since there was any real effort to maintain Sanskrit pronunciation.