Mantras

Mantra recitation is a practice performed by some who follow the Mahayana path, and especially, but not exclusively, in Tibetan/Himalayan Buddhism. The meaning of the Sanskrit word “mantra” is sometimes translated as: spell; magic formula; or more accurately reflecting the purpose of a mantra: mind trainer, or mind protector.

Mantras can be very short, consisting of just a few syllables, or more than a thousand such as with the Shurangama mantra. Some may be translated, whilst others have no direct meaning, and it is the very sound of the mantra that carries its efficacy. Some mantras have been translated into English, but many great Masters discourage us from focusing on such translations and instead to concentrate on the transcendental vibrations of the sound.