"For [the mantra] to be effective, you must say it very clearly; one mantra recited with perfect sound has more power than a hundred mumbled indistinctly. Each syllable should be articulated cleanly, clearly, and smoothly, with a uniform rhythm and pitch. It should not be slurred or irregular, with some phrases fast and others slow, or some syllables high and others low." - Lama Zopa. Becoming Vajrasattva : the Tantric Path to Purification. Wisdom Publications. p.85
"the mystery of speech - to recite the mantras in secret, pronouncing them distinctly without making the slightest error” - Kūkai. 'Benkenmitsu nikyō ron' in Hakeda, Major Works, p.220
"Sanskrit is a complex language, with 52 letters; the only way to accurately transliterate all these letters into the Roman system - that used in English - is to use diacritical marks. Although this methods creates headaches for both the writer and the printer, it is worth pursuing in the case of the tantras because an inaccurate transliteration of a mantra will weaken it's power" - Meditations on the Lower Tantras : From the Collected Works of the Previous Dalai Lamas. Compiled and edited by Glenn H. Mullin. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2004. (colophon)
[NB: Sanskrit has 50 letters and adding diacritics is no longer a headache for either writer or printer! - Jayarava]
The Perfectly Enlightened One’s mantras
Are made up of syllables, names, or clauses;
Like the statements made by Indra
They are meaningful and effective
- Kūkai. 'Shōji jissō gi' in Hakeda, Kūkai: Major Works, p.238.
"the mystery of speech - to recite the mantras in secret, pronouncing them distinctly without making the slightest error” - Kūkai. 'Benkenmitsu nikyō ron' in Hakeda, Major Works, p.220
"Sanskrit is a complex language, with 52 letters; the only way to accurately transliterate all these letters into the Roman system - that used in English - is to use diacritical marks. Although this methods creates headaches for both the writer and the printer, it is worth pursuing in the case of the tantras because an inaccurate transliteration of a mantra will weaken it's power" - Meditations on the Lower Tantras : From the Collected Works of the Previous Dalai Lamas. Compiled and edited by Glenn H. Mullin. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2004. (colophon)
[NB: Sanskrit has 50 letters and adding diacritics is no longer a headache for either writer or printer! - Jayarava]
The Perfectly Enlightened One’s mantras
Are made up of syllables, names, or clauses;
Like the statements made by Indra
They are meaningful and effective
- Kūkai. 'Shōji jissō gi' in Hakeda, Kūkai: Major Works, p.238.
