Mantra
A sacred sound or phrase from the Sanskrit traditions, repeated in worship, protection and meditation.
Also: mantram, japa
Mantra is a Sanskrit word for a formula of sound: a syllable, a name of a deity, a verse. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains each use mantras, and each tradition gives them a different weight. Repeating one, called japa, is a common daily practice, often counted on a string of beads. Practitioners hold that a mantra works through its exact sound, which is why many are given by a teacher at initiation and kept private. Others, such as Om or the Gayatri, are widely shared. Some mantras are used in healing or protective rites, and a few traditions use them for harm, which others condemn. Scholars see them as sound used to focus attention and mark belonging.