Mantra and Sacred Sound in Meditation Traditions

What a mantra is

Researchers who study mantra propose this working definition: a mantra is a phrase or sound that has been repeated and sanctified over time within a spiritual tradition. [1] NCCIH uses a simpler description: a mantra is a repeated word or phrase that some meditators keep their attention on. [2] In a tradition the word carries religious meaning, which is why some scholars ask that researchers use the term carefully. [1]

Origins and traditions

Reference works place the earliest mention of mantras in the Vedas of India and the Avesta of Iran, and scholars consider that mantra use began in India before 1000 BC. [3] Mantra practice is found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and japa is the meditative repetition of a mantra or divine name. [4] Repetitions may be counted on a string of beads (a japamala), which generally has 108 beads. [4]

Traditions differ on who may use a mantra. A ritual initiation into a specific mantra is often required for reciting certain mantras in some traditions, while in others certain mantras are open to all. [3] For that reason this page does not list mantras to chant or explain how to practice a particular one. If a practice matters to you, learn it from a teacher in that tradition. See Vedic and Hindu meditation traditions and Buddhist meditation traditions. Muslim dhikr and Christian prayer words are covered on Islamic and Sufi contemplative practices and meditation and prayer.

Traditional aims and health claims

In the traditions, mantra practice has devotional and spiritual aims. Health studies use mantra repetition as a technique for attention and relaxation, which is a different purpose. Some modern programs borrow the technique without the religious setting; see secular and religious meditation and Transcendental Meditation.

What research shows

1. Mantra-based meditation for mental-health symptoms

   Promising but limited

   Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials: small to moderate reductions in anxiety, depression, stress and post-traumatic stress versus controls; the authors note risk of bias and few trials in psychiatric samples [5]

2. Mantram repetition for PTSD in veterans

   Promising but limited (one main trial)

   Trial of 173 veterans, 8 weekly sessions, vs present-centered therapy: greater improvement in clinician-rated PTSD severity and insomnia; assessors were blinded, participants knew their group [6]

3. Mantra meditation for pain

   Mixed

   Meta-analysis of 7 studies (374 people): better mental quality of life and mood, but no significant effect on pain itself, anxiety, stress or sleep; study quality low to moderate [7]

4. Om chanting and meditation

   Insufficient evidence for health outcomes

   Review of 20 studies, most lasting 3 days or less, reported brain-wave and heart-rate-variability changes; 17 were quasi-experimental and 3 randomized [8]

5. Brain activity during chanting

   Preclinical / physiological finding only

   Systematic review of 24 neuroimaging studies: activity in attention and emotion-regulation areas and quieter default-mode areas; studies too varied to pool [9]

The meta-analysis of mantra-based meditation included techniques such as Transcendental Meditation. [5] Participants cannot be blinded to meditation, and some comparisons were with passive control groups, so some of the effect may reflect expectation. The trial that compared mantram repetition with an active therapy is the stronger design, but it is a single trial. [6] For how mantra compares with silent and guided practice, see silent, mantra and guided practice compared.

Mystical experiences

In an online survey of 464 people in 33 countries who regularly chant, 60 percent reported mystical states during chanting, with no difference between vocal, silent, group or solo chanting. [10] This is self-report and not a health outcome.

Teachers

NCCIH suggests asking about an instructor's training and experience. [2] For secular mindfulness teaching, see standards for mindfulness teachers. Where a tradition requires initiation, it is given within that tradition. [3]

Related pages

Types of meditation, chanting, mantra and drumming, kundalini, chakra and subtle-body claims.