mantra
Meditation's repeated word
A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound repeated during meditation or prayer, originally in Hindu and Buddhist traditions where Sanskrit syllables like om are believed to have spiritual power.
The term has broadened to mean any statement or slogan repeated frequently to reinforce a belief or goal: Her mantra is "progress, not perfection".
In casual use, someone's mantra is simply their guiding principle or favorite saying.
Hindu meditative chant
- SanskritAncient Indo-Aryan language
- VedicOf Hindu sacred writings
- malaPrayer bead necklace
- mokshaRelease from rebirth cycle
karma · yoga · dharma · chakras · ashram · puja · Upanishads · Brahman
Formal event marking occasions
- prayerAddress to deity
- incantationSpoken magical formula
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
- worshipReligious reverence and praise
offering · consecration · sacred · blessing · priest · temple · altar · beads
Affirming or certain
- self-beliefTrust in one's capabilities
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- intentionPlanned purpose for acting
- visualizationForming mental or graphical images
self-talk · daily · morning · mirror · repetition · empowerment · mindset · motivation
Oral delivery from memory
- repetitionAct of redoing
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
- intonationPitch variation in speech
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
melody · call-and-response · communal · sacred · syllables · vibration · sound · resonance
Rhythmic repetitive vocalization
- meditationFocused attention practice
- TibetanOf a Himalayan region
- dharmaCosmic moral order
- sanghaBuddhist religious community
Theravada · Mahayana · Zen · bodhi · bodhisattva · vipassana · mindfulness · om
Awareness of the present
- breathAir taken in
- focusConcentrated attention point
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
presence · concentration · centering · calm · tranquility · serenity · contemplation · silence
om
Hindu meditative chant
moksha · karma · yoga · dharma · chakras · ashram · puja · Upanishads · Brahman · guru
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- prayerAddress to deity
- incantationSpoken magical formula
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
worship · offering · consecration · sacred · blessing · priest · temple · altar · beads · rosary
positive
Affirming or certain
- self-beliefTrust in one's capabilities
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- intentionPlanned purpose for acting
visualization · self-talk · daily · morning · mirror · repetition · empowerment · mindset · motivation · gratitude
recitation
Oral delivery from memory
- repetitionAct of redoing
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
- intonationPitch variation in speech
rhythm · melody · call-and-response · communal · sacred · syllables · vibration · sound · resonance · breath
chanting
Rhythmic repetitive vocalization
- meditationFocused attention practice
- TibetanOf a Himalayan region
- dharmaCosmic moral order
sangha · Theravada · Mahayana · Zen · bodhi · bodhisattva · vipassana · mindfulness · om · mani
mindfulness
Awareness of the present
awareness · presence · concentration · centering · calm · tranquility · serenity · contemplation · silence · sitting
catchphrase
Signature line of words
watchword · rallying cry · byword · saying · maxim · refrain · theme · guiding principle · truism · adage
- Hindu spiritualityatman, moksha, karma, dharma, yoga
- HinduismVishnu, Shiva, Krishna, Ganesh, Ganesha
- Eastern SpiritualityBuddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto
- Bhakti Musicaarti, devotional song, prayer song, sacred song
- VedicUpanishads, Vedanta, Brahman, Atman, prana
- spiritualitysacred, enlightened, divine, holy, spiritual growth
mantraimprovisation
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
ad-lib · stream of consciousness · free association · novelty · inconsistency
mantracurse
Invoked harm through words
profanity · blasphemy · distraction · noise · cacophony
mantrasilence
Total lack of sound
wordlessness · inner silence · quietude · stillness · muteness
- mantra meditationPractice using repeated phrases