Tantric Mantras: Studies on Mantrasastra by André Padoux

This study of mantra provides the first single-author comprehensive assessment of the significance of this important practice. The author begins with a discussion of the use of mantra in ritual and meditative contexts and then examines the arising of mantra in conjunction with the body, a process known as mantroddhära. Japa, or the repetition of mantra, is examined in the context of the manner in which it is enacted, including loudly, softly, or mentally, and the number of rounds to be performed, from 108 to several thousands. André Padoux discusses the relationship between the Hindu practice of mantra and the Muslim practice of dhikr and mentions Buddhist mantras briefly.