Generically mantra refers to sacred words or syllables used repeatedly in religious and ceremonial rituals. The term "mantra" is derived from Sanskrit man, "mind," and tra, "to deliver."
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/m/mantra.htmlLama Anagarika Govinda defined a mantra as a 'tool for thinking,' a 'thing which creates a mental picture.'" (Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, 1969) Govinda continued. "The mantra...is knowledge, the truth beyond right and wrong, real being beyond thinking and reflecting. What the mantra expresses in sound exists and comes to pass."
Mantras can be used in three ways: verbal, semiverbal, and silent. Verbal repetition of mantras so anyone can hear them is the lowest form of their usage while silent repetition is the highest. While others, such as the Krishna sect, feel that verbal chanting is more powerful. The semiverbal form is when the vocal chords vibrate but no sound is uttered.
Some stress methods in the use of mantras. The correct pronunciation and intonement of mantras is extremely important. This creates strong vibrations that effect every vibration of every universal thing including the deities and lower spirits.
Also, the mantra is thought to be a manifestation of shabda, or sacred sound that can be controlled either to create or destroy. Such a concept also is discovered in the ancient Grecian theory of music, "in which the keynote of a particular organism, body, or substance can be used to cause it to disintegrate."
The Turning Wheel of Om Mani Padme Hum
