Within the Mantra school a common practice is to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum. These Sanskrit words mean "taking refuge in the mani jewel in the lotus." The recitation of mantras is not so much in the understanding of what the words mean but in focusing the mind away from deluded thoughts. While this may sound easy in theory, it is hard in practice. According to the sutras, if we can say this mantra with one-pointedness of mind, we can be free from the cycles of rebirth and be reborn in the Pure Land. The Mahayanasutra-lamkara-tika describes the merit of reciting this mantra as follows, "The Buddha wanted it to be known to all good men and women that this dharani is the wondrous original mind of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. If one sees this, one knows the way of liberation."
How well we say a mantra depends not so much on how accurately we pronounce the words but how focused we are. We need to focus our mind as we say one word after another. As long as we are mindful, it does not matter even if we say it wrong inadvertently or mispronounce some of the words. I do mean this literally, and I have a story to illustrate my point. Many years ago in a remote part of China lived an elderly woman. She wanted very much to practice Buddhism, but she lived in a very inaccessible place and had not yet had a chance to meet a teacher. One day, a lay Buddhist passed by the village, holding a string of prayer beads in his hands. As he walked, he kept up with his prayers. The elderly woman was delighted to find a Buddhist in her midst. She went up to the man and asked him how she should practice. The man was pleasantly surprised for no one had ever asked him such a question. He told the elderly woman, "I'll teach you a mantra."
The woman asked, "What mantra?"
The man replied, "Om mani padme niu." The Chinese character for hum is written very similar to the character for cow (pronounced as "niu"), and he mistakenly pronounced "hum" as "niu."
The woman was delighted that she had finally learned a way to practice. Every day she recited the mantra like the man had shown her. To keep track of how many times she had recited, she kept a pile of beans in front of her. Each time she said the mantra, she moved a bean from one side to the other. With utmost sincerity and singular focus, she said the mantra day in and day out. As time passed, her practice progressed to the point that the body, mind, and mouth were all reciting the mantra in unison. Every time she said the mantra, a bean would automatically jump from one side to the other. She did not have to move the beans at all.
Years passed. One day a mendicant monk passed through the village. The woman was ecstatic to see a monastic coming through, and as it was getting late, she invited the monk to stay for the night. When it was time for her evening practice, she began to say the mantra, "Om mani padme niu, …."The monk immediately realized that she mispronounced the mantra and corrected her on the spot. Now that the woman realized she had been mispronouncing the mantra, she wanted to correct herself. From that point on, the beans no longer jumped across the table on their own accord. In the past when there was no discrimination in her mind, she was able to say the mantra with single mindedness, so much so that even an inanimate object like a bean was moved by her sincerity. Now that she was worried about pronouncing the mantra correctly, she could no longer keep her mind focused like before, and her practice actually suffered. From this, we can see that while it is important to learn the sutras and mantras correctly, it is even more critical to focus the mind and do so with sincerity.
When we recite a mantra, we should not just recite it with our speech. We should also do so with our body and mind, or else the recitation is empty of meaning. Our hands should be in a mudra, and our mind should focus on what we are saying. To help the mind focus, it is a common practice in the Mantra school to contemplate the Sanskrit symbols of mantra words. When we recite mantras with our body, mind, and mouth, [we are in essence keeping the three doors of karma closed to delusion] and providing the conditions for our practice to grow. Reciting mantras in this manner can also help us grow in wisdom, keep our mind on right thought, mollify the effects of our unwholesome karma, attract goodness, and keep us from harm's way. In fact, when non-Buddhists hear a recitation of a mantra, a buddha seed is planted in their consciousness, which will germinate given the right conditions. On a more practical note, reciting mantras in a focused manner can help us stay calm in the face of crises and help us view our problems in perspective.
http://www.blia.org/english/publications/booklet/pages/28.htm
/\
One of my family member who is a Christian asked me this question. She asked me (kind of laughing at us), how an auntie who can't write and read chants （结缘） at the funeral ?
I also told her that sincerity is more important than pronounciation. Dharma is above words and languages.
huh? by their logic, then the auntie cannot read bible, cannot be save by god?
the auntie, can be taught how to chant. be it with mouth or with the mind.
thus i heard, accurate pronounciation of mantra, Buddha also got use before. the way the vocal core vibrate can activate certain part/chi of the body to help cure illness and stuff. something like chi gong/TCM, but it's using sound. but this kind of curing method now no more already. few hundred years ago, still have. u need a Buddha or a well cultivated person to teach u the mantra accurately. but this is for quite a different purpose. of coz one need sincerity as well. :)
/\