It seems like everyone, from companies to online influencers to fitness coaches, talk about having mantras. But what are mantras, anyway? In this episode, we'll talk about how they compare to birdsong, Tibetan singing bowls, and spells at Hogwarts, as well as some ancient debates about whether they mean anything, and why that matters.

Listen to more episodes of Sutras & Stuff at www.sutrasandstuff.com.

Sounds and Music

All music excerpts and soundbites used with an understanding of fair use modification for educational purposes.

Theme music by­ https://incompetech.filmmusic.io Kevin MacLeod’s music

Lounge Ambient Music Loop by user orangefree sound, posted to Freesound.com on July 8, 2014. https://freesound.org/people/orangefreesounds/sounds/242080/

Tibetan Chanting by user djgriffin, posted to Freesound.com on February 7, 2006. https://freesound.org/people/djgriffin/sounds/15488/

Sources

Documentary Educational Resources. “Altar of Fire – Preview.” YouTube video, posted Sept 19, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvvI3bIAgVA

Dictionary.com. “The Meanings Behind “Harry Potter” Spells.” July 29, 2019. https://www.dictionary.com/e/s/rowling-spells/

Grimes, Samuel. “Where Did ‘Tibetan’ Singing Bowls Really Come From?” Tricyle. Mar 4, 2020. https://tricycle.org/article/tibetan-singing-bowls/

McGill University. “Do Birdsong and Human Speech Share Biological Roots?” YouTube video, posted Nov 22, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heMy6dlWvkQ

Staal, Frits. “Mantras and Bird Songs.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 105, no. 3 (1985): 549-558.