What are mantra in Buddhism?

Bright on Buddhism Episode 24 - What is the meaning of the word mantra? What are the different understandings of this word in Buddhism? What are some of the most famous mantras and their function? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; Nagarjuna: Verses of The Middle Way (The Madhyamakarika); Conze, Edward, trans. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines and Its Verse Summary. Bolinas, CA: Four Seasons Foundation, 1973.; The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, page 1, Tharpa Publications (2nd. ed., 1995) ISBN 978-0-948006-50-0; Flanagan, Owen (2011-08-12). The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized. MIT Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-262-29723-3.; Williams, Paul, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, Routledge, 2008, pp. 195–196.; Abe, Ryūichi (1999), The weaving of mantra: Kukai and the construction of esoteric Buddhist discourse, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231112864; Conze, Edward (2003), Buddhism: Its Essence and Development, Dover Publications, ISBN 978-0486430959; Durgananda, Swami. Meditation Revolution. (Agama Press, 1997). ISBN 0-9654096-0-0; Vishnu-Devananda, Swami (1981), Meditation and Mantras, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, ISBN 81-208-1615-3 Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at [email protected], or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu! Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host