---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mantras, however, are mysterious and…"
description: "\"The mantras, however, are mysterious and each word is profound in meaning. When they are transliterated into Chinese, the original meanings are modifie..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/kukai-95680_chinese_the-mantras-however-are-mysterious-and-e_2638690.jpg"
---

#  The mantras, however, are mysterious and each word is…

![“The mantras, however, are mysterious and each word is profound in meaning. When they are transliterated into Chinese, the original meanings are modified and the long and short vowels are confused. In the end we can get roughly similar sounds but not precisely the same ones. Unless we use Sanskrit…” quote by Kukai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/kukai-95680_chinese_the-mantras-however-are-mysterious-and-e_2638690.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/kukai-95680_chinese_the-mantras-however-are-mysterious-and-e_2638690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/kukai-95680_chinese_the-mantras-however-are-mysterious-and-e_2638690.jpg)

> “The mantras, however, are mysterious and each word is profound in meaning. When they are transliterated into Chinese, the original meanings are modified and the long and short vowels are confused. In the end we can get roughly similar sounds but not precisely the same ones. Unless we use Sanskrit, it is hardly possible to differentiate the long and short sounds. The purpose of retaining the source materials, indeed, lies here.”

[Kukai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kukai/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Transliteration alters mantra sounds; Sanskrit preserves original phonetics.

**In simple terms:** Sanskrit keeps true mantra sounds.

Key Takeaway

Prefer original language for precision.

Themes

language translation phonetics

Mood

scholarly reflective

Type

Chinese:1 Confused:0 Differentiate:0 Ends:0 Long:0 Lying:0 Mantras:1 Materials:0 Mysterious:0 Originals:0 Profound:0 Purpose:0 Retaining:0 Sanskrit:1 Sound:0 Source:0 Use:0 Vowels:0 Transliterated:0 Mantras Mysterious:0 Transliterated Chinese:0 Sanskrit Hardly:0

When to use this quote

- chanting
- academic study
- religious rituals

Key Concepts

cultural preservation spiritual practice linguistics

Questions to Reflect On

- Why preserve original sounds?
- How does translation affect meaning?

A Different Perspective

Sanskrit may be inaccessible to many.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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