Emptiness Mantra: Difference between revisions

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==Note on Pronunciation==
==Note on Pronunciation==
The apostrophe in the syllable ‘haṃ is a transliteration of the sanskrit avagraha (transliterated as the nya log in Tibetan). It is not pronounced, but is used to indicate the elision (i.e. omission) of the "ha" sound, owing to "the rules of sandhi" - which is the combining of sounds in an harmonious fashion. Thus, the words "śuddho ‘haṃ" would actually be pronounced "śuddhoṃ", however Tibetan pronunciation can vary according to their knowledge of Sanskrit.
The apostrophe in the syllable ‘haṃ is a transliteration of the sanskrit avagraha (transliterated as the nya log in Tibetan). When the vowels "e" or "o" are followed by hrasva (short) "a", the "a" is elided (i.e. omitted) and replaced by a (silent) avagraha. Thus e + a = e' (pronounced "e") and o + a = o' (pronounced "o"). This elision is according to the 'rules of sandhi', which is the combination of sounds in an harmonious fasion. Thus, the word ‘haṃ occuring in isolation (or following a consonant) would be written ahaṃ (meaning the nominative singular pronoun "I").


==External Links==
==External Links==

Revision as of 21:09, 11 June 2007

oṃ svabhāva śuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāva śuddho ‘haṃ

[Sanskrit transliteration provided by Steven Goodman]

Note on Pronunciation

The apostrophe in the syllable ‘haṃ is a transliteration of the sanskrit avagraha (transliterated as the nya log in Tibetan). When the vowels "e" or "o" are followed by hrasva (short) "a", the "a" is elided (i.e. omitted) and replaced by a (silent) avagraha. Thus e + a = e' (pronounced "e") and o + a = o' (pronounced "o"). This elision is according to the 'rules of sandhi', which is the combination of sounds in an harmonious fasion. Thus, the word ‘haṃ occuring in isolation (or following a consonant) would be written ahaṃ (meaning the nominative singular pronoun "I").

External Links