LUSB 805 – MANTRA / SYLLABLES
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LUSB 805 – MANTRA / SYLLABLES

DESCRIPTION

The study of Buddhist mantras (’true words’) begins by learning the 'Arapacana Syllabary' - a Buddhist magical alphabet traditionally consisting of 42 syllables. This syllabary loosely corresponds to the modern Sanskrit alphabet, however, it is traditionally written in a particular script known as Siddham (rather than Devanagari), and it has a specific order that begins with the five syllables: A - Ra - Pa -Ca - Na, from whence its name is derived.

This course consists of a syllable-by-syllable study of the Arapacana Syllabary using an ancient Buddhist 'wisdom poem' found in the Prajñāpāramita sutras. Similar to the English learning technique wherein letters are associated with words, such as: 'A is for Apple, B is for Banana, etc.,' this poem uses essential concepts from the Prajñāpāramita philosophical lexicon to teach each 'Letter of Law.'

Primary Reading

📖The Arapacana Syllabary Sutra

Suggested Reading

📖 Jayarava, Visible Mantra (Cambridge: Visible Mantra Books, 2011) 📖 R. H. van Gulik. Siddham: An Essay on the History of Sanskrit in China and Japan. Aditya Prakashan, 2001.

SYLLABUS

🧿LESSON 1 - अ / A🧿LESSON 2 - र / Ra 🧿LESSON 3 - प / Pa🧿LESSON 4 - च / Ca 🧿LESSON 5 - न / Na
🧿LESSON 6 - ल / La 🧿LESSON 7 - द / Da 🧿LESSON 8 - ब / Ba🧿LESSON 9 - ड / Ḍa🧿LESSON 10 - ष / Ṣa
🧿LESSON 11 - व / Va 🧿LESSON 12 - त / Ta 🧿LESSON 13 - य / Ya🧿LESSON 14 - स्त / Ṣṭa 🧿LESSON 15 - क / Ka
🧿LESSON 16 - स / Sa 🧿LESSON 17 - म / Ma 🧿LESSON 18 - ग / Ga 🧿LESSON 19 - स्थ / (S)THa🧿LESSON 20 - ज / Ja
🧿LESSON 21 - श्व / ŚVa 🧿LESSON 22 - ध / DHa🧿LESSON 23 - श / Śa 🧿LESSON 24 - ख / Kha 🧿LESSON 25 - क्ष / KṢa
🧿LESSON 26 - स्त / STa🧿LESSON 27 - ज्ञ / JÑa 🧿LESSON 28 - र्त् RTa / Ha🧿LESSON 29 - भ / BHa 🧿LESSON 30 - छ / CHa
🧿LESSON 31 - स्म / SMa 🧿LESSON 32 - ह्व / HVa 🧿LESSON 33 - त्स / TSa 🧿LESSON 34 - घ / GHa 🧿LESSON 35 - ठ / ṬHa
🧿LESSON 36 - ण / Ṇa 🧿LESSON 37 - फ / PHa 🧿LESSON 38 - स्क / SKa 🧿LESSON 39 - YSa / 🧿LESSON 40 - श्च / ŚCa
🧿LESSON 41 - ट / Ṭa 🧿LESSON 42 - ढ / ḌHa