I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

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Lucalina
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:03 pm

I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by Lucalina »

Hello all!
I am making this post because I have found several sites, even videos featuring the Great Compassion Heart Dharani mantra, both in Chinese and Sanskrit.
My issue, is I have yet to find a pronunciation guide, no matter how much I look.
The videos are unhelpful, as I have a hard time fully absorbing pronunciation simply by listening.
Also, I know that when Chinese glyphs are translated into English characters, the pronunciation follows different rules which I have a hard time with. I'm not sure if Sanskrit has similar differences, and I very much want to pronounce this properly.
Would it be too much to ask for a phonetic guide to the mantras? It doesn't matter so much which language, but I suppose for simplicity, I'll ask for the Chinese pronunciation.
muni
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Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:59 am

Re: I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by muni »

:namaste:
Not sure this is clear enough, check it please, Lucalina.
http://accesschinese.com/divination/gua ... mantra.php

Eventually this as well.
http://wayist.org/devotional-wayism/the ... on-dharani
muni
Posts: 5559
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:59 am

Re: I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by muni »

I also like to pronounce good, just like you. No idea how it would sound if I tried in Chinese! At least a mantra given by blessing and pronounced by devotion is so..I cannot find words, sorry.

This I like to add :smile: :

"The Hermit and the Mantra - Om Mani Padme Hum

The True Sound of Truth
An old story speaks about a similar problem. A devoted meditator, after years concentrating on a particular mantra, had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student's humility was far from perfect, but the teachers at the monastery were not worried.
A few years of successful teaching left the meditator with no thoughts about learning from anyone; but upon hearing about a famous hermit living nearby, the opportunity was too exciting to be passed up.
The hermit lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the meditator hired a man with a boat to row across to the island. The meditator was very respectful of the old hermit. As they shared some tea made with herbs the meditator asked him about his spiritual practice. The old man said he had no spiritual practice, except for a mantra which he repeated all the time to himself. The meditator was pleased: the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself -- but when the hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the meditator was horrified!
"What's wrong?" asked the hermit.
"I don't know what to say. I'm afraid you've wasted your whole life! You are pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!"
"Oh, Dear! That is terrible. How should I say it?"
The meditator gave the correct pronunciation, and the old hermit was very grateful, asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back across the lake the meditator, now confirmed as an accomplished teacher, was pondering the sad fate of the hermit.
"It's so fortunate that I came along. At least he will have a little time to practice correctly before he dies." Just then, the meditator noticed that the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit standing respectfully on the water, next to the boat.
"Excuse me, please. I hate to bother you, but I've forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?"
"You obviously don't need it," stammered the meditator; but the old man persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and told him again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.
The old hermit was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he walked across the surface of the water back to the island."
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Aryjna
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Re: I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by Aryjna »

Lucalina wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:54 am Hello all!
I am making this post because I have found several sites, even videos featuring the Great Compassion Heart Dharani mantra, both in Chinese and Sanskrit.
My issue, is I have yet to find a pronunciation guide, no matter how much I look.
The videos are unhelpful, as I have a hard time fully absorbing pronunciation simply by listening.
Also, I know that when Chinese glyphs are translated into English characters, the pronunciation follows different rules which I have a hard time with. I'm not sure if Sanskrit has similar differences, and I very much want to pronounce this properly.
Would it be too much to ask for a phonetic guide to the mantras? It doesn't matter so much which language, but I suppose for simplicity, I'll ask for the Chinese pronunciation.
For the Sanskrit it is pretty simple. You just have to go through the Sanskrit alphabet and how each sound is pronounced, which should be easy to do online. Then you can always pronounce all Sanskrit verses, dharanis, etc. well. I doubt that the Chinese pronunciation is simpler, in various chants it is often almost impossible to recognize that what they are chanting is actually Sanskrit.
Lucalina
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:03 pm

Re: I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by Lucalina »

muni wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:21 am :namaste:
Not sure this is clear enough, check it please, Lucalina.
http://accesschinese.com/divination/gua ... mantra.php

Eventually this as well.
http://wayist.org/devotional-wayism/the ... on-dharani
I ended up looking for the Sanskrit pronunciation guide and it seems very simple, actually. For the most part, unless the letters are accented in writing it's pronounced similarly enough to English. Thank you for including the Sanskrit version as well, and that story you shared gave me a good laugh, and it is heartening to know that earnesty is more important than accuracy with this.

Thank you very much for the help!
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Aryjna
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Re: I need help with the great compassionate heart dharani pronunciation

Post by Aryjna »



The pronunciation in this video is pretty close to the correct Sanskrit pronunciation.
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