Chanting mantras in your native language is better

I think chanting mantras in your own native tongue is more beneficial than chanting them in their original languages, since the neuro-linguistic effect of the mantra is direct and doesn't have to go through a foreign language.

I go to Kundalini yoga classes where we chant mantras in Sanskrit.

One of them is "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo," which means "I call upon infinite creative energy, I call upon divine wisdom."

It is only after I learned the meaning of this mantra that it truly began to affect me in a profound way. Even now, after I have known it for a while, it affects me the most when I contemplate it in English.

The same holds true for the mantra "Sat Nam" which means "truth is my identity" or "my true self."

I admit that chanting mantras that you don't understand does give you a sense of awe because of the mystery it evokes, but I don't think that this feeling has to be deliberately induced by ambiguity. There are enough mysteries in the world that are worth exploring, so we don't have to intentionally create new ones.

The vibration benefits don't outweigh the obscurity cost

When I ask why we have to chant the mantras in their original languages, I am told that there is something about the vibrations of the mantras in Sanskrit that have a special physical effect.

That maybe true, given that eastern languages are more pharyngeal than Western languages.

But I don't think this benefit outweighs the benefit of knowing what you are saying. Mantras are affirmations. If they are to enter your mind and become ingrained in it, they need a convenient linguistic pathway.

Neuro-linguistic programming gets its name from the supposed connection between neurological processes, language and behavioral patterns. This connection should not be hindered by linguistic barriers.

Affirmations such as "I am happy" and "I am relaxed", and "I am at aware", are more likely to influence me than foreign phrases which I need to memorize and reprogram my mind as to how it should affect me.

An inaccurate translation is better than gibberish

Some say that the original mantras are chanted because none of the translations are accurate. For instance, Sat Nam can mean "truth is my identity," "my true self," "The essence of God is within me," "express the truth within you," "in name there is truth," "I call upon the eternal Truth that resides in all," "the light shines in you", and "God's Name is Truth."

I say pick one or several of the translations that are meaningful to you and say them in English, then switch to others when you feel ready.