Mantras and the Inadequacy of Language

In this blog post, I reflect on three central questions in Mantra Studies: What are mantras? Are mantras language? How do they work? I suggest that when researching mantras, it makes more sense to look for recurring aspects and characteristics rather than trying to define a category "mantra." One such aspect is what I call the "superlinguistic principle": the idea of a language that is superior to ordinary language, e.g., because it is not subject to the vagaries of communication.