More than an ordinary writing system used to convey conceptual information in written form, the Tibetan syllabary has profound significance and power. The syllables themselves are respected and treated as sacred. No object is allowed to be placed on top of a written scripture, not even a statue of the Buddha himself. On a Yungdrung Bön shrine, the written texts always have the highest position. This is due in part because it is from the written scriptures that disciples can directly receive guidance from the enlightened ones in order to alleviate suffering, develop wisdom, and to ultimately be liberated from the cycle of birth, suffering, and death.

The Tibetan script is a syllabary rather than an alphabet. Each character is a complete syllable containing an inherent vowel sound. There are thirty consonants and five vowels and it is collectively known as the Ali Kali. The syllabary is traditionally learned by categorizing the consonants into four columns and eight rows. In this way, syllables with similar characteristics of aspiration and tone are grouped together. Each of the consonants has the inherent vowel sound of “AH.” This vowel sound can be changed by adding any of the other four vowels to a syllable. A single syllable can have meaning as a word, or multiple syllables can be put together to form a word. The Tibetan language is read left to right and from top to bottom.

According to the Chi Pung tantra, each of these sounds originated from ultimate reality as the spontaneous movement of compassion and manifested as magical syllables that are without inherent substance, yet have defining characteristics. One of these defining characteristics is the particular location within the physical body from which their sound is produced. According to various textual sources, there can be either five or eight different locations from which these sounds arise.

“The syllables for communicating arise from the chest, the throat, the palate, the tongue, the teeth, the lips, and the crown of the head. AH pervades the body.”

— From the Chi Pung

Another unique characteristic of the syllables is that they are also categorized by gender. In general, all the consonants are masculine and all the vowels are feminine. More specifically, they can each be categorized according to five different genders of being either masculine, neutral, feminine, very feminine, or barren.

• Masculine: KA, CHA, TA, PA, TSA
• Neutral: KHA, CHHA, THA, PHA, TSHA
• Feminine: GA, JA, DA, BA, DZA, WA, ZHA, ZA, A, YA, SHA
• Very Feminine: NGA, NYA, NA, MA
• Barren: RA, LA, HA

A more subtle characteristic of the syllables is their association with the five elements of space, wind, fire, water, and earth.

• Space: KA, KHA, GA, NGA, HA
• Wind: I, TSA, TSHA, DZA, NYA, YA, SHA
• Fire: É, RA
• Water: Ū, PA, PHA, BA, BHA, MA, WA
• Earth: DA, THA, TA, NA, LA, SA

The ALI KALI is also recited and visualized as a mantra of great power. According to the instructions by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen, the ALI KALI is visualized as purifying and blessing the internal subtle channels of light within the physical body as a method to prepare for the practice of Tummo, or inner heat. It is also used to purify previous negative expressions of speech, and to bless and empower present and future expressions of speech. Having transformed one’s self into the enlightened deity of speech, Chetak Ngomé, the ALI KALI is recited while visualizing the syllables spinning on the tongue while both radiating out to the enlightened beings and then returning and dissolving blessings and purification of speech into the tongue of the practitioner.

A OM HUNG RAM DZA

A AA I II U UU RI RI LI LI É ÉÉ Ō ŌŌ ANG A༔ 

KA KHA GA GHA NGA  CHA CHHA JA JHA NYA TA THA DA DHA NA TA THA DA DHA NA 

PA PHA BA BHA MA  TSA TSHA DZA DZHA WA   ZHA ZA AH YA RA LA SHA SA HA AH

RAKSHA RAKSHA

— The ALI KALI mantra from The ALI KALI, the Cause for Enlightened Words and Source of the Scriptures

“This ALI KALI destroys the negativities of speech and increases the power of mantra recitation by 100,000 times. In the morning when the crow leaves its nest, recite it twenty-one times. In the evening when the crow returns to its nest, recite it twenty-one times. Do this recitation continuously and as isolated speech without being interrupted with ordinary speech.”

— From The ALI KALI, the Cause for Enlightened Words and Source of the Scriptures

When used individually or as a mantra, the Tibetan syllables become sa bön, or seed syllables, that arise spontaneously in primordial space and give birth to the presence of enlightened beings and enlightened qualities. Their meaning and purpose is beyond concept. Although the syllables of a mantra can be explained according to their qualities, they are not like sentences that have a mere conceptual meaning that conveys information.

The Tibetan word for a mantra that is recited is nyenpa. When the recitation is joined with an action or visualization, it is dzab. When a mantra is written or printed in order to hold its specific power and energy such as being written on the back of a deity thangkha, or placed in a statue, prayer wheel, sa tsa, etc., it is known as a zung.

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