Accurate pronunciations of mantra Part 2

An interesting simile given by Master Guobin (a famous monk from Taiwan) I read somewhere: Mantras are like phone numbers. Mantras are direct links to the Buddhas just like phone numbers are direct communication means to homes. Without dialing the right numbers, one will not be able to call anyone. Sometimes, we may be lucky to get through even though we dialed a wrong number but it is definitely not the person we intended to call. Similarly, chanting a mantra incorrectly may still yield some effects but nevertheless, it is probably not the result we desire.

We all heard of the story of a man reciting Om Mani Padme Hum incorrectly as Om Mani Padme Niu. Despite the wrong pronunciation the man still managed to achieve a certain level of mantra siddhi with it. This story is not illustrating that pronouncing Hum as Niu is correct and it should be taught as such. Remember this happened in ancient times where people possessed better karma then now (long story to explain why, so don’t ask me). With little distractions and good karma, it was easy for him to get the mantra siddhi. On the other hand, we cannot possibly assume that we all have the same good karma and start chanting the mantras anyway we like. We mustn’t take any chances and waste our efforts.

Here’s another story told by a Rinpoche:
In ancient Tibet, there was a monk named Kuchintachahua and he practiced a special kind of sadhana. His mantra siddhi enabled him to carve words on rocks with his pestle with ease, like knife cutting through tofu. One day, a great monk came by and told him that his pronunciation was wrong and taught him the correct one. Upon changing to the new version, Kuchintachahua lost his power of writing on rocks. This was because he began to have doubts about the mantra.

What these stories are trying to say is that correct pronunciation is very important. But it is still secondary in comparison to one’s faith and sincerity. For the very moment you have doubts about the mantra or the guru that transmits the mantra to you, you will lose grasp of the mantra’s power. Thus, both faith and correct pronunciation must not be overlooked. Many Tibetan masters transmit their mantras each with their own local accents and pronunciations but their disciples still reap the results because of their faith and confidence they have in it.
For those who practice the mantras in other languages and have not gotten any results should try doing it in Sanskrit. Why deny yourself of the opportunity to achieve optimum result from your sadhana when a more accurate pronunciation is available?