The Social Lives of Mantras ponders with precision mantric practice in Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist cultures, then too in early Christianity and even in today's postmodern era. Kimmel balances erudition and imagination in detecting how sacred words have linked humans and deities in a social cosmos encompassing heaven and earth. He thus offers readers a fresh vantage point from which to hear traditions in the harmony of their distinctive voices

Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Harvard University, USA

Drawing on an impressive range of sources, Joseph Kimmel offers a fresh and persuasive account of mantras as relational forms of religious practice across traditions. This is an illuminating contribution to the comparative study of religion that will engage scholars of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and religion more broadly.

Gavin Flood, Oxford University, UK

From the collection Understanding Mantras edited by Harvey P. Alper that explored the ritual and linguistic import of Hindu mantras, to Patton Barchett's article on mantras' magical significance, the literature on this topic is vast and continues to grow. Joseph Kimmel's erudite, yet accessible monograph tackles this theme from an interreligious perspective, while foregrounding the relational, transformative power of mantras – a new approach that casts a wholly new light on this fascinating topic.

Thomas Cattoi, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italy