Question: Will you please explain the difference between mantra and japa?

Sri Chinmoy: Japa is the repetition of a mantra. AUM is a mantra; it is not japa. If you repeat AUM twice, thrice or hundreds of times, this repetition is japa. A mantra can be one syllable, many syllables or even a few sentences. When we repeat the mantra, it becomes japa.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Prayer-world, mantra-world and japa-world, Agni Press, 1974
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