Mantra (真言/咒語) is a Science of Sound and Vibrations. It embodies the force of truth. Not any arbitrary combination of sounds is a mantra. Can you replace the sacred syllable of OM by chanting another sound endless times and expect to produce the same effect?
Every time I listen to you I feel so up lifted and inspired. The real event for a Shakyamuni appears in the world shows in his behavior as human being. Buddha means the awakened one, a person who realizes the his/hers inner Protential such as wisdom, compassion, love, happiness from within. The ultimate purpose of Buddhist practice is to attain Buddhahood/enlightenment, Buddhahood(enlightenment) is not a goal, but rather a journey of we aspire, everything we encounter in life gives us an opportunity to reveal our Buddha state (enlightenment)