Quote de jour
"Consciousness) arises the sphere of light, and from that sphere of light arises wisdom. From the wisdom arises the seed syllable and from the seed syllable arises the complete Mandala, the deity and the retinue.—Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche



The seed symbol in the center of this mandala is Aum. I decide ahead of time what the symbol of each mandala I draw will be. What I don't know is what exactly it will look like in terms of design.  But as I work on coloring in ring after ring getting closer to the center, I receive the clarity needed to complete the center symbol.

The syllable Om is the Hindu sacred sound is considered the first and greatest of all mantras. It is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u combine to become o) and the symbol's threefold nature is central to its meaning. It represents several important triads.

• the three worlds - earth, atmosphere, and heaven
• the three major Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
• the three sacred Vedic scriptures - Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda

Om embodies the essence of the entire universe. This meaning is further deepened by the Indian philosophical belief that God first created sound and the universe arose from it. As the most sacred sound, Om is the syllable which preceded the universe and from which the gods were created. It is the "root" syllable (mula mantra), the cosmic vibration that holds together the atoms of the world and heavens. You might say that AUM is the vibration of god in the form of sound. OM is the first part of the most important mantras in both Buddhism and Hinduism, e.g. Om Namoh Shivai and Om Mani Padme Hum.  It is often used as a greeting - Hari Om or Aum Hari Aum.

Om is the first thing I say when I wake up in in the morning. It puts everything in perspective for me. Repeating it has a profound effect on the body and mind and also one's surroundings. It sure beats grumbling or swearing while waiting in line or at a traffic light