{"id":1768,"date":"2018-07-28T11:01:34","date_gmt":"2018-07-28T15:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1768"},"modified":"2018-07-30T08:21:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T12:21:09","slug":"om-the-seed-of-our-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1768","title":{"rendered":"Om: The Seed of Our Being"},"content":{"rendered":"

Om\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>is a single-syllable mantra, a sacred chant, known as a bija<\/em> – a seed mantra. Just as a tiny seed embodies a wondrous tree, in yoga, it is believed that the one-syllable sound of\u00a0Om\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>contains the infinite spiritual wisdom and creative power of the Universe. Humming the sound of Om\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>reverberates in a manner that leads to us towards the experience of the infinite within us.<\/p>\n

Patanjali, the father of classical (Raja) yoga, taught us in the Yoga-Sutra that when we chant this sacred syllable and simultaneously contemplate its meaning, our consciousness becomes single-pointed and prepared for a meditation in which our true nature is revealed. We embody sacredness.<\/p>\n

There are 3 primary sounds of\u00a0Om<\/strong><\/em>, which represent the 3 primary states of our being – a, u, and m.\u00a0Each of these three parts serve as meditative seeds.<\/p>\n

“Ah”\u00a0represents our waking state, which is our subjective consciousness of the outer world.<\/p>\n

“Oh”<\/i>\u00a0represents our dreaming state, or the consciousness of our inner world of thoughts, dreams, and memories.<\/p>\n

“Mmm”\u00a0is the dreamless state of deep sleep and the experience of ultimate unity.<\/p>\n

By contemplating the meaning of each of these sounds as we hum them, we are led through the three states of our ordinary consciousness.<\/p>\n

There is however a fourth part of Om<\/strong><\/em>, too: the\u00a0anusvara,\u00a0<\/em>the after-sound of silence.\u00a0This silence is the crown of the mantra. After chanting or humming the 3 primary sounds of O<\/em>m<\/em><\/strong>, the vibration slowly dissolves into silence, symbolic of the transcendent state of consciousness, an enduring, blissful state, where the seed of our being is fully expressed.<\/p>\n

The symbol of\u00a0Om<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>represents these states; the 3 bottom curves each represent the 3 primary states of waking (lower left), dreaming (lower right, and between waking and deep sleep symbols), and deep sleep (upper left); and the top dot represents the absolute state. The curve below the dot (and not touching dot) represents maya,\u00a0<\/em>the veil of illusion that gets in the way of our spiritual development and realization of the absolute state.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We chant\u00a0Om\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>at the beginning of yoga classes to remind us of the sacredness of our practice. It brings attention to the present-moment aspects of our awakened practice, paying attention with all of our senses. It also offers a doorway through which we explore our other states of being and our true nature.<\/p>\n

The question is, in our daily lives where we interact with one another, are we in our waking-state or our dreaming-state? As in yoga, when we learn to pay attention to what is really going on in each moment, not caught in day-dreaming, worrying, planning, or just repeating habits and re-living memories, we start to awaken. We start to see. We start to see truths with more clarity. We start to see the interdependence of all things from an ever-expanding perspective. And we start to understand the unity of all things and see the jewels of life in every aspect of our existence.<\/p>\n

And we start to understand and experience the chanting of\u00a0Om<\/strong>, <\/em>the seed of our being awakens, our consciousness expands, and\u00a0the infinite spiritual wisdom and creative power of the Universe is unleashed!<\/p>\n

In many respects, the seed of our being sprouts as we wake up while we are awake! Don’t go back to sleep! Om Om Om<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gentle breezes of dusk and dawn have secrets to tell you.<\/em>
\nDon’t go back to sleep!<\/em>
\nYou must ask for what you really want.<\/em>
\nDon’t go back to sleep!<\/em>
\nPeople pass back and forth across the threshold between the two worlds-<\/em>
\nThat door is round and open.<\/em>
\nDon’t go back to sleep!\u201d – Rumi<\/em><\/p>\n

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