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LotusOm is a family & friends run site. We have collectively pulled together our knowledge and skills to offer the best possible information to assist anyone with their chosen spiritual path or if someone just wants information about what they see in the media or read in books. If you have any questions for any of our staff members, you can reach them at:
LotusOm
- Om
is the primeval, audible and inaudible sound of Hindu creation, also thought to
mysteriously embody the very essence of the universe. Chanted at the beginning
and end of prayers and mantras and also used as a form of meditation, it is
pronounced with three sounds, A-U-M. It is written in Sanskrit, the ancient
language of India, and as early as the sixth century was used to mark
the beginning of incantations and inscriptions. Today, it is seen everywhere in
Buddhist writings. The symbol represents the four states of consciousness:
sleeping without dreams, dreaming, being awake and satori (the
transcendental state of enlightenment). Combined with the lotus, however, it
takes on an even more complex symbolism. Like the rose in the West, the lotus
of the East is probably the most important of the flower symbols and laden with
meaning. It springs forth from muddy and murky waters, eventually rising to
float on the surface, opening in the morning and closing in the evening. For
example, according to the Egyptians, it was the first flower of the universe,
and from it sprang the first gods. Many of the ancient pillars of monumental
architecture in Egypt are actually designed as bunches of lotuses. In Hinduism, the lotus
blossom is one of the most important symbols used in spirituality and art.
Brahma, the Hindu creator of the world, was born from a lotus blossom that grew
from the navel of Vishnu on the water. However, the lotus paired with Om
has a particularly significant Buddhist association. In Buddhism, the lotus is
thought to symbolize the Buddha's nature, pure and ascendant. Along with Om,
it is part of the most famous of Buddhist mantras, Om Mani Padme Hum, or
Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.
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