The Sacred Syllable Om
In the Hindu philosophy creation is seen as a continuous process, a perpetual uninterrupted vibration, which is the beginningless sound OM, this gentle, imperceptible vibration can only be perceived on the substratum.of silence – the silence of mind and emotion.
Modern science has discovered that ‘there is a vast world of phenomena the most sensitive instruments cannot detect, and there are really great forces in the universe that can neither be seen nor felt. The whole universe is a sea of vibrations which interpenetrate each other like waves in the ocean’.
In his commentary on a verse in the Katha Upanishad Dr Shastri writes: ‘ The word OM is, as it were, the soul: of AKASHA (space), representing its highest and most subtle vibrations, caused by the will of the Lord; The mind and the physical elements are manifestations of the original vibrations which arose from the will of the Lord, The highest symbol of the Lord of the universe is the power of the Lord condensed in the word OM’.
In the ancient classic, the YOGA VASISHTA, the sage is being questioned by his pupil, Prince Rama, about the creation; the sage tells him ‘The creator utters OM, and by pure power creates the various objects.’. Vasishta then gives beautiful and poetic descriptions about the manifestation: ‘The invisible, endless Akasha is a shoreless ocean of power, intelligence and vibrating energy’.
To equate OM with space may be puzzling, but in many of the scriptures the manifestation is spoken of as ‘space-like, uncreated, limitless’.
The Hindus contend that OM is a unique word and uniquely apposite. It is the foundation of all sounds and words. If all the peculiarities that distinguish one word from another be removed, what remains will be OM. If properly pronounced, OM represents the whole gamut of sound-production, and no other word can do this. The elongated, undifferentiated, gong-like sound that comes at the end of the utterance of OM was not created by any human reasoning, but was revealed to pure-souled Mystics when, in their meditation, their minds were attuned to the Highest’.
It appears that this elongated, gong-like sound is not only of – special significance to Hindus, but is a universal sound used all over the East. The chanting of the syllable OM is also an important feature in the Buddhist mantra: ‘ OM Mani Padme Hum’. According to the Dali Lama, the purpose of chanting it is the purification of body, mind and speech.
‘The method is indicated by the next two words after OM, Mani (Jewel), Padme (Wisdom). Purity is achieved by an invisible unit of method and wisdom, symbolised by the final syllable HUM, which indicates indivisibility. HUM is the seed-syllable, the Immovable, the unfluctuating -that which cannot be disturbed by anything ‘ .
When chanting this Mantra in rhythmic time, the end-syllable HUM takes up three measures against one each of the other three. In the chanting of OM by the Yogis, the ending is supposed to be twice as long as the sound. This humming -sound was stressed by a Sufi who was known to be somewhat unconventional, because he revered not only the Prophet Mohammed but also the Prophets of other religions. He once spoke of an experience of which he said that it was the most ecstatic of all his religious experiences, but it was of a decidedly Buddhistic nature; it appeared he had a vision of the Buddha in a blessing pose. This amazed the Buddhists who heard of this. They expected him to have experiences in the Islamic tradition» but not in the Buddhistic one, but in reply the Sufi quoted from the Prophet Mohammed who had enjoined Muslims to revere all Prophets. He was told about people in India, who concentrated their minds on the ‘primordial sound’, and they asked him whether he approved of this method. He replied: The sound OM is the HUM of creation. The sound of this sacred syllable pervades everything. Should this HUM cease, the world will also cease, (the perceived manifestation will cease.) The mystic poet Kabir said of the OM ‘it is the everlasting YEA’.
The little AMRITA BINDU Upanishad goes still further and beyond the humming of OM. In verse 7 we read: ‘By sound ‘let a man effect Yoga, then let him meditate upon not-sound’.
The practise of OM in silence or placed on the breath is known, but here it is said to the Yogi who has succeeded in constraining his mind and his unceasing effort has culminated in the knowledge ‘I am Brahman’.)
Commentary: ’Once firmly established in this conviction, the meditator should then dwell upon the OM beyond sound, i.e., he should dwell on the mere idea without the help of the sound’. (In the Sanskrit classics there are references to ’the nameless, voiceless’ sound, which is said to be ‘the natural state’.) Comm: ‘When meditation without the help of sound reaches the culminating point in the form of the intuitive knowledge ‘I am Brahman’, then is seen the essence of Brahman free from all mental limitation, there re*mains then nothing but Brahman, who is Existence, Intelligence, and Bliss in essence’.
However, the sounding of OM is efficient all levels, every utterance is considered to be the equivalent of stating ‘I am Brahman’. One may hesitate to make such a profound statement, but even those who cannot find it in themselves to accept the truth of it can use this small but sacred and mystical syllable, H P Shastri says of it:, ‘OM is the highest name of God; to one who does not believe in a personal God it represents the ultimate truth and reality’. To think of it, to repeat it or listen to its sound interiorly, brings peace and power – if approached with reverence and humility’.
Those who practised it over a period of time have, found a depth in it which they find difficult to describe. The sounding of OM is said to help not only those who practice it, but is of benefit to all humanity. H P S: ‘The symbol OM is the Lord Himself. To send it forth, to Impart it to others, is to create those vibrations in the human frame and in the AKASHA, producing adjustments which lead to tranquillity of the human heart wherein is seated the Lord, Consciousness and Infinity.
‘OM IS THE BRIDGE TO IMMORTALITY’.
Johanna Bowes