The silence of om (aum).

Imagine yourself sitting and chanting OM (AUM).

AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMM________

What is that last bit there, the space after AUM? A part of AUM that is often forgotten

or unknown to many… That is the silence. The silence that follows the vocal chant, and

a truly a significant part, the fourth part. Representing the absolute state of union and

the culmination of the other three states within A-U-M.

I think is the most beautiful aspect of this sacred chant.

So let’s break it down.. What is the true meaning of AUM? And what is the significance of each part?

“The repetition of Om should be made with an understanding of its

meaning. -The Yoga Sutras 1.28

AUM is the most sacred sound and spiritual symbol in Hinduism, and is a mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. The sound /aum/ often written as “Om” and was first described in the Upanishads. It is the sound produced by the shanka - the conch.

The Chandogya Upanishads define Om as the song of the Universe.

Om is sacred sound. It is eternal. When meditated upon, Om is a vehicle for realizing one’s connection to and place in the unbroken nature of reality. AUM is the bija sound (seed mantra) that leads to Self Realization. It allows for the experience of the vastness of one’s True Nature.

The sound “A” represents the waking state or conscious mind, where awareness is turned outward. It is also the beginning (where we open our mouth), creation, and physical reality.

The sound “U” represents the middle state, the dreaming state, which lies between dreamless sleep and waking. The subconscious. Awareness is turned inward.

The sound “M” represents the state of deep sleep, dreamless sleep or the unconscious mind. It is the state void of images, thoughts and emotions. In this state there is no desire for objects or dream sequences and it contains the first two parts and emerges from them and recedes into them.

Turiya (the fourth), is the the silence after the chant. The silence represents and state in which consciousness is neither turning inward or outward, nor is it both. It is pureconsciousness itself, beyond waking, dreaming, and sleep. It is a state of non-dual reality. It is the true self.

This silence, and all that it is, leads me to recall the unnamable source, the Tao, and the theories from which ancient Chinese Medicine emerged. The Tao is the formless, infinite ground of being, pure potential.

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu describes creation as progression from unity into multiplicity.

“The Tao gives birth to One (manifested wholeness).

One gives birth the Two (yin and yang).

Two gives birth to Three (Heaven, Earth and Human Being).

Three give birth to the ten thousand things (the material world- forms, beings, emotions, thoughts, events).

Through this lens, we further understand the meaning and sacred function of the repetition of AUM and how beautiful it is to recognize that sacred silence..Returning to the Tao and then emerging from the Tao.. the cycle renews as we repeat the mantra over and over again.

From the silence, the Tao, the source, the unnamable, formless, true-self, re-emerging as One- A, the first expression of the Tao, the opening sound of the chant. Two- U, the space between, containing both yin and yang, inward and outward. Three-M, integration, heaven, earth and human being, while still containing the first two parts, yin and yang.

And returning back to the source, Tao- Silence.. again and again.

When you chant AUM consciously, you are re-enacting creation, regulating the nervous system and aligning with the Taoist wu-wei (action that arises force - effortless alignment with the Tao).

Enjoy the silence.

Happy Chanting