Ah Seed Syllable by LTR photo print

$ 6.00

Formats: 8x8 or 5x5 photographs

The seed syllable Ah symbolizes the sound of the unborn empty nature itself. As depicted here, the white Ah within a blue circle is a support for Great Perfection (Dzogchen) meditation. In the Great Perfection, there are three categories of teachings: the mind class (sem-de); the expanse class (long-de); and the class of pith instructions (men-ngak-de). Gazing at this Ah provides support for the practice of the mind class. Through interdependent circumstances, gazing at the Ah gives rise to the realization of the unborn nature of great emptiness in one’s mind.

Seed syllables are the unborn natural sound of dharmata, the nature of reality that is great emptiness, free from dualism. Deities are actually wisdom, and wisdom is never based on dualism. All deities are connected to an individual seed syllable, called a heart-essence seed syllable.

All ordinary syllables from which we form words are connected to an object or a dualistic thought. Whatever ordinary words we can imagine turn our minds toward material or mental objects. This continues without conclusion, never reaching a point of exhaustion. All speech actually originates from and concludes in dharmata. Wisdom seed syllables, however, remain free from dualism. They are never connected to any finite object. Thus it is wisdom sound that has the natural capacity to benefit and penetrate beings.

The calligraphy of these seed syllables was created by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, and is in the style of the Repkong tradition of Tibetan Nyingmapa yogis.