Slowly, slowly. That’s how we’re building and engaging this technique. OM AH HUM is a fairly traditional mantra and focus in Tibetan Buddhism. We’re learning and practicing it as a technique to blend shamatha and vipashyana thereby embody or come to recognize the already present aspects of embodied Awareness.

This technique is being taught without attention on the Tibetan letter because we’re not Tibetan thus the script doesn’t mean anything to most. However, the seed sounds or seed syllables are ancient, universal in their correspondence to qualities of inner presence as well as to the foundations of incarnated existence: body, speech/energy, mind/awareness.

The colors are also wide in their scope of meaning or symbolism. All over the world and throughout history, colors have represented the primary elements. In the Tibetan tradition, white represents water in its majestic form of snow or its cleansing and life-giving form of flowing water.

Red represents the element of fire, as it does in most traditions of the world, Tibetan, too. Fire is dynamic, quixotic, mesmerizing, potentially dangerous and yet completely necessary to life. Fire is warmth, turned up, down, or just right by the sun, by our passions, by a pile of composting leaves, or the warm-heartedness of love, caring, nurturing, and being with others even at a distance.

Red symbolizes passion, being passionate about something/anything, and how quickly and forcefully passion can arise, like a flame from a spark. Passion underlies all excitement whether it’s checking the FitBit (the roller coaster emotional response of the count as well), joy about gardening or cooking. Upsetness comes from passion too whether with one’s self or with someone else.

We begin to focus on Red today and are invited to observe the element fire within us and all around us all through the week.