[richard21pool]

Hi there, would anyone be able to help translate or find out the meaning for this tattoo. Been trying for a while now and have just about to give up. Any help would be much appreciated.

[namaskar13]

The Symbol Om

Just as the sound of Om represents the four states of Brahman, the symbol Om written in Sanskrit also represents everything. The material world of the waking state is symbolized by the large lower curve. The deep sleep state is represented by the upper left curve. The dream state, lying between the waking state below and the deep sleep state above, emanates from the confluence of the two. The point and semicircle are separate from the rest and rule the whole. The point represents the turiya state of absolute consciousness. The open semicircle is symbolic of the infinite and the fact that the meaning of the point can not be grasped if one limits oneself to finite thinking.


If you Google the symbol Oh or Ohm,there will be many definitions, I have the Tibetan Ohm tattooed on my wrist,it is my own personal representation of God being infinite and ever being. Since there is a picture of Buddha within your Ohm symbol I am presuming this is more of a Buddhist representation.
Overall it is a very special symbol with tremendous meaning.
Hope this helped!

[Mayank Verma]

It look like Om but it is an ancient symbol not as an sanskrit it seems! Should consult with any specialist! It contains more than one letter and should means a lot.

[bugmenot]

I, Vairocana Buddha, sit atop a lotus pedestal; On a thousand flowers surrounding me are a thousand Shakyamuni Buddhas. Each flower supports a hundred million worlds; in each world a Shakyamuni Buddha appears. All are seated beneath a Bodhi-tree, all simultaneously attain Buddhahood. All these innumerable Buddhas have Vairocana as their original body.

Your tattoo's syllable is Sanskrit in the ancient Indian Siddham script, which is now only used for special purposes in East Asian Esoteric Buddhism now. Among Buddhists, this writing form has special significance for its beauty, depth, and profundity. There are also very few people who can write in it, because it is difficult to learn.

Around the 7th century CE, Esoteric Buddhism was formed in India, which emphasized chanting mantras and performing visualizations to transform the mind and body, gain supernatural abilities, and so on. The principle buddha that everything revolves around is the primordial buddha Vairocana, who represents the fundamental unity of intrinsic awareness and the entire universe.

In this earliest form of Esoteric Buddhism (represented in the Mahavairocana Sutra), Vairocana's seed syllable, the symbol that represents him, is "a". The most elaborate way to write "a" in Sanskrit using the Siddham writing system is the symbol that is your tattoo. This has a great significance, because "a" is the simplest and most fundamental sound in Sanskrit. Thus, the secret of Esoteric Buddhism is that the real secret is both extremely ordinary and extremely extraordinary -- the intrinsic awareness is the ultimate thing, but people have difficulty understanding how to use it. Because it's so difficult, every method of Esoteric Buddhism was created to bring people closer to realization.

If you are interested, this is the most important and fundamental mantra of Vairocana, the buddha that your tattoo represents. To practice with this mantra, recite it slowly under your breath at first, paying attention to each syllable. Don't think about each syllable, just use your awareness. As your mind quiets down and becomes more focused, switch to reciting it mentally, but still pay close attention to each syllable. Don't pay attention to your body or to your idle thoughts, just be aware of the mantra syllables. This mantra does not just focus the mind, but each syllable has subtle and profound effects that direct energy to transform the mind and body. If you are really diligent, practicing it all the time, you will eventually experience all sorts of interesting things. It's a very powerful method of meditation, only limited by the effort you put into it.

Om a vi ra hum kha.

Pronounced like:

"Ohm ahh vee raa huum kha."

It's a very profound tattoo and beautifully done as well. I'm surprised that someone even came up with something like this. However, in East Asia, Siddham mantras and seed syllables still capture peoples' imaginations, due to the reputation of Esoteric Buddhism and the stories of supernatural abilities.

[smonkey]

It's the Jain version of the om

[Dennis1977]

Hi,

This character represents the Buddha Mahāvairocana महावैरोचन, and the Sanskrit character in this case is pronounced 'aaH'. See Wikipedia for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vairocana. You can bet that the image inside the character is Vairocana :)