Om Ah Hum is known as 'the mantra of all the Buddhas' and is formed from the three characters or seed-syllables above. In essence the meaning of 'Om Ah Hum' can be expressed, as in the words of Sogyal Rinpoche in the 'Tibetan Book of Living & Dying' as "...the transformative blessings

of the body, speech and mind of all the buddhas"

Om Ah Hum and Reiki are intrinsically connected in at least two important ways: both express the fundamental nature of and are also emanations of the Universal Energy Field and both provide the practitioner with a multiplicity of opportunities for exploring the inner reality of what it is to be a human being on a journey to personal and spiritual freedom.

I want to make a connection here between that which is implied within the Om Ah Hum mantra and that which is implied within the word 'Reiki'. Fundamentally both are concerned with the purification of being and so are orientated to bringing the practitioner to a realization of the true nature of self and thus permanent release from samsara (which is the eternal cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth). Both Reiki and the recitation of the Om Ah Hum mantra are methods that invoke qualities of the UEF for healing on the levels of the body, speech and mind of the practitioner.

Sogyal Rinphoche defined Om Ah Hum in 'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying' in the following way:

"The syllables Om Ah Hum have outer, inner and 'secret' meanings. At each of these levels however, Om stands for the body, Ah for the speech and Hum for the mind. They represent the transformative blessings of the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas.

"Externally OM purifies all the negative actions committed through your body, AH through your speech and HUM through your mind. By purifying your body, speech and mind, OM AH HUM grants the blessing of the body, speech and mind of the Buddhas.

"OM is also the essence of form, AH the essence of sound and HUM the essence of mind. So by reciting this mantra you are also purifying the environment, as well as yourself and all other beings within it. OM purifies all perceptions, AH all sounds and HUM the mind, its thoughts and emotions."

In this we find a commonality with the practice of Reiki as a therapeutic modality that addresses many levels of being.

Sogyal Rinpoche goes on to say that:

"On a deeper level, OM AH HUM represent the three kayas of the Lotus family of buddhas: OM is the Dharmakaya: the Buddha Amitabha, Buddha of Limitless Light; AH is the Sambhogakaya: Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion; and HUM is the Nirmanakaya: Padmasambhava. This signifies, in the case of this mantra, that all three kayas are embodied in the person of Padmasambhava.

"At the innermost level, OM AH HUM brings the realization of the three aspects of the nature of mind: OM brings the realization of the unceasing Energy and Compassion, AH brings the realization of its radiant Nature and HUM brings the realization of its sky-like Essence."

In relating Reiki to the Om Ah Hum mantra I want to also draw attention to the link between Padmasambhava - the Tantric Buddha and the early transmission of the teachings that became known in modern times as 'Buddho-EnerSense' . If you have read my book you may recall from the history as detailed in chapter four that the system of the Buddho was taken from India to Tibet by Vairochana ('the radiant one') who was one of the 25 disciples of Padmasambhava. There are then clear connections between Padmasambhava and the early transmission of the system from which the Reiki Jin Kei Do canon was in large part drawn.

In using the 'OmAhHum' mantra as a name I am very much mindful not only of it's connection with the philosophy and practice of Reiki on many levels, but also with its connection to my work as an artist and how this also relates to the practice of Reiki.

In relating Om Ah Hum to form, sound and mind we have a direct corollary with not only the use of the Reiki symbols but also all practices within the various art forms.

Art is a way of coming to understand the world and the place of humanity within it. It is a way of exploring the inner dimensions as well as expressing how those inner dimensions impact on a perception of the external world. Both the internal and the external are the clay from which samsara is formed. By exploring these through the practice of art we engage in a meditative process that can add to our understanding of not only our own true self but of the samsaric world that we inhabit. The creation of art, like the creation of a clear mind can lead us to freedom.

As we explore in visual form our perception of the world within and the world without we begin to see it more clearly. We begin to see it stripped of its past and its future and its functional qualities and attributes. We begin to see truth.

With this in mind I see no difference between my practice of Reiki and my work as an artist. Both are healing practices. Both are creative explorations of the process of life and the search for release from suffering. Both lead to the truth.