Himalayan Art Resources

Subject: 'A' Letter (Buddhist)

'A' Letter (Buddhist) | Calligraphy & Scripts

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- 'A' Letter Explanation (below)
- 'A' Letter (Bon)
- Prajnaparamita in a Single Letter
- Prajnaparamita Main Page
- Magic Scripts
- Wisdom Increasing Deities
- Masterworks
- Confusions
- Others...

In the Tantric Buddhist religion the letter 'A' represents a number of different meanings depending on the Buddhist vehicle and the individual tradition. In Mahayana Buddhism, the letter 'A' relates to the shortest of all of the Prajnaparamita Sutras - the Prajnaparamita in a Single Letter. The Prajnaparamita Sutras can also be personified as the deity of the same name - Prajnaparamita, the Mother of All Buddhas.

In Tantric Buddhist theory the three letters om, ah and hum represent the body, speech and mind of an individual and they serve symbolically as a bridge between the individual and the practice of meditation on the form of a deity.

In the Nyingma Tradition the letter 'A' is highly symbolic and is closely related to the teachings on the philosophical view known as Dzogchen. A physical yet still symbolic manifestation of the principal of the 'A' is a clear quartz crystal rock.

Jeff Watt 8-2016 [updated 6-2017]