1.) HOW DO I USE THE AUMS IN THIS COLLECTION? You may save these thumbnail images and use them with Photoshop or any other image editing or painting program. With such programs you can change the colors, resize the Aum and edite them in creative ways. An excellent graphics editor for Windows computers is Paint Shop Pro. It is very affordable and 30 day trial is available at the above website, or at www.jasc.com. A good shareware graphic editor for Macintosh computers is Graphic Converter, also available at www.shareware.com, or at http://www.lemkesoft.de/us_gcdownload.htmll. Please refer to your programs documentation to see if it is capable of opening these types of files. 2.) HOW CAN I GET HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES OF THIS ART? For quality publishing, art or video uses, high-res versions of this collection are allavailable on a CD. On the CD we have both Photoshop and Illustrator files. You may purchase this amazing CD for $49.95 plus shipping and handling by clicking on the buy button provided or by contacting us in one of the following ways: Phone 800-890-1008 Fax: 808-822-4351 E-mail: books@hindu.org 3.) WHY DOES THE THUMBNAIL CATALOG TAKE SO LONG TO LOAD IN NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR OR COMMUNICATOR ON THE MACINTOSH? The Macintosh version of Netscape Navigator & Communicator handle table and file caching in a strange way. Everytime you view a new page, Netscape has to reload and then redraw all the images. This is not the case on other operating systems. If you are experiencing this problem, we recommend you install Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer. 4.) WHAT IS THE MEANING OF AUM? For those who are not familiar with the meaning of the sacred Aum, we include here some excerpts from our web site. A.) Aum: Often spelled Om. The mystic syllable of Hinduism, placed at the beginning of most sacred writings. As a mantra, it is pronounced aw (as in law), oo (as in zoo), mm. Aum represents the Divine, and is associated with Lord Ganesha, for its initial sound "aa," vibrates within the muladhara, the chakra at the base of the spine upon which this God sits. The second sound of this mantra, "oo," vibrates within the throat and chest chakras, the realm of Lord Murugan, or Kumara, known by the Hawaiian people as the God Ku. The third sound, "mm," vibrates within the cranial chakras, ajna and sahasrara, where the Supreme God reigns. The dot above, called anusvara, represents the Soundless Sound, Paranada. Aum is explained in the Upanishads as standing for the whole world and its parts, including past, present and future. It is from this primal vibration that all manifestation issues forth. Aum is the primary, or mula mantra, and often precedes other mantras. It may be safely used for chanting and japa by anyone of any religion. Its three letters represent the three worlds and the powers of creation, preservation and destruction. In common usage in several Indian languages, aum means "yes, verily" or "hail." B.) Literally, Pranava in Sanskrit means "humming." The mantram Aum denotes God as the Primal Sound. This sound can be heard as the sound of one's own nerve system, and meditators and mystics hear it daily, like the sound made by an electrical transformer or a swarm of bees, or a thousand vinas playing in the distance. It is a strong, inner experience, one that yogis hold with great reverence. The meditator is taught to inwardly transform this sound into the inner light which lights up ones' thoughts, and to bask in this blissful consciousness of light. Pranava is also known as the sound of the nadanadi sakti. Hearing it one draws near to God Consciousness. When we are living in the lower chakras, or when the world too strongly dominates our mind, this sound may, for a time, not be heard. But it returns as awareness withdraws, as the mind becomes perfectly quiescent, silent, still. Listen for this sound in your quietest moments and you will learn to recognize it as a daily encounter with the Divine that lives within all men, within all creatures, within all existence. C.) Poems from Yogaswami on Aum The whole world has evolved from Om; The whole word is sustained by Om; The whole world will merge into Om- In Om resides my strength-Sivayave. OM TAT SAT OM Rise ere the sun each morning and wash feet, face and hands. Weaving fresh blossoms into garlands, give worship unto God. If we curb the mind from following the senses andvenerate the Lord's celestial feet,