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The seats of the mind by which it indirectly controls the human body are the chakras (circles). The five fundamental factors which form the body are directly controlled by prana. [AS]
The chakras are centers of energy on all levels. They correspond to the major nerve plexi and the endocrine glands. These are the physical manifestations of the chakras; the hormones secreted by the glands serving to express the vrttis in the physical body. They are also a controlling factor of the emotions and overall psychology. They can be observed psychically as well as in meditation. These psychic chakras are a less subtle aspect of the yogic chakras.
The chakras have an expression in all the kosas and serve as nodes where the activities of the different kosas are coordinated, and energy and communication can flow between them.
Chakra means circle, or wheel, in sanskrit. They are described as whirling wheels of energy, in which the outer part of the wheel, revolving at the highest speed, is related to the physical body (the annamaya kosa), while the fixed center corresponds to the atman [Y&P]. In between they control also the emotional and mental aspects of being through the vayus based on the vrittis. While the chakras manifest in all the kosas, they are each associated most strongly with the kosa below that which controls them.
The four petals are crimson. Its head hangs downward. The four
letters of the petals are Va to Sa. There is a yellow square shining
inside the petals, which represents Earth. The Bija Lam is inscribed
here riding on the king of Elephants. There is the Devi Dekini, and
the Vayu Kamarupa. At the base of the nadi
Vajra Kandarpa there is a small luminous inverted triangle, Kamarupa
(Traipura). Inside the triangle in Svayambhu in linga-form, head down,
the color and shape of a new leaf. There is a Deva like a whirlpool.
The sleeping kundalini is wrapped three
and a half times around the linga, blocking its mouth. Within the
linga reigns Para (omnipotent Kala, a form of Nada Shakti, skillful
in creation). [SP]
Satyananda refers to the muladhara as the store house of karma
( samskaras). He says it is best thought
of as the primordial source of the processes of evolution , of matter, form, the femine,
Mula-prakriti (Sankhya). In men it
is located in the perineum and linked with the testicles and the
nerves feeding them. In women it is located at the cervix. It is
associated with the Earth element, smell, and the nose. The letters
are Sam, Vam, Sham and S'am. The male deity is Ganesha (the elephant).
The linga seen here is a symbol of the
astral body. [TC]
This chakra is associated with survival instincts and a concern
for the physical body. Attack and defense, the
fear of annihilation, an animal level concerned with the survival of
the fittest, and largely out of
conscious awareness. It is suggested that this chakra relates to
physical elimination ( apana vayu) and
that intense survival fear is associated with involuntary elimination
and diseases of the large intestine.
Psychologically it is related to paranoia and other severe
disturbances associated with the earliest judgments of good and bad,
internal and external. There is a strong tendency to project "bad" or
"wrong" things externally, onto others. Its psychology is
reflected in the Freudian anal
stage of development [Y&P].
The six petals are vermillion. The six letters of the petals are
Ba to La. There is a white shining crescent inside the petals, which
represents Water. The Bija Vam is inscribed here riding on a Makara.
Hari is within the bija, with a beautiful blue body, dressed in yellow,
wearing the Shrivasta and Kaustubha. There is the Devi Rakini (or
Sarasvati [TC]) with various weapons in her raised arms. [SP]
Satyananda locates this chakra also at the coccyx. He associates
this chakra with that part of the brain
which controls the unconscious
mind. It is also connected to the
collective unconscious or group mind
. Unconscious record of all actions is stored here, as is the
record of our past samskaras, and those
associated with human evolution. Some is active, some dormant. These
forces are represented by the crocodile like animal supporting the
bija [reptilian brain AHM]. The six
letters are Lam, Ram, Yam, Mam, Bam, and Bham. It is associated
with taste and the tongue. The petals are vermillion.[TC]
This chakra is associated with sexual instincts and sensual
pleasure. It is the main focus of classical Freudian psychology. These energies
may either be used sexually, but focusing on the spiritual character
of the parties involved (external tantra), or it may be channeled
internally and raised to be used in the higher chakras (true tantra).
Gopi Krishna's discription of the workings of his
kundalini suggest that the conversion of sexual energy is a main
source that feeds the rising kundalini. This is the main reason that
advanced yogis refrain from sexual activity. When this energy rises
to express through the higher chakras, the crude creativity of sexual
procreation is transformed into the more subtle creativity of the
arts. Its psychology is reflected in
the Freudian phallic stage of development [Y&P].
The ten petals are the color of heavy-laden rain clouds. The ten
letters of the petals are Da to Pha. There is an inverted triangle
shining like the rising sun inside the petals, which represents Fire.
The Bija Ram is inscribed here riding on a ram. Rudra (the destroyer)
is here, with vermilion body, smeared with ashes, in the mudra of
granting boons and dispelling fears. There is the Devi Lakini
(Lakshmi) of dark hue and yellow garments. Vani (Devi of Speech)
abides here. [SP]
The petals are dark blue. The letters found here are Dam, Dham,
Nam, Tam, Tham, Dam, Dham, Nam and Pam. The deity is Vishnu, and
the yantra an inverted triangle.[TC]
This region is associated with food, digestion and the creation
of heat in the body ( samana vayu).
When the flame of digestion is properly regulated energy is produced
and stored here, there is a ready and stable supply for the body,
and the person is dynamic and confident. Imbalances include overly
agitated, angry, or aggressive people or to a lack of energy and
vitality. Also associated are digestive problems, ulcers, etc. At
the psychological level this chakra
has to do with control issues, dominance and submission. This
chakra is associated with the
psychology of Adler's inferiority complex and Erikson's "industry
vrs. inferiority". [Y&P]
This chakra comes near the center of gravity of the physical
body and is the usual focus in the martial arts, being called the
dan tien (chinese) or hara (japanese). It is the center from which
energy and power spread out through the body. As the center of the
samana vayu, it has the role of
balancing the prana and aprana vayus, and therefore of controlling
the overall energy balance in the body. [AHM]
The twelve petals are the color of Bandhuka flower (crimson).
The twelve letters of the petals being with Ka. There is an six
pointed star of smokey color inside the petals, which represents
Wind. The Bija Yam is inscribed here riding on an antelope. Mercy
is here in the mudra of granting boons and dispelling fears. There
is the Devi Kakini (Kali). In the center there is a small triangle, which
is Shakti, and contains the Shiva Linga Bana. The Devi Lakshmi
resides inside. This lotus is like the celestial wishing tree,
the abode of Shiva. [SP]
Satyananda describes a secondary chakra just below the anahata
in which the Kalpavriksha, or "wishing tree", in the form of an
evergreen is located. This only functions when the anahata has
been awakened. Brahman, or the Atman,
is said to reside here. The petals are vermillion. The twelve
letters are: Kam, Khan, Gam, Gham, Ngam, Cham, Chham, Jam, Jham,
Nyam, Tam, and Than. The yantra is a smokey six pointed star, two
triangles representing Shakti and Shiva. The black antelope is
a symbol of alertness. The deity is Rudra or Isha. [TC]
This is the first chakra above the
diaphragm and is associated with the lungs as well as the heart
( prana vayu and the element of air). It
is a center of nurturing both of self (lungs/heart) and others (breasts)
and the seat of the higher emotions, feelings, (e.g. love, empathy,
compassion). This is the first center that deals with issues that truly
transcend the individual self. It is often seen as the center that
integrates the lower and higher chakras as represented by the six
pointed star (the combination of downward and upward pointing triangles).
A cross centered at the heart chakra symbolizes the integration of male
and female, yin and yang, as well as the upper and lower. [Y&P]
The energy that comes through the heart, that is relatively free
of the attachment associated with the
lower chakras, is more properly termed feeling, as opposed to emotion.
As the attachment drops away true compassion can appear.[Y&P]
The sixteen petals are a smokey purple. The sixteen vowels are
written on the petals. There is a shining white circle (like the
full moon) inside the petals, which represents Ether. The Bija Ham
is inscribed here riding on an elephant. The Deva Sada-Shiva
(three-eyed and five-faced) lives here with the Devi Girija. The
Shakti Sakini lives here, carrying the bow and arrow, the noose
and the goad. This is the gateway of great liberation. [SP]
The petals are violet-gray. The letters on the petals are the
sixteen vowels. The circular or oval yantra represents space. The
male deity is Sadashiva. This chakra is associated with hearing.
This chakra is said to have to do with receiving nurturing, as
the heart relates to giving it. In its most developed form this is the
devotion of the devotee of the Lord. The
early psychology of the reflected
Freudian oral stage of development. The devotee however, is seeking
guidance and nurturance from the divine, and experiencing a longing
for transcendence. Difficulties in triggering the gag reflex (as
called for in some yogic cleansing
techniques may relate to an unresolved need for nurturance. [Y&P]
This chakra is also associated with the intake of food and air into
the body, and with communication ( udana
vayu). This is related to creativity, in singing, and poetry and the
arts in general. Through chants and rituals as well we define our
world. It is also through these that devotion
is expressed. Art has traditionally be used in a spiritual context,
to inspire and guide. It can also be used in a therapeutic, or growth oriented process,
to access and express aspects of the higher self. [Y&P]
The two petals are the color of the moon. The letters Ha and
Ksha are on the petals. The Shakti Hakini (of six faces and six
arms) lives here. The subtle mind (
manas[??]) dwells here. There is an inverted triangle (yoni, a
symbol of the female, or material forces) in the pericarp, in which
the Shiva Itara is in his phallic form. The Bija OM is in the yoni
(combined A and U). It is the abode of Shakti and its luster illuminates
the Chitrini nadi. Above the triangle is a
crescent moon, above which in turn is Ma-kara (letter M) completing OM.
Above this is Nada (a mark). This is the abode of Vishnu, and is where
the yogi takes his final breath. [SP]
Satyananda states that the Shiva linga is a symbol of the astral body. He sees this chakra on
the astral level as gray.[TC]
The accomplished yogi is said to be able to see the Mahanada,
the place of the dissolution of Vayu, half comprised of Shiva, and
like a plow in shape, above the ajina chackra. It manifests
intuition. It is the seat of intuitional
sight, the "third eye" and of clairvoyance. This is to be distinguished
from the casual "hunch", which draws mainly on material from the subconsciousmind and from the samakaras stored in the unconscious mind. The full intuition
(or bodhi), and true
clairvoyance, is the product of clear access to the atimanas kosa. [Y&P]
The development of intuition through
meditation leads to the integration of the
right and left brain modalities, of
pure intellect and a less developed intuition. When the concentrated
mind reaches this chakra, it experiences
savikalpa samadhi and speech becomes impossible (e.g. the experiences
of Ramakrishna). [Y&P]
The mind at this chakra is in
nirvikalpa samadhi. It is a level completely beyond the verbal and
even the normal visual thought. It is actually beyond the mind and
unit consciousness, although it is their source. It is therefore
beyond psychology, although it is the
key to its proper formulation. [CAS]
This thousand petaled lotus is down-turned, lustrous and whiter then
the full moon, tinged with the color of the young sun. Its body has
all the letters on it. Inside it is the full moon, its rays moist and
cool as nectar. Inside this is the Triangle, and inside that the Great
Void. This is the seat of Parama Shiva, the Brahman and Atman of all
beings. He who has controlled his mind and known the subtle aspects
of this chakra is not reborn.
In this place one finds the sixteenth phase of the moon, Ama-Kala,
a down-turned fine crescent which is the source of nectar. Inside
this is Nirvana-kala, even finer, and inside this Supreme Nirvana
Shakti. Finally inside her is the abode of Shiva, where there is
neither time nor space, free from Maya, and called Nityananda.[SP]
Satyananda states that the Shiva linga seen here is a symbol of the
astral body.
The operations of the chakras to control the flow of prana in the body, and thus the physical body itself, are controlled by the five kosas, the layers of the mind listed above [check SS IV, 88-90].
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