Human Spiritual Structure: Mind System Correlations
Notes in progress © 1998-2002 Alan McAllister  


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The Gunas and the Kosas

If all memory is the province of citta, then does the atimanas kosa, which holds the samskaras have a citta component? If so then it would seem unlikely that there is a straight forward correlation between the kosas and the tattvas, e.g. that kamamaya kosa is citta, manomaya and atimanas are aham and vijinanamaya and hiranmaya are mahat. Perhaps each kosa is comprised of all three, but in differing proportions? Or there is some overlap?

Ananda Sutram 3-1 implies that the kosas are all part of the manifest mind and separate from the Aham and Mahat, thereby implying that they form in the citta? However, other passages suggest that together with the atman they form the whole being? E.g. in AS 3-5 it is said that a disembodied soul has no sense of pain or pleasure, which is the province of Aham Tattva and suggests that in death the Aham is also desolved? Or is it rather that without the crudest kosas the aham and citta do not function as fully as with them?

The Influence of the Gunas on the Kosas
KOSADominantIntermediate Minimal
annamayatamasrajassatvas
kamamayatamassatvasrajas
manomayarajastamassatvas
atimanasrajassatvastamas
vijinanamayasatvastamasrajas
hiranmayasatvasrajastamas

Based on the functions given for the kosas, the lokas and the influence of the gunas (table above), one would have to give a rough correspondence as follows: annamaya and kamamaya kosa are related to mainly to the citta, the manomaya mainly to the aham, the atimanas kosa to both the aham and the mahat, and the vijinanamaya and hiranamya kosas to the mahat. It is likely that there is not more than a general correspondence between these two classifications, which are to some extent orthogonal rather than parallel.

On the other hand `samanya deha' is said to be a level of pure mahat and aham, beyond the kosas. This would suggest that all five of the kosas exist within the citta. ??? This is hard to reconcile with all the rest.

NOTE: In P. R. Sakar's usage, consciousness and mind are quite different concepts, with mind being a partial manifestation of consciousness, which is more fundamental.

Layers of Mind and Bodies

Correlation of Levels or Mind and Body
Kosa(1)Mind(1)Esoteric Body(2) Psychological Mind(3)
annamayabodyphysicalanimal
kamamayacrudeastral
(emotional)
conscious
manomayasubtlecausal
(intellectual)
subconscious
atimanassupramental
(lower causal)
-- unconscious
vijinanamayasubliminal
(middle causal)
-- --
hiranmayagolden
(subtle causal)
-- --
(1) Ananda Sutram, (2) Theory of the Chakras, (3) Yoga and Psychology

The correlations between the Esoteric and other columns is not clear. In some works there is an Etheric body between the physical and astral bodies.

The Frequencies of Mental Levels

The standard psychic and new age view is rather that higher levels involve higher frequencies and shorter wave-lengths, i.e. higher energies.

In Valerie Hunt's work she was measuring electromagnetic frequencies in the body. These were much higher frequency than brain wave signals, and did show a good correlation with psychic visualization of energies during healing processes. These were also different from the regular brain-wave signals, both in frequency and strength. [Was there any attempt to measure these signals during meditation sessions?]

This suggests that we are talking about two different aspects of mind or energy bodies. This also relates to the different views of the chakras in the yogic and psychic literatures. Motoyama suggests that this arises from viewing different levels or aspects of the chakras. [Review this after finishing review of Ananda Sutram. If the relationship of the kosas all manifest in the citta, then that changes things.]

If one is `seeing' something, even in the sixth chakra (the `inner eye') this is still an image in the citta, however, that does not mean that the citta is picking out or generating the image. Likewise it may not mean that one is using a high level kosa either. What levels of mind are involved on both sides of the process. Perhaps most psychic work actually involving the physical mind and actual physcial energy fields? When the chakras are `read' this must all beat the same level of the being, just as they all have physcial glands. If so which level is being `seen'? Are all the aura levels also on the same level? It makes most sense that most of this is taking place in the standard 3 yogic mental layers or kosas.

Michael Tamura has said that clairvoyance is working with the transmedium space, the space between the conscious mind and the spiritual. This would imply that one is using manomaya or atimanas kosas. It ought to involve the mahat which is where the intuition lies, so we are back to the kosa/guna question. if it is the manomaya, then it may be that the work with pictures ect. is not really working at the root samskara level, which involves the atimanas. This is a key point.

The Chakras and the Physical Body

Correlation of Levels or Mind and Body
ChakraNerve PlexusesVertebra(1) Physical Systems
MuladharaSacral and Coccygeal4th Sacral --
SvadhisthanaSacral1st Lumbar?Urogential
ManipuraSolar(Coeliac)8th ThoracicDigestive
AnahataCardiac8th CervicalCirculatory
VishuddhaSuperior, Middle, and Interior Cervical3rd Cervical Respiratory
AjnaPituitary Body and Interbrain 1st CervicalAutonomic Nervous and Hormone
SahasraraCerebral Cortex, Entire Nervous System -- All Tissues of the Body
(1) From Leadbeater's section in Motoyama.

Psychological Theories and the Chakras

The various stages of psychological development can be associated with different chakras. In this way the psychology of the Freudian anal stage relates to that of the muladhara chakra. The psychology of the Freudian phallic stage relates to that of the svadhisthana chakra. Adler's and Erikson's work with inferiority are related to the psychology of the manipura chakra. The psychology of the anahata chakra is reflected in the work of Rogers and Fromm. [Y&P]

The Freudian oral stage is seen as being an immature reflection of the nurturing psychology of the vishuda chakra. While the development related to the vishuda is that of devotion and trust in the infinite, the infant displays a trust in the mother. However, this is not a conscious devotion, and may come and go as needs are met or not met. The first of which, if not outgrown, leads to attachments to material objects and persons (finite objects) and a desire for (or a fear of) merger in them and annihilation of the conscious self (issues of the muladhara). The other leads to an attachment to God (infinite object) and a desire to loose the self by expansion into the universal consciousness (true vishuda issues). The surface similarities of these two states has led to a confusion in many western psychologies, which identify the transcendence of the yogi with the dissolution of the psychotic. This mirrors the association of both the higher and lower aspects of mind into a single unconscious.

Consciousness in Different Systems

There is an apparent confusion between the use of "conscious", "subconscious", and "unconscious" mind in the theory of the kosas and the use of "conscious" and "unconscious" in western psychology, The "conscious" of psychology really has more to do with the range of ahamtattva than with a specific layer of the mind. As one progresses in sadhana, or other clearing techniques, the consciousness expands and ones awareness may be seated in the higher kosas. It is also common to associate the "rational", intellectual mind with consciousness. And yet this is the province of the analytical manomaya kosa which is called the "subconscious" layer of mind. It is true that much of the process of actual analysis may be "unconscious", but when we work through an engineering problem it seems quite conscious.

Note that the conscious mind is presented with perceptions that are layered with meaning, the analytical function of the subconscious mind. This process of giving meaning, is mostly not part of our conscious awareness, though it can be brought into consciousness when a new object or context is not immediately recognizable. It is generally connected with the emotions, in that there is an emotional aspect to the meaning. Meaning is probably also relative to some reference point, which may be the person's own body image. The emotional content apparently depends on a clear relationship between the self and the perceived object [SFF]. It is suggested that all meaningful perception is dependent on self-reference, without which consciousness and understanding would be impossible [SFF]. This would only apply to the physical world of the five factors.

It is an interesting question if our "other bodies", i.e. the other layers of the mind also serve as reference points for experience on other levels? Certainly there can be no space, and any sense of that must be imported from the experience of the physical body. Time also would be perhaps only relative, and have little absolute meaning (as in dreams). However, there is certainly still consciousness and understanding.

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Page Created, February, 1998.
Last updated November 30, 1998.
© Alan McAllister

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