The Soul's Journey to Its Destiny" - Chapter 8, Summary

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Adavaitin satsang.

 

Hari Om & Pranams.

 

This is the eighth and final chapter of the Book. It

deals with connection between Kundalini and all the 7

chapters we dealt with earlier.

 

CHAPTER 8: THE KUNDLINI AND THE AWAKENING OF HIGHER

CONSCIOUSNESS

 

Kunadlini means coiled up. It refers to the divine

energy that is lying coiled up and asleep at the base

of the spinal column of every conscious being.

 

Higher consciousness is paravidya. This is normally

asleep in most men. But it is required to realize

self.

 

Whether you believe you are to experience God here and

now, or think all that is necessary is to have faith

in God, in either case you are expected to reach a

condition where you can perceive God in earth or in

heaven. This needs a transformation in your own being.

Your consciousness will have to become equal to the

divine reality you want to perceive.

 

What is essentailly wanted is earnest longing for God

and withdrawl of mind from anything other than God.

Infact, without knowing philosophy, you can do that

(Bakhti Yoga)

 

The Hindus say that from cosmic point of view, this

universe is an expression of divinity. It is the

dynamic play of divine; which "as it were" assumed a

dynamic aspect. The whole universe is a play of this

divine sakthi (energy) - living. The foundation is a

cosmic kundalini, a universal coiled up divine enegy,

which prods this universe into all kinds of momentary

changes, takes it through the cosmic aspect of

manifestation and again on the return journey takes it

back into the process of dissolution.

 

This divine enrgy stimulates us and becomes active

even in inanimate nature. For example, there are

certain kinds of places and times when this divine

enegy is a little more active (Swamiji here refers to

Holy places and auspicous dates and times)

 

Hindus think, what is true of cosmic as a whole is

also true of its constituent units ie what is true as

universal is also true as individual. So when we see a

man is spiritually stimulated, we would say his

Kundalini is awakened. In the individual the pathway

of this divine enegy lies through the spinal column to

the brain and on reaching it, the person is illumined.

 

 

There has always been this problem to explain: How man

lost his divinity? In the doctrine of Kundalini, there

is a philosophical presentation.

 

We have seen earlier in the first chapter that, first

there was absolute consciousness. For some reason a

desire arose in God to create (don't try to guess

why). Along with this desire, something which denied

the nature of God arose- being Maya. Due to God's

association with this Maya, a process takes place and

through different stages of involution and

degenration, the whole thing comes to our level.

 

In the several steps, the "one" absolute consciousness

becomes several gross states, descending via causal

and subtle forms. This study is called "deha tattva"-

inquiry into the truth of the body. Through this

inquiry we can understand what has been brought out

and how it is being perpetuated as well as the visva

(the whole). In the final stage body, mind and soul

seemingly come together as this earth for humans. This

is where we are now, in this earth.

 

There are simultaneously other lokas (worlds) created

and inhabited by other divine and lesser (than human)

beings.

 

Form this state of plurality (duality), if an

individual soul wants to reunite with the original

cosmic origin (Nirguna Brahaman) it has to traverse

the reverse path step by step; through a process of

self purification of mind - either by bakhti or karma

or both. So if we wish, we can set in motion the

opposite process and return to the source we came

from.

 

It can also, atleast theoratically, suddenly

"self-realize" its divine nature by Gyana (Knowledge).

Then it is not a process, it is "as it were"

instantaneous. In this process also mind needs to be

purified, but instead of gradual dilution with good,

it is evaporated so that the truth is seen immediately

because "as it were" is only a dream to be woken-up

from.

 

In the brain is the fullnes of God consciousness. The

soul identified with God is still seated in the brain

as the "lotus with thousand petals".

 

Now creation is nothing but God thinking of his own

opposite. So the opposite of perfect Brahaman is at

the other end of human form at the bottom of the

spinal column. If in the brain this divine

consciousness is ever awake, then at the bottom of the

spinal column, it is lying asleep. There is "as it

were" a polarization. How did it come about?

 

It is said that divinity did not just suddenly go to

the baseof the spine; there were many stages in the

journey in which "as it were", it went there and yet

remained in the brain.

 

This is one the essential points of our Hindu

teaching, a thing becomes something different and yet

retains its original nature. For example a good and

matured friend of yours is acting as a villain in a

play - so is he good or bad?

 

How god exists in himself- no one is able to describe.

However he comes down and the first stage downward

stage is at the junction of eyebrows. This lotus has

only two petals- meaning a sense of duality has come

as soul separate from God.

 

When it goes further down it comes to the level of the

throat, lotus with 16 petals. At this level, soul is

no longer in fellowship with God, but still full of

fervour for God.

 

Then it comes to next lower state, to the level of

heart where it is unvibrated. Longing is there for God

but soul is beginning to get enmeshed in bondage. When

it goes below the heart, it forgets the existence of

God and its direction is towards the opposite, towards

matter.

 

Next in the downward journey is a center at the level

of navel. Then through other 2 centers we finally

reach the base of the spinal column. Soul is now fully

enclosed in the consciousness of its own gross form

with the mind subservient to the body. It perceives

everything in terms of the body or in terms of matter.

Divine energy is "as it were" lying almost asleep.

This is Kundalini for you.

 

So where is the soul Now? It is in the lower 3 stages

or centers. The lowest is "mula dhara" or basic

receptacle. They say it is lying in 3 1/2 (three and

half) coils with its face bent down. It functions in

the two next higher centers (eating, sleeping and

procreation).

 

Now how does the ascent takes place? Soul somehow

becomes aware of its higher destiny in 3 possible

ways. One way is, the soul lying almost asleep

becomes a little more awake due to "Grace" of God.

When the mind craves higher things, it means that the

Kundalini is speaking a little louder.

 

Another way- time & experience do it. When you have

experienced the same thing over and over, you get

tired of it. Soul looks up for something else. You

exhaust all karmas.

 

There is a third way and that is self-effort

(sadhana). You deliberately take it up. It is hard

work but you persist in it. There are ways in which

through your own effort you can make Kundalini wake

up. Sometimes, these practices can be drastic. You

should be careful when you undertake them. This

requires viveka (discrimination) and vairagya

(dispassion).

 

Spiritual practice is art based on the science- on the

facts, of spiritual existence. But the science is

subtle and the hence the student has to be guided.

 

On the ascent, we now become more disidentified with

this gross state of mental-physcial form. We rise to

the subtle, where we find that we are really souls

separate from body and mind. We begin to feel a

nearness. Then comes further transcendence and come to

the causal state where we feel we are god like in

nature. Here all souls and God become 'as it were"

bound up in one grand unity. The highest is still

beyond the causal state. That is the general process

of the ascent.

 

The different stages induce a change in behavior. He

eats only to sustain and sleep becomes less. When he

sleeps, sense life is blocked and mind becomes free

like in meditation. He gives up sex life. When you

become free from animal functions, you come to the

heart level, where it seems, as if a new world has

opened before you. Everything seems to have another

dimension and depth in it. The thought of God falshes

before you - You actually see it. Here is where, faith

is justified. You should become established atleast in

this center of the heart. This is the least one should

do and could do more.

 

The center above is the center of the throat. It can

talk nothing but God. All spiritual and metaphyscial

problems get solved now. No more attraction to the

world remains in ths soul. The journey from heart to

throat is strenous. Once the soul has reached the

level of the throat there is no fear for it. There is

no longer any kind of lower mind. A person can see and

hear what is not given to ordinary eyes and ears. He

can know the future and remeber the past. The soul

becomes- Mahapurusha- Superman.

 

Next stage on the return journey is the point between

the eyebrows. Here you have the first union with God,

savikalpa samadhi. The final level is nirvikalpa

samadhi.

 

There is a nerve in the spinal column along which this

return journey takes place called - susumna. The 2

other nerves are called ida and pingla.

 

As long as we allow consciousness or mind to function

along the present nervous system, one cannot realize

anything higher than now. Only when we withdraw from

the present nervous system and make it move along the

central nerve susmna, there can be qualitative

difference in perception. Within susmna, there is

another fine nerve called vajrini and within that

another citrini and within that there is a thread like

bright nerve 'Brahma Nadi'. It is along this that soul

gradually makes its upward journey.

 

Many people have confirmed this Kundalini doctrine

from their personal experience.

END OF THIS CHAPTER SUMMARY AND OF THE BOOK

 

Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to make

these postings. It facilitated my reading this book

once again and that has been of good benefit to me.

P.B.V.Rajan

(Prathivadhi Bayanakaram Varadha Rajan)

 

 

 

 

 

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