Avinasha's four questions about astral dreams

August 22, 2006

Question 1a) What exactly do you mean by astral travelling?

In the Vedic-Agamic cosmology there are 3 worlds, 14 planes, 5 spheres, and 36 evolutes.

The three worlds are:

BHU LOKA

ANTAR LOKA

KARANA LOKA

Karana Loka is accessible only to liberated souls.

Antar Loka is the astral plane, aka the subtle plane.

Below Bhu Loka is the sub astral plane

Antar loka is comprised of: higher, middle, and lower astral plane

Mahar Loka = "plane of greatness"

It is also called Deva Loka

It is the higher astral plane

It is a state of consciousness located in the anahata chakra

Svar Loka = "celestial plane"

It is a state of consciousness which uses the manipura chakra

It is in the middle astral plane

Bhuvar Loka = "plane of atmosphere"

It is a state of consciousness using the svadhishthana chakra

Within it is Pitr Loka, the world of ancestors

It is located just below Svar Loka

in the middle-lower astral plane

In between Bhuvar and Bhu Loka is Preta Loka

world of the departed or earth-bound souls

It is located in the lower astral plane

BHU LOKA

is the earth plane

It is all about the energy of the muladhara chakra

Below Bhu-loka is the sub-astral plane called NARAKA

These are the seven states of consciousness below the muladhara

KARANA LOKA

Above the higher astral plane is Karana Loka

If you chant very purely and you are very serious and don't commit any

offenses, plus have enough past life sukritya, then you can enter into this

realm of liberated souls even in this body in this lifetime.

Above Mahar Loka is the visuddha chakra

Here is located Jana Loka, the creative plane

Above Jana Loka is Tapo Loka, plane of austerity

This is the ajna chakra

Above Tapoloka is Satya Loka, the plane of Reality

also known by many many names one of which is Brahma Loka

or the Sahasrara Chakra

In reality there are seven chakras above the Sahasrara. Thus we find people in many traditions describing the Sahasrara.

For example in devotional Tibetan Buddhism and in Vietnamese Buddhism, they talk about "Entering Reality". That is the starting point, Brahman realization. They call it Buddhanature.

In Saiva Siddhanta they call it Siva Loka. I am sure you know enough about the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition to apply your own understanding to this. One

guru in this lineage called it Reality the Beautiful. Other gurus have described in a way similar to "My Father's house has many mansions" of Jesus Christ.

For example some GV gurus speak about when the Gopis are searching for Krsna they ask Narayana where Krsna is. So from point of view of Gopis

Krishna is a Black Snake, very crooked, and Narayana is God.

Meanwhile, back in Vaikuntha Srimati Laksmi-devi the consort of Narayana cannot have access to Vraja. And so on. Siva bhaktas think that Vishnu is

an expansion of Siva and Krsna bhaktas are sure that Siva is like yogurt compared to milk of their istha-devatas.

I don't want to get into debate with anyone about what is happening up there

because everyone is right from their own angle of vision. I say, you enjoy your view up there and I will enjoy mine.

I just want to point out that yes a person can even travel to these places as well. After all Prabhupada wrote a book "Easy Journey to Other Planets." This is what he was talking about: all of these different planes of existence.

Now back to your question #1a). So do you understand what astral travelling is? I believe I explained on your first thread how our body can do it. We are comprised of 3 bodies and 5 sheaths.

Only that thread I left out two of the sheaths. The highest sarira we have is the svarna sarira, when we are fully mature as souls.

The next most subtle and refined sarira we have is the karana sarira or causal body. This is when we first enter into liberated stage.

Technically when you are operating from karana or svarna sarira then you

are not astral travelling. You are in Reality.

That brings me to your question #2. How do you know that what you are seeing is not an ordinary dream? Because you are directly seeing Radha and

Krsna or whoever your Istha-devata is.

I hope by now this also answers your question #1b) Do you see things that people do not see with their gross senses? Do you now understand that we

each all of us have all of these senses?

It is sort of like computer software: we each have all of the software that we need already, but not everyone knows how to use all of the computer programs and software that they have on their computer. Or some people

have heard how to use the software but they don't feel like trying it our

because they have other interests or obligations at the moment.

However, that software is sitting there ready for whenever they feel like

practicing how to use the program. And some people are already playing

the programs and laughing their heads off at the people arguing over what

they are going to see once they start practicing using the programs. And

other people think wow maybe I should help that person to understand how to boot up their computer so they can use the software.

Re: your question #3) psychic dreams foretelling an event is called clairvoyance if you can see it and clairaudience if you can hear it. Some

people have both. It can be an impediment on the path as it is a siddhi.

The human being has an anava mala or ego. By the time of death we want

all of the beads on our anava mala to break off til all we are left with at the

time of death is the Krsna bead on our mala. We don't want any anava left

or ego.

However any time there is any pratistha or pride and desire for fame then the human being is increasing their anava mala to 108 is possible all of the traps of the ego. So that is why it is a danger every single thing on the path or a

blessing. My advice is try your level best focus to the best of your ability on

your Istha-devata and your guru(s) to avoid these traps of the anava.

Re: your question #4 do you astral travel when you are asleep or awake, it can occur at any time. However I personally would be very fearful to visit

any plane of existence other than Reality the Beautiful. By increasing your

hearing of auspicious sound vibrations you can attain everything, like in that

story of Brhad-Bhagavanamrita. I'm sorry I don't even know if I spelled it right.

The story of one jeev just keep on hearing the auspicious sacred and holy sound vibrations and got to the desired destination in due course of time.

If I have left out anything please let me know if more questions you have on this topic.

Do you see things which people do not see with their gross senses?

August 22, 2006

Sorry I am kind of space cadet. So the answer to your question 1b) above

"Do you see things which people do not see with their gross senses" is yes.

I hope I explained to you properly everything to your satisfaction. If you have more questions please be patient with me, maybe I cannot answer immediately.

Also bear in mind that the Vedas are eternally being revealed. Even Ananta-Sesa is going on and on forever glorifying. So please bear in mind this is only very small and puny sharing of information. You are asking questions that volumes have been written about by the great saints and rsis.

Thank you the lovely and very thoughtful questions. Because they were so intelligent of questions and so many it took a while to get back to you.

Please forgive any offenses you think I may have committed. Pranams!

August 22, 2006

Thanks for the great answers.

But how do you know that seeing your ishta devta is genuine? That they are real, and what you are experiencing is real?

August 22, 2006

Sorry I don't have the quotes all available now from sastra, but I believe that the Lord and His Names and Form are non-different from Him.

So to see the Form of the Lord, that is really the Lord, as He is Absolute. He can appear at His own sweet pleasure and reveal Himself to whoever He wishes at any time. It is called Divine Grace.

We take one step towards the Lord, the Lady, and Gurus and They in turn take nine steps towards us. What are those nine steps? They are walking through all of the chakras, stepping through Time and Space as it were, to

reciprocate with us.

Also you double check if is really an activity the Lord would be doing when you see Him, by the descriptions in sastra from the rsis who had transcendental vision of the Lord all through the ages, due to their purity of heart. You can also double check how does it make you feel at the time and

afterwards?

Are you filled with peace and happiness? Do you feel satisfied and complete?

Are your prayers being answered? Does it "feel" or "read" as a mood of reciprocation? Do you feel encouraged and uplifted? The Divine is a Person,

so it is a form of communication with You.

Lastly, check what activity you had been doing at the time. Usually when

you can see the Form of the Lord you have been doing some type of a good

activity or it is a culmination of alot of good activities. These activities are

called sukritya.

Also you might want to check your astrological chart because there are certain planets in certain houses that would indicate that one could have

these types of experiences.

Please let me know if you have any more questions. I trust all is well with you and thank you for asking a beautiful question. When you ask beautiful questions then the devas and rsis who live on the subtle realms love to come and listen. You are creating a sanctified space here on Earth and people from the inner worlds lokas bless us when we talk about these things. Aum.