The Subtle System: Tree Of Life (Bible) Within All Humans
"In the Hindu tradition there is a way of talking about this transformation which is in terms of bodily sheaths, or 'koshas', in which the human consciousness is involved, of which only the first is physical and the rest are subtle... As one passes beyond all the limitations of the lower levels of consciousness, one experiences the bliss of the 'sahasrara', the highest level of consciousness, the 'anandamayakosha'. At that stage one is open to the cosmic consciousness, the cosmic order, and that is where one becomes aware of the gods and the angels."
Tree of Life (Kundalini) that triggers spiritual rebirth and evolution
Tree Of Life that grants the fruits of immortality
Tree of Life
(Kundalini)
that triggers
spiritual
rebirth and
human
evolution
"This tree and its gifts of immortality are not easy to discover. It is historically difficult to find, and almost invariably guarded. The tree of Life in the Jewish bible is guarded by a Seraph (an angel in the form of a fiery serpent) bearing a flaming sword. To steal the apples of knowledge, the Greek hero Hercules had to slay a many-headed dragon Ladon. In Mayan legends, it is a serpent in the roots that must be contended with. Similarly, the Naga, or divine serpent guards the Hindu Tree. The Serpent Nidhog lives under Ygdrassil, and gnaws at the roots...
Another form, the inverted Tree, represents spiritual growth, as well as the human nervous system. This tree, with its roots in heaven, and its branches growing downward, is most commonly found in Kabbalistic imagery. A similar tree is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, "The banyan tree with its roots above, and its branches below, is imperishable." In Jewish Kabbalah, the inverted tree represents the nervous system as well- the 'root' in the cranial nerves, with the branches spreading throughout the body; it also represents the cosmic tree- rooted in heaven, the branches all of manifest creation. 1
"Many do not understand the concept of yoga. Some think it is a religion. Some think it is physical exercise for health and some think it is a psychological system. All this is based on a misunderstanding of yoga. Yoga is simply a relationship. The word yoga comes from the biblical word, yoke which in turn originated from the root word in Sanskrit jugit. Both mean joining together or to unite. Yoga is the union of an individual consciousness with infinite consciousness. A yogi is a person who leans completely on the Supreme Consciousness, God, until they have merged their individual self with the Infinite Self. This is all.
Yoga is a technology that expands one’s awareness. It begins with the reality that every human mind has both Infinite and Creative potential. However, this unlimited potential can be limited according to one’s level of awareness. Awareness varies and gives one a variety of choices. To break the unconscious limits one needs a technology. That technology must expand the caliber and capacity of the mind to establish equilibrium to control the physical structure and experience the Infinite Self. The techniques of Kundalini Yoga create an owner’s manual for Human Consciousness. It explores your dimensions, depth, nature, and potential as a human. This is all that yoga means.
There is a great need for yoga today. Each person needs to understand why he is a human being and what it means to be a human being. Much has been said about inner Infinity and how to know about it. But, intellectual knowledge does not hold or sustain a person. Knowledge only becomes real wisdom when you experience it with your own heart and being. Just knowing or believing something is true does not mean you can act on it. But if you discover a truth and act upon it, and find bliss, success and fulfillment as a result, then no power on earth can make you veer from that truth or do wrong. Once you have seen the joy of that truth and enjoyed its beauty you are okay.
A guru can give you knowledge and techniques but not wisdom. Acquiring wisdom depends on your own practice and discipline. The teacher is there to provide the student with knowledge and inspiration. Its up to the student to learn, practice and experience." 2
Alchemical Tree of Life
How to gain knowledge of Tree and its gifts of immortality?
Self-realization from the incarnation of the Adi Shakti Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi begins with instant Kundalini awakening which ascends through various chakras, forges ahead to sahasrara chakra and flows out of the Brahmarandhra. In today's time-constrained lifestyles this eliminates years of rigorous disciplines like physical postures called asanas, breathing exercises called pranayama, and meditation.
Online Self-Realization/Second BirthAccording to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, the classical text on yoga, the purpose of yoga is to lead to a silence of the mind (1.2). This silence is the prerequisite for the mind to be able to accurately reflect objective reality without its own subjective distortions. Yoga does not create this reality, which is above the mind, but only prepares the mind to apprehend it, by assisting in the transformation of the mind full of noise, like a whole army of frenzied and drunken monkeys, to a still mind.
The Ascent to the Godhead
There are seven 'chakras'. The first is the 'muladhara', the root
chakra, which is the link in each person with 'mula prakriti', with mother
nature. This chakra is located at the base of the spine, and so it is understood
that at the base of the spine we are all related to the physical web of the
universe. The whole universe as we know it, from the atom to the star, is a web
of interdependent energies, and our physical bodies are part of that web of
energies. At the 'muladhara' we are linked with all the energies of the
universe. As that chakra opens we become aware of this energy. Ancient people
lived much more from the muladhara. They were immersed in the physical universe.
This was a limitation to some extent and they had to grow out of it, but we have
grown so far out of it that we have lost consciousness of it. We now have to
recover that deep physical consciousness, consciousness of matter and of our
integration in the material world. So we have to allow the muladhara to open and
become activated.
The next chakra is the 'svadhisthana'. This is the life consciousness, or sex
consciousness, and this was a very important element in the Tantra which
eventually led to its falling into disrepute and being rejected. In Tantra part
of the practice was to develop sexual energy as one means of uniting with the
Godhead. There is both physical energy and life energy, which is the energy
which is in all the plants and animals and in all the life of nature. We also
share in that energy and through this chakra we are related to, and united with,
this whole life energy of the universe. The aim is to convert this energy. We do
not simply let it out in its normal channel, and neither do we suppress it
(which would be disastrous); rather we try to draw it within. The energy has to
rise through all the chakras and in this rising it becomes an inner force,
'ojas', as it is called. This is a very practical discipline. People today are
trying to find a way between suppressing sex and indulging it. The third
way is to have a disciplined method for transforming the energy. This is done
largely through control of the breathing but also through the mantra, the breath
and the word.
Access to the third sphere of psychic energy is through the opening up of the
'manipura chakra'. This is the level of emotional energy. Here again we are all
linked emotionally, first with our mother and father, family, blood relations
and so on. These are very close emotional ties, and we know now how a person's
life may be conditioned by these emotional experiences which begin in the womb
and develop during the first two or three years. As this chakra opens up the
emotional energy has to be controlled. Normally when the chakras open the energy
is not controlled; tantric yoga is precisely the control of the energy in the
chakras, not letting the energies dissipate themselves but learning to bring
them within. In this way the emotions are brought within this current, this
force, and allowed to rise up to the deeper centre. It needs to be emphasised
that to do this is to control the emotions. It is not a matter of suppressing
the emotions or of indulging them, but rather of learning the middle way of
control. Again the method is the same. It is done by sitting, by breathing and
by concentration of the mind. To concentrate the mind, those who are religious
concentrate on God, on Jesus if one is a Christian, on Shiva or Vishnu if one is
a Hindu. One concentrates the mind at that point and then the energy is allowed
to rise to that point. It is given a direction. It is not safe to awaken the
chakras if one is not directing the energies which are released. It is dangerous
because one may awaken powers which cannot be controlled. But, by focussing on
the Supreme in one way or another, one guides the energy towards the still
point.
The fourth chakra is the 'anahata', the heart chakra. This is the chakra of
affection. The emotions are unstable, affection is stable. (P.197) It is the
centre of the will and of the reason, the 'manas' or lower mind. Most people
live from the heart chakra; feelings, affection and practical discipline come
from the heart. It is a deep centre and to focus on it is a very valid way, but
it does not take one very far. This is the middle level of consciousness, the
mental consciousness in its rather limited aspect and that is where many people
remain.
Next comes the 'visuddha', the throat chakra, which includes the verbal and
sound-based consciousness: words, language, poetry, music and so on. All this
opens up in the throat. So there is a progression as one emerges from the deep
consciousness, through emotional ties with one's mother and family, through the
heart where one is opening up to a wider sphere of knowledge and of practical
reason and will, and now one is opening up through one's feelings, and
imagination, and through music and poetry, to a wider sphere altogether.
Then one comes to the 'ajna chakra' and this corresponds to the 'buddhi', the
intelligence. That is where one focusses the mind, so one is drawing all the
energy up through this point. The 'buddhi' is where one opens on the
transcendent and that is why in meditation one tends to concentrate on the ajna
chakra. There can be concentration on the heart and this is good, but there
needs also to be concentration on the mind, the intellect, the 'nous'. At that
point one comes to the 'buddhi', the point of awakening and of enlightenment.
The Buddha is the enlightened one. This is the point of the so-called third eye,
where one is beginning to open to the transcendent. Until that eye opens one is
still living in the created world, the world of the senses and the mind; one has
not yet gone beyond. The ajna chakra is the passage to the transcendent.
The seventh and final stage is the 'sahasrara', the thousand-petalled lotus at
the crown of the head. The chakras are pictured in different ways. On way is to
see them as lotuses having different numbers of petals at each level. At
first the petals are turned down. Then, as the energy rises, the petals are
pictured as turned up symbolising the opening of the lotus, the opening of the
chakra, at that particular level until one's whole being is transformed as the
energy flows through it. The chakras are also associated with colours and with
sounds. There is a whole science of colour and sound and energy, and the
interrelationships between them have been very profoundly studied.
At this point, then, the energy rises to the supreme chakra, the 'sahasrara',
and there one opens on the transcendent. This is the realm of what is called
transpersonal psychology, which relates to the consciousness beyond the ego.
Beyond the gross world, the world of the senses, is the subtle world. It has
become clear that practically all Western psychology is simply concerned with
the lower levels of consciousness and Western psychologists are for the most
part unaware of the higher stages. There are several stages beyond. The first is
the lower subtle world where the mode of experience is through the subtle
senses. Instead of only relating to the outer world through the gross senses one
begins to develop subtle senses. One perceives the psychic world, which is a
different level of reality enfolded in the physical world. The physical world is
the outer shell and beyond that is the subtle psychic world.
In the Hindu tradition there is a way of talking about this transformation which
is in terms of bodily sheaths, or 'koshas', in which the human consciousness is
involved, of which only the first is physical and the rest are subtle. The first
sphere is the 'annamayakosha', the food 'kosha', which is the material body.
Then there is the 'pranamayakosha', the level of the breath or life energy.
Inside this is the 'manomayakosha', the mental body, or mind energy. In the West
this is generally thought to be the final stage of development, whereas in
reality it is only an intermediate level. Beyond the 'manomayakosha' is
the 'vijnanamayakosha', and that is where one comes to the 'buddhi' or
intellect. Finally there is the 'anandamayakosha', the supreme bliss
consciousness. As one passes beyond all the limitations of the lower levels of
consciousness, one experiences the bliss of the 'sahasrara', the highest level
of consciousness, the 'anandamayakosha'. At that stage one is open to the cosmic
consciousness, the cosmic order, and that is where one becomes aware of the gods
and the angels.
A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and
Christian Faith), Pg.195-199
Bede Griffiths
Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois
ISBN 0-87243-180-0
QUOTES OF SHRI MATAJI
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
MESSAGE OF METASCIENCE
"The truth is there is a residual power in the triangular bone Sacrum, called as the Kundalini. She has the power to bring forth the complete nourishment and adjustment of the disturbed genes. Whether they are genetic, inherent or acquired. When She is awakened, She changes the series of genes. Not only that She corrects the gene's data base but She breaks through the fontanel bone area and connects the seeker to the all pervading power of Divine Love also called as the cool breeze of the Holy Ghost, Ruh Ritambhara or Parama Chaitanya. Thus one, by this second birth, becomes a realised person as actualisation of Baptism takes place. The light of the spirit which is the reflection of God Almighty in our heart enters into our attention and enlightenment.
The seeker is really born again, not just a certificate but he changes as the transformation takes place within. There is a vast difference between an ordinary seeker and a realised soul. He becomes his own master full of Divine Love. It is a resurrection process, like an egg becoming the bird. Maybe this is the reason eggs are presented as a symbol, reminding, that one has to get resurrected. The genes change and complete transformation takes place. For some people it takes time if they are sick or egotistical.Also some of them who feel guilty or cannot forgive others are rather difficult to perfect their state of self-realisation. If they have a problem from false gurus, cults, or fanaticism it also takes time, but can be established in Sahaja Yoga. People have given up even drugs over night. They never had withdrawal symptoms or any other trouble.
Self realisation as a result of Kundalini awakening has exhibited fantastic results. It brings forth new creativity; many people have become poets; musicians and artists have achieved great heights in their talents; financial problems are solved; the problems of psychosomatic diseases get cured, like cancer, myelitis etc. Many incurable diseases also get cured without any medicines. The seeker becomes the witness of the drama of life and establishes an inner peace. He respects all the religions and belongs to Universal religion which encompasses all the religions of the world. Morality becomes innate and spontaneous.
After the complete transformation he is averse to do any immoral acts. In the light of the spirit he knows exactly what is wrong or right and he is also empowered to stay clean and holy. He enjoys his virtues which he respects and without any doubt he becomes a moral human being. First thoughtless awareness is achieved and later doubtless awareness is established beyond the mind. At this stage the Sahaja Yogi can give self-realisation to others. The ageing does not take place, on the contrary the Sahaja Yogi becomes and looks at least twenty years younger than his age. They become universal beings. All human enemies of lust, greed, anger, possessiveness, jealousies, attachments just disappear. Thus a new race of saints are created who do not have to give up anything to show off their detachment or asceticism.
You cannot pay for Divine Love which is absolute truth, which the Sahaja Yogi feels on his finger tips as vibrations of the cool breeze of the Holy Ghost. The finger tips are related to the energy centres (the chakras). The chakras are responsible for our physical, emotional and mental being. If the Yogis can correct their chakras, they can also correct the chakras of others. Thus all the physical, emotional and mental problems are solved. Those who are pure people have the necessary balance of moral life which ensures a very wide central channel (the Sushumna Nadi) of ascent for the Kundalini.In this chapter we have to now understand that there is a subtle system in every human being, which is fully developed during this evolutionary process to reach up to human awareness.
For example', in the animals, there is no awareness of sin, dirt, filth, art or poetry. But among human beings, these sensitivities are manifesting very clearly as we appreciate and enjoy the birds, fishes and animals as well. Do they also see the beauty in us? This question can be answered this way; human beings are at a higher level of evolution than all the animals for whom we care so much. We love the birds and we enjoy the fishes dancing, but the best thing is really to have respect for ourselves, love ourselves as we should keep our body clean, our mind and our heart should be open and transparent. Because we are the highest evolved beings in this world it is our birthright to get our self-realisation.
Now, whatever I am going to tell you has not, to be accepted blindfolded but treated like a hypothesis. Again and again, I would request you that you must keep your mind open like a scientist. If whatever I am saying is proved then, as honest people, human beings have to accept this beautiful discovery about yourself because this is for your benevolence, and for the benevolence of your family, benevolence of your society, benevolence of your nations and benevolence of the whole world. The theories created by current scientific conclusions and also the mental projections are not by any means eternal truths. To know the reality one has to enter into the realm of Metascience which is only possible when we enter into the collective super-consciousness through self realisation."
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
"The term Yoga means unification. The many different techniques of yoga are aimed at unifying human nature with that of the divine. Yoga is as old as history itself and can be traced back to the Indus or Harappa culture (7000BC). It was handed down as an oral tradition until 500BC when it was finally written in the form of the Yoga Sutra by the Indian philosopher Patanjali. During this millennium in which Patanjali was living, known in India as the Golden Age, the Upanishads were written and Buddha and Mahavira walked the earth.
In China, Lao Tzu and Confucius appeared, in Greece the western school of thought was initiated by Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Socrates. History then went through a long period of decline in consciousness (the Dark Age or Middle Ages) where most of the old knowledge was lost."
www.8limbs.com
"The energy channels of the Ida, Pingala and Shushmanaa:
These three dwell in one place.
This is the true place of confluence of the three sacred rivers:
This is where my mind takes its cleansing bath.
O Saints, the Immaculate Lord dwells there;
How rare are those who go to the Guru, and understand this.
The all-pervading immaculate Lord is there.
What is the insignia of the Divine Lord’s dwelling?
The unstruck sound current of the Shabad vibrates there.
There is no moon or sun, no air or water there.
The Gurmukh becomes aware, and knows the Teachings.
Spiritual wisdom wells up, and evil-mindedness departs;
The nucleus of the mind sky is drenched with Ambrosial Nectar.
One who knows the secret of this device, meets the Supreme Divine Guru.
The Tenth Gate is the home of the inaccessible, infinite Supreme Lord.
Above the store is a niche, and within this niche is the commodity."
Raam Kalee, Adi Granth, p. 974.
"The Chakras and the Subtle System
Inside every human being there is a network of nerves and sensory organs that interprets the outside physical world. At the same time, within us resides a subtle system of channels (nadis) and centers of energy (chakras) which look after our physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual being.
At the base of the spine, in the triangular bone called sacrum (the ancient civilizations knew that there is something sacred about this bone) resides the most subtle spiritual energy, dormant in most of us, called Kundalini. Self-Realization is the awakening of this energy through the central channel, piercing each of the energy centers and emerging at the top of the head (fontanelle bone area) as a gentle "fountain" of coolness. The word fontanelle itself means "little fountain" which shows again the ancient knowledge about this phenomenon of Self-Realization.
Though Self-Realization was the goal of all spiritual traditions of the world, very few were able to achieve it. In these modern times, Shri Mataji has made it an en-masse phenomenon through the spontaneous awakening of the Kundalini that takes place in Sahaja Yoga.
Each of the seven chakras has several spiritual qualities. These qualities are intact within us, and even though they might not always be manifest, they can never be destroyed. When the Kundalini is awakened, these qualities start manifesting spontaneously and express themselves in our life. Thus, through regular meditation, we become automatically very dynamic, creative, confident and at the same time very humble, loving and compassionate. It is a process which starts to develop by itself when the Kundalini rises and starts to nourish our chakras."
www.sahajayoga.org
"In order to purify the mind, it is necessary for the body as a whole to undergo a process of absolute purification. Hatha yoga is known as the science of purification. When you clear the body of impurities, the nadis function and the energy blocks are released. Then the energies move like wave frequencies throughout the channels within the physical structure, and they go right up to the brain. The main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy. When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to the central force (sushumna nadi) which is responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha yoga is not used for this purpose, its true objective is lost.
In order to make the subject clear, it was termed as hatha, i.e. ha and tha yoga, a combination of two bija mantras. It has been explained in hatha yoga that tha represents prana, the vital life force, and ha represents mind, the mental energy.
So hatha yoga means the union of the pranic and mental forces. When union between the pranic and mental forces takes place, then a great event occurs in man. This is the awakening of higher consciousness.
Prana shakti, the life force, and manas shakti, the mental force, are the two fundamental creators. Every object in the universe, right from the smallest atoms to the largest stars, is composed of these two shaktis or energies. When they interact with each other, when the interplay of these two shaktis takes place, then creation begins to unfold. All matter in this creation is alive. This is the first point. It is also conscious. This is the second point. Therefore, everything has potential consciousness and everything is alive.
In yoga, life and consciousness are known as prakriti and purusha; in tantra they are known as Shakti and Shiva. In hatha yoga they are called ida and pingala; in taoism, yin and yang, and in physics, matter and energy. They have their own names in different times, in different philosophies. This physical body as it is seen, is the gross perception. If you look at this body with psychic eyes, or with the eyes of specialized and sophisticated equipment, perhaps you would understand that it has its own subtle counterpart also. Hatha yoga is the union of prana and mind with the Self. In the spine are three major nadis known as ida, pingala and sushumna. Nadi means flow, like the flow of electricity within a cable. One wire carries the negative force and another carries the positive force of electricity. So in hatha yoga, ida nadi represents the negative force, the flow of consciousness, pingala represents the positive force, the flow of vital energy and sushumna nadi represents the neutral force, the flow of spiritual energy. The union, the connection between these three flows, occurs in ajna chakra (the eyebrow center). The union between ida, pingala, and sushumna is hatha yoga.
When this union takes place there is an instant awakening in mooladhara chakra at the base of the spine. This is the seat of primal energy or kundalini shakti. The awakening of kundalini is the subject matter of hatha yoga. Through the practices that are taught in hatha yoga, union is brought about. As a result of that union, the awakening of kundalini takes place. When awakening occurs, then kundalini ascends to higher realms of consciousness, and finally it is established in sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. When kundalini is established in sahasrara chakra, that is called yoga, not hatha yoga. This is the difference between yoga and hatha yoga. Yoga means union of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy). Shakti is kundalini energy; Shiva is the supreme consciousness seated in sahasrara chakra. When awakening takes place in mooladhara at the base of the spine, then kundalini starts ascending. She ascends through sushumna, not through ida and pingala. Sushumna is the highway for kundalini. It passes through various chakras, sometimes all of a sudden and sometimes very slowly. When it unites with ida and pingala in ajna chakra, that is called hatha yoga. Then, after this first union, it forges ahead to sahasrara chakra. There it unites with the supreme consciousness, Shiva. That is called yoga, which means ultimate union. Therefore, the ultimate object of hatha yoga is to experience yoga."
www.ashtangayoga.net
NOTES
1. altreligion.about.com
2. Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.
[Next]
