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Introduction
According to yoga, individual
consciousness is a partial expression of cosmic consciousness.
Essentially, cosmic consciousness and individual consciousness
are one. Only subjectivity separates them. Consciousness is
the ultimate reality out of which mind and matter proceed.
In the broad spectrum from minerals to man there are various
levels in which consciousness exists. Of all existing bodies
that express themselves through behaviour, the human body
is the most highly evolved. It is capable of self-expression
and the realization of Truth beyond the realm of sensory perception.
With the help of memory, imagination and intuition, the human
organism can understand laws inherent in nature and use them
for its growth and development.
When consciousness desires expression as an
organism, it needs tools to control and work with the physical
body. This is illustrated by the idea of Shiva
and Shakti
as a playing couple. Shiva represents the devine lover and
Shakti represents the energy and the beloved. She wants to
play a game. She creates a world of her own and invites him
inside. "Hey, I have created a world, will you come?"
He says, "Sure, but I cannot live in it, because it's
ever changing, and I am never changing, so what should I do?"
She replies, "If you get into everything as the center
of everything, then the center never changes, everything around
changes. You are always surrounded by eternal bliss, you remain
in your bliss. And around you I will put a network of my powers
which will intermediate between you and the outside world.
That way you will not have to do anything. You can remain
never changing and I can remain ever changing and we can have
fun". Shiva agrees, and the game starts.
Self seated in Sheath of Bliss (Anandamayi
Kosha)
It is described that human consciousness is
folded into five layers, or sheaths, (koshas)
around the central point, containing the self (chitta). The
self is enveloped in the sheath of bliss. Both the self and
the bliss are not experienced although they are always there,
and always protected from all sides. Nothing is disturbing
the self, because nothing is real for the self. The self is
the truth, and truth is never changing. Whatever else is happening,
is all changing every minute. The self knows this is not real,
this is ever changing, this is illusion. Ramana Maharishi
compared the self with a screen. When the film is going on,
the screen is coloured with blood and all kinds of things
are happening. But when the film is over, the screen is as
white, and clean as it was before. That screen is the self,
chitta. It remains completely untouched by whatever happens.
Sheath of Ego and Intellect (Vigyanamayi
Kosha)
Within the 5 koshas division of our psychology,
around the sheath of Bliss is sheath of Knowledge, that combines
ego and intellect. Ego
is the tool of consciousness which links all events in life
together. Ego is the illusion that I exist as a separate individual
being, it is false identification. Ego is the one which assumes
the responsibility for the body. Ego says, "This body
is mine". When the body breathes, he says, "I am
breathing". And if you close his nose then he says, "You
are suffocating me, I am dying". Ego is very sensitive
and the fear of death is always there. Ego takes a name, and
becomes Mr. such and such and it interacts with others.
Whatever you experience in this life or in past
lives, and whatever information you got from your parents,
from your society, from the race, from the country to which
you belong, all that information combined together becomes
intellect. It gets a part of the genetic information from
seven generations of the father, and seven generations of
the mother. Intellect carries with it the past and the present,
and also speculates about the future. Intellect helps ego
with advice and comments but the final decision comes from
ego. Ego can say, "I like it" and although intellect
may disapprove ego may decide "O.k., I don't believe
that this is right, but I don´t want to follow all these
rules and regulations, I'll break the law".
Strong attachments and the struggle for survival
increase the ego. In modern schools there is competition all
the time. Who does it first? Who is the best? Ego always tries
to say, "I am better than you", "I am holier
than you". In ancient days they had an education system
that did not let the ego grow beyond a particular limit. The
child had to go and live with the family of a teacher as a
member of the family (gurukul). The wife of the teacher was
responsible for providing all food, and nobody was allowed
to bring other food. And parents were not allowed to bring
gifts in order to treat all pupils equal, and make them feel
that everyone is equal.
Sheath of Mind (Manomayi Kosha)
Mind
is the tool of consciousness that enables us to perceive the
world and process the incoming information. The world exists
in front of us, because of our five senses. There are organisms
without brain and eyes and ears, only tactile sensation is
there through the skin. If you touch them, they react. Even
though they have no brain these organisms have perception
of the world because they have mind. Most of the time, people
think that mind is the functional aspect of brain, however,
mind and brain are two different things. Mind is using brain
as tool. Mind is pervaded in everything, it's in every cell,
everywhere, it has no specific seat. It's not the same as
god, but it has similar character being present everywhere.
Mind is the greatest obstacle in the way of
systematic thinking. It jumps from one point to other point
by finding similarity in that point. Anything which is similar
immediately reminds the mind of something else, and from this
field he jumps into some other field, and then he starts talking
about something else and the whole point is being lost. Most
of the time only one is dominant and that is mind. But sometimes
ego is also very dominant. And intellect is only in the beginning,
when you start, at that time it comes and tries to show you
how to go, but after that, mostly it is the mind which takes
the lead.
Ego, mind, intellect, and the self (together
3 of 5 koshas), travel from one body to other body, from one
life to other life, as long as there are attachments, likes
and dislikes, ego continues for the fulfillment of desires.
Sheath of Vital Air (Pranamayi Kosha)
Prana or energy is the moving force and the
fourth of the 5 koshas. The sheath of Vital Air supplies energy
to the whole system and keeps it alive. Prana refers not only
to the flow of oxygen but to all components of life force.
This energy enters each and every cell and each and every
pore. Breath is the physical counterpart of the mind. All
neuromotor activities, all sensory and motor functions of
the body, are performed with the help of the breath. Breath
provides the pranic force to the organism. This pranic force,
working as the Air element, creates movement, pulsation, vibration
and life. The science of controlling prana is known as pranayama,
a branch of Hatha Yoga. By mastering prana one can master
the mind. By practicing pranayama, the breath becomes calm,
images do not disturb the mind, and the internal dialogue
stops
Sheath of Matter (Annamayi Kosha)
The main centers of consciousness in the human
body or last of the 5 koshas are found in the brain and the
spine. The cerebrospinal system is the first part of the organism
to be developed after conception. From it the entire bodily
form comes out. This system is a great generator of electrical
energy that is constantly supplied to the internal organs
by a network of nerves that serve as connectors. The functiong
of the entire human body is controlled by the cerebrospinal
system, and the psychic centers are located in it.
Inside the big company of the body there is
a branch, a side office, in which mind is the boss. Mind has
a practical tool in the body which is the brain. Brain uses
breath, and breath uses nerves, and nerves are dealing with
the five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin),
and the five work organs (anus, genitals, legs, hands, and
vocal chords). So the combination of brain, breath, nerves,
sense organs, and work organs form a unit inside the body
which is working with the mind.
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