The Spinning Wheels of Consciousness, Part 2
Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Description: The svadhishthana chakra, the reason chakra. Reason can be a barrier, a limitation or a useful tool, an asset depending on how you use it. The use of willpower and the manipura chakra can add power to worldly consciousness through spiritual forces of understanding and love. Direct willpower toward higher awakening, into deeper dimensions, be freed to explore higher centers of being. Associated Shum series; willpower: bika, vumbika, bivumbika. The anahata chakra: forces of cognition and divine love-mountaintop consciousness. Associated anahata chakra Shum series; nali, tyenali, rehmtyenali. "Master Course Trilogy"."Merging with Siva" Chapter 41, Lessons 283, 284.
Transcription:
Good morning everyone.
This morning we're continuing with "Merging with Siva" Chapter 41, "Spinning Wheels of Consciousness" from the 1967 and 1970 "Master Course" and the upadeshas given Kauai Aadheenam in July-August, 1989.
Lesson 283:
"The Centers of Reason and Will
"It is in the svadhishthana chakra that the majority of people live, think, worry and travel on the astral plane. (Reason chakra.) If they are functioning solely in the reasoning capacity of the mind, devoting their life’s energies to its perpetuation in the libraries of the world, then they would take the intellect very seriously, for they naturally see the material world as extremely real, extremely permanent. With their security and self-esteem founded in reason, they study, read, discuss, accumulate vast storehouses of fact and rearrange the opinions and conclusions of others. When guided by the higher chakras and not totally entangled in ramifications of intellect, the powers of svadhishthana are a potent tool in bringing intuitive knowledge into practical manifestation. Reason does not conflict with intuition. It simply comes more slowly, more cumbersomely, to the same conclusions. Nevertheless, the intellect, in its refined evolution, can harness and direct the base instincts in man..."
So that's a very important point there. Reason can be a limitation or it can be a useful tool depending on how you are using it. Gurudeva says in Cognizantability "The intellect is the greatest barrier to superconsciousness," remember that? So that's when you're stuck in reason. But if you are using reason in conjunction with intuition then it becomes something else, it's a way of developing an idea. The idea can come from intuition but you're developing the idea through the use of reason. So working together it's a real asset but in and of itself it can be a great barrier.
"...Within the third center, called the manipura chakra, are the forces of willpower. Mani means 'gem,' and pura means 'city,' so manipura signifies the 'jeweled city.' Its color is yellow.
"It is represented in the central nervous system by the solar plexus, where all nerves in the body merge to form what has been termed man’s 'second brain.' This is significant, for depending on how the energy is flowing, the forces of will from this chakra add power either to worldly consciousness through the first two centers or to spiritual consciousness through the fourth and fifth centers. In Hindu mysticism, this dual function of willpower is conveyed in its ten 'petals' or aspects, five of which control and stabilize the odic or material forces of memory and reason, and five which control the actinic or spiritual forces of understanding and love. Therefore, the manipura energies are actinodic in composition, while muladhara and svadhishthana are purely odic force structures..."
Again, a very interesting point. The manipura can function in two way; with the chakras below it or the chakras above it. And then there is another aspect to willpower that's elsewhere in "Merging with Siva" that I wanted to share with a commentary. Gurudeva gives some more specific advice on how we need to control our use of willpower:
“...Yes, willpower is the key, the must, the most needed faculty for spiritual unfoldment on this path. Work hard, strive to accomplish, strengthen the will by using the will. But remember, ‘With love in the will, the spirit is free.’ This means that willpower can be used wrongly without the binding softening of love, simple love. Say in your mind to everyone you meet, ‘I like you. You like me, I really do like you. I love you. I truly love you...’”
So love and the will is the idea. We don't want to just remain as we say: "The bull in the china shop." We don't want to be the bull in the china shop just pushing forward with willpower you know, knocking everything off of the shelf as we move forward. We have to move forward with a dynamic will but soften it so we don't upset things.
So, back to the text.
"...When awareness functions within the realms of memory, reason and aggressive willpower, men and women are basically instinctive in nature. They are quick to react and retaliate, quick to have their feelings hurt and quick to pursue the conquest of others, while fearing their own defeat. Success and failure are the motivating desires behind their need to express power and possess influence. Consequently, their life is seeded with suffering, with ups and downs. They look for a way out of suffering and yet enjoy suffering when it comes. They are physically very hard working and generally not interested in developing the intellect unless it can help them achieve some material gain. In these states of consciousness, the ego rises to its greatest prominence, and emotional experiences are extremely intense. If, on the other hand, the willpower has been directed toward higher awakening, awareness is propelled into deeper dimensions. Gains and losses of material possessions and power no longer magnetize their awareness, (That's a great phrase, "magnetize their awareness.") and they are freed to explore higher centers of their being. Inwardly directed, the willpower gives resolute strength to these aspirants, strength to discipline the outer nature and to practice sadhana."
Then, as our commentary, we have the Shum series relating to the manipura chakra.
bika
The fire element.
vumbika
Physical sight or seeing; the oil or lubricant of physical sight is maintained from the manipura chakra through the astral body.
bivumbika
The third chakra, named manipura in Sanskrit; attribute—willpower; located at the solar plexus; color—yellow amber; planet—Mars; element—fire; sense—sight; petals—ten; panchakshara mantra letter—Si; the pranayama associated with this chakra is to breathe in nine counts through the nose and then very slowly breathe out eighteen counts while holding the lips slightly open, forcing the exhaled air to pass slowly out through the mouth.
So, there's a lot packed into each of these Shum definitions for the chakra. Worth study.
Moving on, Lesson 284:
"Cognition and Divine Love
"With the spiritual will aroused, awareness flows quite naturally into the anahata chakra, the heart center, governing the faculties of direct cognition or comprehension. Connected to the cardiac plexus, this chakra is often referred to as the lotus of the heart. Its twelve 'petals' imply that the faculty of cognition can be expressed in twelve distinct ways or through as many masks or personae. Its color is a smoky green. Man usually awakens into this region of cognition around age twenty-one to twenty-six. Life for seekers in this chakra is different than for others. It is in anahata, literally 'unstruck sound,' that the aspirant attains his mountaintop consciousness. Instead of viewing life in its partial segments, like seeing just the side of the mountain, he raises his consciousness to a pinnacle from which an objective and comprehensive cognition of the entirety is the natural conclusion. Uninvolved in the seemingly fractured parts, he is able to look through it all and understand—as though he were looking into a box and seeing the inside, the outside, the top and the bottom, all at the same time. It looks transparent to him and he is able to encompass the totality in one instantaneous flash of direct cognition.
"He knows in that split second all there is to know about a subject, and yet would find it difficult to verbalize that vast knowing. Various highly endowed psychics are prone to utilize this force center, for such spiritual powers as healing are manifested here.
"People with the anahata chakra awakened are generally well-balanced, content and self-contained. More often than not, their intellect is highly developed and their reasoning keen. The subtle refinement of their nature makes them extremely intuitive, and what is left of the base instincts and emotions is easily resolved through their powers of intellect. It is important that the serious aspirant gain enough control of his forces and karmas to remain stabilized at the heart center. This should be home base to him, and he should rarely or never fall below anahata in consciousness. Only after years of sâdhana and transmutation [of the sexual fluids] can this be attained, but it must be attained and awareness must settle here firmly before further unfoldment is sought."
And we get the Shum series:
nali
The air element; Clean, cool mountain air.
tyenali
Physical touch or feeling.
rehmtyenali
The fourth chakra, named anahata in Sanskrit; attribute—direct cognition; located at the heart; this chakra is the resting place; color—smokey green; planet—Jupiter; element—air; sense—touch; petals—twelve; panchakshara mantra letter—va; the breathing is normal, but on the inbreath allow the prana to go down and on the outbreath lift the prana into bivumbika.
I think that's a good place to stop. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful day