MANAS CHAKRA - MIND LOTUS

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Basic info about Manas Chakra - Mind Lotus...

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Manasa Chakra! THE MIND CENTER

 

The Tantric Lower Forehead Centre, called the Manas ( " Mind " ) Chakra, is said to

have six

petals, which although normally white assume the colours of the senses when they

operate

(according to the Indian systems, in addition to the five physical senses, there

is

" mind " constitutes the sixth sense, which is not the same as Clairvoyance or

" Sixth

Sense " ), and is black during sleep (unconsciousness). Despite the overlap, the

Manas

chakra is not the same as the Manas tattwa. It is associated with chitta, which

represents consciousness or psyche in general, or even the subconscious and

memory.

Manas chakra, in the upper part of ajna chakra, is the center of your lower

mental

vehicle: instincts, impressions and habits.

Near the Command Center (Ajna) is the Mind Center (Manas). It has six petals.

Five

represent the five forms of sensation (vishaya) and the sixth is the world of

dream, or

illusory knowledge (sambhrama jnana).

Little beyond the ajna chakra in the manas mind centre or chakra where lies

within

chitrani nadi that runs through Sushuma nadi the dot or Bindo that is part of

the Omkara

at the centre of the ajna. The manas chakra has six petals one each for the five

senses

i.e. smell-earth, taste-water, form-fire, touch-air, and space–atmosphere and

sixth one

for sleep as colour of earth is yellow, water-white, fire-red, air-gray,

space-white, and

sleep-black, for it is the seat of consciousness where all modifications of mind

are

absorbed.

Six petals are sound like higher vibrations of Elements and Om sound.

 

 

Terminology: Tantric nada, manas, surya mandala, (inner sound and sunlight

mandala)

Vedic (late Upanishads): manas, mandala, jnananetra

Puranic: not secified

Position: above bindu pitha which is just above the pranava-bindu in ajna

Petals: number six

colour: normally white when mind is pure, but then assume sense colours

(erthly-yellow,

water-white, fire-red, white-ash, and full moon-white) when senses operate, and

become

night-heaven black in sleep!

In the pericarp: Chitta (Counsciosness)

 

ManasChakra and Labyrinth

Think.

Think-think Think again Think past Think future.

And on and on and on.

 

And so it goes, the mind, on and on, endlessly, thinking, thinking, thinking. It

becomes

such an ingrained habit that we never really even “think” about it. Have you

ever taken

up the process of meditation? Meditation is the method by which we begin to

overthrow

this unruly ruler and seek that calm center that lies at the very source of

thought. You

see, most of us never really even think about it. If we did, we would just

continue doing

what is the problem in the first place: endlessly chasing those

thought-patterns. Most

never realize how much we define (and thus limit) ourselves by this self-imposed

cage of

“think.” “Good” thoughts we like, and we build such a nice place to be in that

we never

even notice the cage and its limiting bars. “Bad” thoughts and painful thoughts

are more

limiting; we see the cage and usually flee it in search of greener “thought

pastures.”

 

This cage, this prison of thought, is what the ancient seers called manas, the

thinking

mind. It is the constant dialogue going on inside that never seems to end. A

story driven

by the very force of karma itself. Each time we attach to a thought (usually one

we like)

we reinforce the chance that it will occur again (and again). After all, we like

it, it

is our friend, right?

 

Wrong. This force of attachment to thought-patterns, or samskaras, is the very

source of

samsara, or misery, itself. The meditator sees this and seeks something greater,

beyond

this self imposed prison of thought: the source of thought itself. The meditator

enters

the labyrinth of thought seeking a calm center, a beginning. Thus the meditator

enters

the manas-chakra.

 

Manas, as we have already indicated, represents the “thinking” mind. If we trace

thought

back to where it came from we can then arrive at the source, emptiness (1).

“Chakra” is a

much abused term in new-age literature that can best be translated as

“channel-wheel.” It

represents the vortex where opposites meet, the playground where the dance of

opposing

forces occurs. In the center they meet. Here is where stillness is achieved.

This “still

point” is the center of the manas-chakra. (2)

 

This chakra represents the course of meditation itself, from distractedness to

calm

center/unity. This journey has often been characterized as a struggle with the

thinking

mind, one of terse concentration, where the mind is forcibly fixed by the will’s

firm

grasp in the direction of inner peace. Nothing could be more misleading than

this image

of eyebrow knitting fixation. The mind can be calmed by the mere intention of

center-seeking. And of course “monkey- mind” will wander, wandering only to be

discovered

in this wandering. The intention to center is repeated again and the mind finds

a subtler

circle to run upon. This process repeats itself, subtler and subtler, till

“think” is

even surpassed and the calm center is reached. This is the true inner labyrinth.

Circle

becoming inward seeking spiral; a spiral turning and reversing on itself in the

ever

present struggle between outward-going-mind and inward-going-mind. To the

successful

meditator, inward-seeking-mind wins out and real meditation is the prize. The

successful

yogin learns that there are many ways to attain this reconciliation of

opposites: the

inward verses outward going breath (until suspension of breathing and stillness

is

accomplished), or even by stilling the ever moving body.

 

In the yogic world view, the equilibration of opposites is shown in their

representation

of the subtle, pranic, body. In this view the energy body is shown as a central

unified

column or sushumna flanked by two opposing solar and lunar channels. Rising on

this

central channel are the various chakras or channel-wheels where the opposing

forces meet.

The mind can pierce at any of these points and find a calm center; an eye at the

center

of the storm.

 

The famous yogic maxim: " yatapinday yatapindah, " translates " as the macrocosm,

so the

microcosm, as the cosmic mind, so the individual mind, as the atom, so the

universe, " is

elegantly demonstrated in the other levels of expression of the manas-chakra. It

can be

seen to represent the inter-dimensional junction point between opposing

earth-energy

lines on the earth's surface, the meeting of downward spiraling cosmic energy

and upward

spiraling earth energy (water domes), the rising serpentine “Naga” intelligences

(semi-divine serpent-beings) and the descending Devic or celestial intelligences

or the

superimposition of black-hole on white-hole. In yet another sense it is the

entrapment of

mind energy, mental patterns, in the very spirals of our own DNA: the genetic

code (3).

The levels of meaning are unending since the outer mirrors the inner and

vice-versa, ad

infinitum.

 

My own interest in the labyrinth came years ago, after an initiation that

involved the

descent into the underworld/labyrinth. After the ritual initiation, I had an

unusual

dream: I stood at the entrance to a vast cavern, which I knew to be the entrance

to the

labyrinth. Since I had previously experienced the possibility of entering the

underworld,

but was usually paralyzed with fear at doing so, I recalled those moments as I

once again

faced the opportunity to enter.

 

Instantly, as I collected my thoughts, a ray from a star struck the entrance

way,

piercing through the very rock, through the intricate maze of the labyrinth

(which seemed

to extend for miles) and to the center, the heart of the earth. It was as if

someone had

shattered the intensely claustrophobic metallic rocks of the maze, opening up a

path to

enter. My fear had passed, so I descended the steep path till I reached the end.

What I

saw at the end was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. As I stood

on the

edge of a steep cliff, I looked out at the milky expanse of the stars, the

brightest I

ever remember seeing. Dancing amongst them were the colored orbs of the planets

themselves. As I fixed my eyes on this wondrous sight, I could see the rays of

light

actually penetrating the very earth. I could feel a murmur, a vibration, as this

took

place through my feet. As I gazed at the walls of the cavern I could see the

rays of

cosmic light striking the cave walls. Eventually, the murmur would come again.

As it did,

it was as if the rock somehow moved or pulsated. It reminded me of the moment in

the life

cycle of a cell, where it gives its last throb before undergoing division. The

rock would

briefly liquefy at this moment, and take in the vibrations of the stars and

planets, only

to resolidify as the pulse faded. The rocks actually looked as if they were

cellular,

containing “genetic” material. It was then that I finally understood the formula

V.I.T.R.I.O.L.(4)

 

In India, temple architects will utilize this same principle to establish the

foundation

of a temple. A special yantra in the form of a labyrinth is used to stabilize

the

planetary beings (actually demons) associated with the maze and thus allow for

the

unimpeded invocation of the Gods/Goddesses. This would also explain the

inclusion of

labyrinths in the design of many cathedrals. The labyrinths act as a

sophisticated kind

of spirit trap, thus debilitating any malefic forces (see also The Gate of

Algol). The

labyrinth form is also connected with the underworld deity Yama, the Moon-bull

(5)—the

judge of the dead (his Western counterpart later became known as Minos, the

Cretan form

of Apis). In Tibet Yama is worshipped in the form of the yidam (Tibetan for

" mind-protector " ) Yamantaka as a way to enter the Kalachakra, the Great Wheel of

Time,

which is the entrance way to the “hidden land” of Shambhala. The Kalachakra

Tantra is an

extensive system complete with its own methods of cosmology, astrology and, by

extension,

geomancy.

 

As we tread this inward path, the path of the manas-chakra, the mind-vortex,

other levels

constantly arise to show us the inter-relatedness of all parts of nature. This

labyrinth

can be seen as a place of inner initiation, a place where the junction point

between

spirit and matter can be understood. It is the place where the heart of the

earth and the

heart of man intermingle. Implicit in that relationship is the relationship with

the

whole, the greater universe, of which, humankind is part. As the astronomers and

cosmologists of today point out: we come from a star, the Sun. Indeed, our

entire solar

system comes from that same star. As inhabitants of this planet we built our

bodies of

the food derived from this star- stuff. Thus, we truly are of the stars. Those

who passed

before, without benefit of telescope or satellite, knew this. The labyrinth is

but one

reminder of this spiral way of return, this great cosmic mystery.

 

Footnotes

(1) Or as modern physicists would prefer, the 'unified field' or source of all

diverse

phenomenon such as light, gravity, and the forces of molecular attraction, the

basis of

all manifest creation.

 

(2) There is an exacting similarity of the Manas-Chakra to the labyrinth of

ancient

Greece, along with that of medieval Europe. The question of origin may be a mute

point as

the discovery of such symbols is often known to occur simultaneously in very

different

places. However, since before history Greece was connected via trade routes to

the

Indo-Himalayan region; this is a plausible route for such cultural diffusion.

Also note:

the labyrinth of Knossos in Crete was called " Absolum " by its discoverer (Dr.

Evans of

Oxford). Absolum=Absolute, the ancient alchemists name for the philosophers

stone.

 

(3) Or as some may hasten to point out, the true significance of Astrology: the

imbedding

of cosmic rhythms on DNA.

 

(4) A notariqon being the initials of the phrase: " Visitae InterioraTerrae

Rectificando

Invenies Occultum Lapidem, " : Visit the interior parts of the earth: by

rectification

thou shalt find the hidden stone.

 

(5) Deities with the form of the bull are particularly ancient, dating to the

Æon of

Taurus, the time when the vernal Equinox coincided with the constellation

Taurus.

 

 

Shatchakra-bheda

 

The piercing of the six chakra is one of the most important subjects dealt with

in the

Tantras, and is part of the practical yaga process of which they treat. Details

of

practice can only be learnt from a Guru, but generally it may be said that the

particular

is raised to the universal life, which as chit is realizable only in the

sahasrara in the

following manner: The jivatma in the subtle body, the receptacle of the five

vital airs

(pancha prana), mind in its three aspects of manas, ahangkara, and buddhi; the

five

organs of action (panchakarmendriya) and the five organs of perception

(panchajnanendriya) is united with the Kulakundalini. The Kandarpa or Kama Vayu

in the

muladhara a form of the Apana Vayu is given a leftward revolution and the fire

which is

round Kundalini is kindled. By the vija " Hung, " and the heat of the fire thus

kindled,

the coiled and sleeping Kundalini is wakened. She who lay asleep around

svayambhu-linga,

with her coils three circles and a half closing the entrance of the

brahma-dvara, will,

on being roused, enter that door and move upwards, united with the jivatma.

 

On this upward movement, Brahma, Savitri, Dakini-Shakti, the Devas, vija, and

vritti, are

dissolved in the body of Kundalini. The Mahimandala or prithivi is converted

into the

vija " Lang, " and is also merged in Her body. When Kundalini leaves the

muladhara, that

lotus which, on the awakening of Kundalini had opened and turned its flower

upwards,

again closes and hangs down-wards. As Kundalini reaches the

svadhishthana-chakra, that

lotus opens out, and lifts its flower upwards. Upon the entrance of Kundalini,

Mahavishnu, Mahalakshmi, Sarasvati, Rakini Shakti, Deva, Matrikas, and vritti,

Vaikunthadhama, Golaka, and the Deva and Devi residing therein are dissolved in

the body

of Kundalini. The prithivi, or " earth " vija " Lang, " is dissolved in apas, and

apas

converted into the vija vang remains in the body of Kundalini. When the Devi

reaches the

manipura chakra all that is in the chakra merges in Her body. The Varuna vija

" vang " is

dissolved in fire, which remains in the body of the Devi as the Vija " rang. "

This chakra

is called the Brahma-granthi (or knot of Brahma). The piercing of this chakra

may involve

considerable pain, physical disorder, and even disease. On this account the

directions of

an experienced Guru are necessary, and therefore also other modes of yoga have

been

recommended for those to whom they are applicable: for in such modes activity is

provoked

directly in the higher centre and it is not necessary that the lower chakras

should be

pierced. Kundalini next reaches the anahata chakra, where all which is therein

is merged

in Her. The vija of Tejas, " rang, " disappears in Vayu and Vayu converted into

its vija

" Yang " merges into the body of Kundalini. This chakra is known as Vishnu-granthi

(knot of

Vishnu). Kundalini then ascends to the abode of Bharati (or Sarasvati) or the

vishuddha

chakra. Upon Her entrance, Arddha-narishvara Shiva, Shakini, the sixteen vowels,

mantra,

etc., are dissolved in the body of Kundalini. The vija of Vayu, " yang, " is

dissolved in

akasha, which itself being transformed into the vija " hang, " is merged in the

body of

Kundalini. Piercing the lalana chakra, the Devi reaches the ajnachakra, where

Parama

Shiva, Siddha-Kali, the Deva, guna, and all else therein, are absorbed into Her

body. The

vija of akasha, " Hang, " is merged in the manas chakra, and mind itself in the

body of

Kundalini. The ajnachakra is known as Rudra-granthi (or knot of Rudra or Shiva).

After

this chakra has been pierced, Kundalini of Her own motion unites with Parama

Shiva. As

She proceeds upwards from the two-petalled lotus, the niralamba puri, pranava,

nada,

etc., are merged in Her.

 

The Kundalini has then in her progress upwards absorbed in herself the

twenty-four tattva

commencing with the gross elements, and then unites Herself and becomes one.

with Parama

Shiva. This is the maithuna (coition) of the sattvika-pancha-tattva. The nectar

which

flows from such union floods the kshudrabrahmanda or human body. It is then that

the

sadhaka, forgetful of all in this world, is immersed in ineffable bliss.

 

Thereafter the sadhaka, thinking of the vayu vija " yang " as being in the left

nostril,

inhales through Ida, making japa of the vija sixteen times. Then, closing both

nostrils,

he makes japa of the vija sixty-four times. He then thinks that the black " man

of sin "

(Papapurusha) in the left cavity of the abdomen is being dried up (by air), and

so

thinking he exhales through the right nostril Pingala, making japa of the vija

thirty-two

times. The sadhaka then meditating upon the red-coloured vija " rang " in the

manipura,

inhales, making sixteen japa of the vija, and then closes the nostrils, making

sixteen

japa. While making the japa he thinks that the body of " the man of sin " is being

burnt

and reduced to ashes (by fire). He then exhales through the right nostril with

thirty-two

japa. He then meditates upon the white chandravija " thang. " He next inhales

through Ida,

making japa of the vija sixteen times, closes both nostrils with japa done

sixty-four

times, and exhales through Pingala with thirty-two japa. During inhalation,

holding of

breath, and exhalation, he should consider that a new celestial body is being

formed by

the nectar (composed of all the letters of the alphabet, matrika-varna) dropping

from the

moon. In a similar way with the vija " vang, " the formation of the body is

continued, and

with the vija " lang " it is completed and strengthened. Lastly, with the mantra

" So’hang, "

the sadhaka leads the jivatma into the heart. Thus Kundalini, who has enjoyed

Her union

with Paramashiva, sets out on her return journey the way she came. As she passes

through

each of the chakra all that she has absorbed therefrom come out from herself and

take

their several places in the chakra.

 

In this manner she again reaches the muladhara, when all that is described to be

in the

chakras (see pp. lvii-lxiii) are in the positions which they occupied before her

awakening.

 

The Guru’s instructions are to go above the ajna-chakra, but no special

directions are

given; for after this chakra has been pierced the sadhaka can reach the

brahmasthana

unaided. Below the " seventh month of Shiva " the relationship of Guru and sishya

ceases.

The instructions of the seventh amnaya is not expressed (aprakashita).

 

 

Manas or Mind

 

There is a wide difference between the ordinary ideas about Mind and those found

in

Theosophy. Ordinarily the Mind is thought to be immaterial, or to be merely the

name for

the action of the brain in evolving thought, a process wholly unknown other than

by

inference, or that if there be no brain there can be no mind. A good deal of

attention

has been paid to cataloging some mental functions and attributes, but the terms

are

altogether absent from the language to describe actual metaphysical and

spiritual facts

about man. This confusion and poverty of words for these uses are due almost

entirely,

first, to dogmatic religion, which has asserted and enforced for many centuries

dogmas

and doctrines which reason could not accept, and secondly to the natural war

which grew

up between science and religion just as soon as the fetters placed by religion

upon

science were removed and the latter was permitted to deal with facts in nature.

The

reaction against religion naturally prevented science from taking any but a

materialistic

view of man and nature. So from neither of these two have we yet gained the

words needed

for describing the fifth, sixth, and seventh principles, those which make up the

Trinity,

the real man, the immortal pilgrim.

 

The fifth principle is Manas, in the classification adopted by Mr. Sinnett, and

is

usually translated Mind. Other names have been given to it, but it is the

knower, the

perceiver, the thinker. The sixth is Buddhi, or spiritual discernment; the

seventh is

Atma, or Spirit, the ray from the Absolute Being. The English language will

suffice to

describe in part what Manas is, but not Buddhi, or Atma, and will leave many

things

relating to Manas undescribed.

 

The course of evolution developed the lower principles and produced at last the

form of

man with a brain of better and deeper capacity than that of any other animal.

But this

man in form was not man in mind, and needed the fifth principle, the thinking,

perceiving

one, to differentiate him from the animal kingdom and to confer the power of

becoming

self-conscious. The monad was imprisoned in these forms, and that monad is

composed of

Atma and Buddhi; for without the presence of the monad evolution could not go

forward.

Going back for a moment to the time when the races were devoid of mind, the

question

arises, " who gave the mind, where did it come from, and what is it? " It is the

link

between the Spirit of God above and the personal below; it was given to the

mindless

monads by others who had gone all through this process ages upon ages before in

other

worlds and systems of worlds, and it therefore came from other evolutionary

periods which

were carried out and completed long before the solar system had begun. This is

the

theory, strange and unacceptable today, but which must be stated if we are to

tell the

truth about theosophy; and this is only handing on what others have said before.

 

The manner in which this light of mind was given to the Mindless Men can be

understood

from the illustration of one candle lighting many. Given one lighted candle and

numerous

unlighted ones, it follows that from one light the others may also be set

aflame. So in

the case of Manas. It is the candle of flame. The mindless men having four

elementary

principles of Body, Astral Body, Life and Desire, are the unlighted candles that

cannot

light themselves. The Sons of Wisdom, who are the Elder Brothers of every family

of men

on any globe, have the light, derived by them from others who reach back, and

yet farther

back, in endless procession with no beginning or end. They set fire to the

combined lower

principles and the Monad, thus lighting up Manas in the new men and preparing

another

great race for final initiation. This lighting up of the fire of Manas is

symbolized in

all great religions and Freemasonry. In the east one priest appears holding a

candle

lighted at the altar, and thousands of others light their candles from this one.

The

Parsees also have their sacred fire which is lighted from some other sacred

flame.

 

Manas, or the Thinker, is the reincarnating being, the immortal who carries the

results

and values of all the different lives lived on earth or elsewhere. Its nature

becomes

dual as soon as it is attached to a body. For the human brain is a superior

organism and

Manas uses it to reason from premises to conclusions. This also differentiates

man from

animal, for the animal acts from automatic and so-called instinctual impulses,

whereas

the man can use reason. This is the lower aspect of the Thinker or Manas, and

not, as

some have supposed, the highest and best gift belonging to man. Its other, and

in

theosophy higher, aspect is the intuitional, which knows, and does not depend on

reason.

The lower, and purely intellectual, is nearest to the principle of Desire, and

is thus

distinguished from its other side which has affinity for the spiritual

principles above.

If the Thinker, then, becomes wholly intellectual, the entire nature begins to

tend

downward; for intellect alone is cold, heartless, selfish, because it is not

lighted up

by the two other principles of Buddhi and Atma.

 

In Manas the thoughts of all lives are stored. That is to say: in any one life,

the sum

total of thoughts underlying all the acts of the life-time will be of one

character in

general, but may be placed in one or more classes. That is, the business man of

today is

a single type; his entire life thoughts represent but one single thread of

thought. The

artist is another. The man who has engaged in business, but also thought much

upon fame

and power which he never attained, is still another. The great mass of

self-sacrificing,

courageous, and strong poor people who have but little time to think, constitute

another

distinct class. In all these the total quantity of life thoughts makes up the

stream or

thread of a life's meditation -- " that upon which the heart was set " -- and is

stored in

Manas, to be brought out again at any time in whatever life the brain and bodily

environments are similar to those used in engendering that class of thoughts. It

is Manas

which sees the objects presented to it by the bodily organs and the actual

organs within.

When the open eye receives a picture on the retina, the whole scene is turned

into

vibrations in the optic nerves which disappear into the brain, where Manas is

enabled to

perceive them as idea. And so with every other organ or sense. If the connection

between

Manas and the brain be broken, intelligence will not be manifested unless Manas

has by

training found out how to project the astral body from the physical and thereby

keep up

communication with fellowmen. That the organs and senses do not cognize objects,

hypnotism, mesmerism, and spiritualism have now proved. For, as we see in

mesmeric and

hypnotic experiments, the object seen or felt, and from which all the effects of

solid

objects may be sensed, is often only an idea existing in the operator's brain.

In the

same way Manas, using the astral body, has only to impress an idea upon the

other person

to make the latter see the idea and translate it into a visible body from which

the usual

effects of density and weight seem to follow. And in hypnotism there are many

experiments, all of which go to show that so called matter is not per se solid

or dense;

that sight does not always depend on the eye and rays of light proceeding from

an object;

that the intangible for one normal brain and organs may be perfectly tangible

for

another; and that physical effects in the body may be produced from an idea

solely. The

well-known experiments of producing a blister by a simple piece of paper, or

preventing a

real blistering plaster from making a blister, by force of the idea conveyed to

a

subject, either that there was to be or not to be a blister, conclusively prove

the power

of effecting an impulse on matter by the use of that which is called Manas. But

all these

phenomena are the exhibition of the powers of lower Manas acting in the astral

Body and

the fourth principle -- Desire, using the physical body as the field for the

exhibition

of the forces.

 

It is this lower Manas which retains all the impressions of a life-time and

sometimes

strangely exhibits them in trances or dreams, delirium, induced states, here and

there in

normal conditions, and very often at the time of physical death. But it is so

occupied

with the brain, with memory and with sensation, that it usually presents but few

recollections out of the mass of events that years have brought before it. It

interferes

with the action of Higher Manas because just at the present point of evolution,

Desire

and all corresponding powers, faculties, and senses are the most highly

developed, thus

obscuring, as it were, the white light of the spiritual side of Manas. It is

tinted by

each object presented to it, whether it be a thought-object or a material one.

That is to

say, Lower Manas operating through the brain is at once altered into the shape

and other

characteristics of any object, mental or otherwise. This causes it to have four

peculiarities.

 

* First, to naturally fly off from any point, object, or subject;

* second, to fly to some pleasant idea;

* third, to fly to an unpleasant idea;

* fourth, to remain passive and considering naught.

 

The first is due to memory and the natural motion of Manas; the second and third

are due

to memory alone; the fourth signifies sleep when not abnormal, and when abnormal

is going

toward insanity. These mental characteristics all belonging to Lower Manas, are

those

which the Higher Manas, aided by Buddhi and Atma, has to fight and conquer.

Higher Manas,

if able to act, becomes what we sometimes call Genius; if completely master,

then one may

become a god. But memory continually presents pictures to Lower Manas, and the

result is

that the Higher is obscured. Sometimes, however, along the pathway of life we do

see here

and there men who are geniuses or great seers and prophets. In these the Higher

powers of

Manas are active and the person illuminated. Such were the great Sages of the

past, men

like Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Zoroaster, and others. Poets, too, such as

Tennyson,

Longfellow, and others, are men in whom Higher Manas now and then sheds a bright

ray on

the man below, to be soon obscured, however, by the effect of dogmatic religious

education which has given memory certain pictures that always prevent Manas from

gaining

full activity.

 

In this higher Trinity, we have the God above each one; this is Atma, and may be

called

the Higher Self.

 

Next is the spiritual part of the soul called Buddhi; when thoroughly united

with Manas

this may be called the Divine Ego.

 

The inner Ego, who reincarnates, taking on body after body, storing up the

impressions of

life after life, gaining experience and adding it to the divine Ego, suffering

and

enjoying through an immense period of years, is the fifth principle -- Manas --

not

united to Buddhi. This is the permanent individuality which gives to every man

the

feeling of being himself and not some other; that which through all the changes

of the

days and nights from youth to the end of life makes us feel one identity through

all the

period; it bridges the gap made by sleep; in like manner it bridges the gap made

by the

sleep of death. It is this, and not our brain, that lifts us above the animal.

The depth

and variety of the brain convolutions in man are caused by the presence of

Manas, and are

not the cause of mind. And when we either wholly or now and then become

consciously

united with Buddhi, the Spiritual Soul, we behold God, as it were. This is what

the

ancients all desired to see, but what the moderns do not believe in, the latter

preferring rather to throw away their own right to be great in nature, and to

worship an

imaginary god made up solely of their own fancies and not very different from

weak human

nature.

 

This permanent individuality in the present race has therefore been through

every sort of

experience, for Theosophy insists on its permanence and in the necessity for its

continuing to take part in evolution. It has a duty to perform, consisting in

raising up

to a higher state all the matter concerned in the chain of globes to which the

earth

belongs. We have all lived and taken part in civilization after civilization,

race after

race, on earth, and will so continue throughout all the rounds and races until

the

seventh is complete. At the same time it should be remembered that the matter of

this

globe and that connected with it has also been through every kind of form, with

possibly

some exceptions in very low planes of mineral formation. But in general all the

matter

visible, or held in space still unprecipitated, has been molded at one time or

another

into forms of all varieties, many of these being such as we now have no idea of.

The

processes of evolution, therefore, in some departments, now go forward with

greater

rapidity than in former ages because both Manas and matter have acquired

facility of

action. Especially is this so in regard to man, who is the farthest ahead of all

things

or beings in this evolution. He is now incarnated and projected into life more

quickly

than in earlier periods when it consumed many years to obtain a " coat of skin. "

This

coming into life over and over again cannot be avoided by the ordinary man

because Lower

Manas is still bound by Desire, which is the preponderating principle at the

present

period. Being so influenced by Desire Manas is continually deluded while in the

body, and

being thus deluded is unable to prevent the action upon it of the forces set up

in the

life time. These forces are generated by Manas, that is, by the thinking of the

life

time. Each thought makes a physical as well as mental link with the desire in

which it is

rooted. All life is filled with such thoughts, and when the period of rest after

death is

ended Manas is bound by innumerable electrical magnetic threads to earth by

reason of the

thoughts of the last life, and therefore by desire, for it was desire that

caused so many

thoughts and ignorance of the true nature of things. An understanding of this

doctrine of

man being really a thinker and made of thought will make clear all the rest in

relation

to incarnation and reincarnation. The body of the inner man is made of thought,

and this

being so it must follow that if the thoughts have more affinity for earth-life

than for

life elsewhere a return to life here is inevitable. At the present day Manas is

not fully

active in the race, as Desire still is uppermost. In the next cycle of the human

period

Manas will be fully active and developed in the entire race. Hence the people of

the

earth have not yet come to the point of making a conscious choice as to the path

they

will take; but when in the cycle referred to, Manas is active, all will then be

compelled

to consciously make the choice to right or left, the one leading to complete and

conscious union with Atma, the other to the annihilation of those beings who

prefer that

path.

 

MIND -- GENERAL

 

" Mind is the intelligent part of the Cosmos...[it contains] the plan of the

Cosmos...brought over from a prior period of manifestation, which added to its

ever-increasing perfectness, and no limit can be set to its evolutionary

possibilities in

perfectness...the plan has been laid down in the universal mind; the original

force comes

from spirit; the basis is matter--which is in fact invisible--Life sustains all

the forms

requiring life, and Akasa is the connecting link [Fohat] between matter on one

side and

spirit-mind on the other.

OCEAN, pp. 14-16.

 

Manas (Sk) Lit., " the mind, " the mental faculty which makes of man an

intelligent and

moral being, and distinguishes him from the mere animal; a synonym of Mahat.

Esoterically, however, it means, when unqualified, the Higher Ego, or the

sentient

reincarnating Principle in man. When qualified it is called by Theosophists

Buddhi-Manas

or the Spiritual Soul in contradistinction to its human reflection--Kama-Manas. "

GLOS. 292

 

" ...it is also necessary to admit the existence of soul, and the comparative

unimportance

of the body in which it dwells. For, Patanjali holds that Nature exists for the

soul's

sake [PAT., p.26]...he lays down that the real experiencer and knower is the

soul and not

the mind, it follows that the Mind, designated either as " internal organ, " or

" thinking

principle, " while higher and more subtle than the body, is yet only an

instrument used by

the Soul in gaining experience...He shows that the mind is, as he terms it,

" modified " by

any object or subject brought before it, or to which it is directed... "

PATANJALI - YOGA-SUTRAS, Introduction. p. xiii

 

Mahat(Sk.) Lit., " The great one. " The first principle of Universal Intelligence

and

Consciousness. In the Puranic philosophy the first product of root-nature or

Pradhana

(the same as Mulaprakriti); the producer of Manas the thinking principle, and of

Ahankara, egotism or the feeling of " I am I " (in the lower Manas).

T. GLOS. 210

 

" ...Divine Mind is, and must be, before differentiation takes place. It is

called the

divine ideation, which is eternal in its Potentiality and periodical in its

Potency, when

it becomes Mahat, Anima Mundi or Universal Soul...each of these conceptions has

its most

metaphysical, most material, and also intermediate aspects. "

TRANSACTIONS of the BLAVATSKY LODGE, p. 4

 

" Buddhi is the Immortal Ego. Buddhi cannot be described. It is feeling, the

accumulated

experiences--all our experience is in feeling. Manas is the Higher Mind, that

part of the

Buddhi which is in action; the creative power of Buddhi. There is a continuous

line of

experience as Perceivers--all beings are Perceivers. They are limited by the

power of

their self-created instruments. In all perceptions is the quality of the

instrument

through which that perception comes.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, . p. 6

 

Buddhi(Sk.) Universal Soul or Mind. Mahabuddhi is a name of Mahat (see " Alaya " );

also the

spiritual Soul in man (the 6th principle), the vehicle of Atma, exoterically the

7th.

T. GLOS., p. 67

 

Maha-Buddhi(Sk) Mahat. Alaya: The Intelligent Soul of the World.

T. GLOS., p. 1

 

Cosmic Buddhi, the emanation of the Spiritual Soul: Alaya, is the vehicle Mahat

only when

that Buddhi corresponds to Prakriti. Then it is called Maha-Buddhi. This Buddhi

differentiates through 7 planes, whereas the Buddhi in man is the vehicle of

Atman, which

vehicle is of the essence of the highest plane of Akasa and therefore does not

differentiate. The difference between Manas and Buddhi in man is the same as the

difference between the Manasaputra and the Ah-hi in Kosmos.

T. GLOS., p. 199

 

" The mind might be likened to a telescope in use by Man, the Perceiver, in order

to be

able to perceive the nature of the things about him. He can act only in accord

with what

he perceives through the telescope. If the telescope is not properly adjusted or

out of

focus, the perceptions will be out of true, and wrong action will follow...[we

have to

learn] the proper adjustment and focusing of the instrument upon which right

perception

and action depend. "

FRIENDLY PHILOSOPHER, p. 143 [ see OCEAN, p. 53-4, KEY, p. 129 ]

 

" ...there exists in Nature a triple evolutionary scheme, for the formation of

the three

principal Upadhis; or rather three separate schemes of evolution, which in our

system are

inextricably interwoven and interblended at every point. These are the Monadic

(or

spiritual), the intellectual, and the physical evolutions. These three are the

finite

aspects or the reflections on the field of Cosmic Illusion of ATMA, the seventh,

the ONE

REALITY... 2. The Intellectual, represented by the Manasa-Dhyanis (the Solar

Devas, or

the Agnishwatta Pitris) the " givers of intelligence and consciousness " to man...

(182) It

is the Manasa-Dhyanis who fill the gap, and they represent the evolutionary

power of

Intelligence and Mind, the link between " Spirit " and " Matter " --in this Round. "

SD I 181-2

HIGHER ASPECT OF THE LOWER MANAS

 

" Man is a perfected animal, but before he could have reached perfection even on

the

animal plane, there must have dawned on him the light of a higher plane. Only

the

perfected animal can cross the threshold of the next higher, of the human plane,

and as

he does so there shines upon him the ray from the supra-human plane. Therefore,

as the

dawn of humanity illumines the animal plane, and as a guiding star lures the

Monad to

higher consciousness, so the dawn of divinity illuminates the (28) human plane,

luring

the monad to the supra-human plane of consciousness.... Man...is however, " the

vehicle of

a fully developed Monad, self-conscious and deliberately following its own line

of

progress...

WQJ Articles, I p. 27-8 (see ISIS I 305, SD I 571-2, HPB ART III 440-1, HPB ART

II 271)

CONSCIOUSNESS IN MAN

 

" ... " Mind " is manas, or rather its lower reflection, which, whenever it

disconnects

itself, for the time being, with kama, becomes the guide of the highest mental

faculties,

and is the organ of the free-will in physical man.... "

HPB ARTICLES, Vol. II, p. 13

 

That which is known as you is the result of one continuous existence of an

entity. Your

present body and your soul (or the personality) are the results of a series of

existences. Your Karma is a result of co-existence. The individuality, or

spirit, is the

cause of the soul and personality, or what is called " you. " You are the

manifestation of

an entity and are the result of many appearances of that entity upon this stage

of action

in various personalities.

WQJ Articles, Vol. II, p. 452

 

" Happy is the man physically pure, for if his external soul (astral body, the

image of

the body) is pure, it will strengthen the second (the lower Manas), or the soul

which is

termed by him the higher mortal soul, which, though liable to err from its own

motives,

will always side with reason against the animal proclivities of the body. In

other words,

the ray of our Higher Ego, the lower Manas, has its higher light, the reason or

rational

powers of the Nous, to help it in the struggle with Kamic desires. The lusts of

man arise

in consequence of his perishable material body, so do other diseases, says

Plato... "

HPB ARTICLES, Vol. I, p. 27-8 [ see VOICE p. 12 fn ]

 

" Man is a perfected animal, but before he could have reached perfection even on

the

animal plane, there must have dawned on him the light of a higher plane. Only

the

perfected animal can cross the threshold of the next higher, of the human plane,

and as

he does so there shines upon him the ray from the supra-human plane. Therefore,

as the

dawn of humanity illumines the animal plane, and as a guiding star lures the

Monad to

higher consciousness, so the dawn of divinity illuminates the human plane,

luring the

monad to the supra-human plane of consciousness.... Man...is however, " the

vehicle of a

fully developed Monad, self-conscious and deliberately following its own line of

progress... "

WQJ ART I 27-8 (see ISIS I 305, SD I 571-2, HPB ART III 440-1, HPB ART II 271)

PERSONALITY -- LOWER MANAS

 

PersonalityIn Occultism--which divides man into 7 principles, considering him

under three

aspects of the divine, the thinking or the rational, and the animal man--the

lower

quaternary or the purely astro-physical being; while by Individuality is meant

the Higher

Triad, considered as a Unity. Thus the Personality embraces all the

characteristics and

memories of one physical life, which the Individuality is the imperishable Ego

which

re-incarnates and clothes itself in one personality after another.

T. GLOS. p. 252

 

" The astral through Kama (desire) is ever drawing Manas down into the sphere of

material

passions and desires. But if the better man or Manas tries to escape the fatal

attraction

and turns its aspirations to Atma-Spirit--the Buddhi (Ruach) conquers and

carries Manas

with it to the realm of eternal Spirit. "

 

S D I p. 244-5 " The life principle acts from the time of fetal existence until

death. The

lower principles are fed continuously during that time from the astral plane;

that which

constitutes the individual monad reincarnates at the time of birth, but whether

or not

the highest principles may assimilate with the germ during a lifetime, and to

which

extent they will either assimilate or be lost, will depend on the will and the

exertions

of the individual. "

THEOS. ART. & NOTES, p. 118-9

 

" That which is known as you is the result of one continuous existence of an

entity. Your

present body and your soul (or the personality) are the results of a series of

existences. Your Karma is a result of co-existence. The individuality, or

spirit, is the

cause of the soul and personality, or what is called " you. " You are the

manifestation of

an entity and are the result of many appearances of that entity upon this stage

of action

in various personalities. "

WQJ ART., II, p. 452

 

WHAT IS MANAS?

 

SOME SECRET DOCTRINE STATEMENTS

 

COSMIC Ideation focussed in a principle or upadhi (basis) results as the

consciousness of

the individual Ego. Its manifestation varies with the degree of upadhi, e.g.,

through

that known as Manas it wells up as Mind-Consciousness. (I, 329 footnote).

 

Occult Science has been teaching for ages that Akasa ... the fifth universal

Cosmic

Principle (to which corresponds and from which proceeds human Manas) is ...

creative in

its physical nature, correlative in its grossest aspects and portions, immutable

in its

higher principles. ... In its higher aspect it is the Soul of the World; in its

lower --

the DESTROYER. (I, 13 foot-note).

 

" Follow the law of analogy " -- the Masters teach. ... Manas is triple; ... i.e.,

as a

principle per se, which gravitates, in its higher aspect, to Atma-Buddhi, and

follows, in

its lower nature, Kama, the seat of terrestrial and animal desires and passions.

(II, 254

foot-note ).

 

Manas is immortal, because after every new incarnation it adds to Atma-Buddhi

something

of itself, and thus, assimilating itself to the Monad, shares its immortality.

.... The

astral through Kama (desire) is ever drawing Manas down into the sphere of

material

passions and desires. But if the better man or Manas tries to escape the fatal

attraction

and turns its aspirations to Atma -- Spirit -- then Buddhi ... conquers, and

carries

Manas with it to the real of eternal Spirit. (I, 243-245).

 

The mind is Manas ... for it is Manas that springs from Ahamkara or (Universal)

Self-Consciousness, as Manas in the microcosm springs from Mahat, or Maha-Buddhi

(Buddhi,

in man). For Manas is dual, and ... " is serving both for sense and action, is an

organ by

affinity, being cognate with the rest. " " The rest " means, here, that Manas, our

fifth

principle (the fifth, because the body was named the first, which is the reverse

of the

true philosophical order) is in affinity both with Atma-Buddhi and with the four

lower

principles. Hence, our teaching: namely, that Manas follows Atma-Buddhi to

Devachan, and

that the lower (dregs, the residue of) Manas remains with Kama rupa, in Limbus,

or

Kama-loka, the abode of the " Shells. " (I, 334).

 

" Manas is dual -- lunar in the lower, solar in its upper portion, " says a

commentary.

That is to say, it is attracted in its higher aspect towards Buddhi, and in its

lower

descends into, and listens to the voice of its animal soul full of selfish and

sensual

desires; and herein is contained the mystery of an adept's as of a profane man's

life, as

also that of the post-mortem separation of the divine from the animal man. (II,

495-6).

 

The human Ego is neither Atman nor Buddhi, but the higher Manas: the

intellectual

fruition and the efflorescence of the intellectual self-conscious Egotism -- in

the

higher spiritual sense. The ancient works refer to it as Karana Sarira on the

plane of

Sutratma, which is the golden thread on which, like beads, the various

personalities of

this higher Ego are strung. (II, 79).

 

It is a strange law of Nature that, on this plane, the higher (Spiritual) Nature

should

be, so to say, in bondage to the lower. Unless the Ego takes refuge in the

Atman, the

ALL-SPIRIT, and merges entirely into the essence thereof, the personal Ego may

goad it to

the bitter end. This cannot be understood unless the student makes himself

familiar with

the mystery of evolution, which proceeds on triple lines -- spiritual, psychic

and

physical. (II, 109).

 

It is the Fifth and Fourth principles -- Manas and Kama rupa -- that contain the

dual

personality: the real immortal Ego (if it assimilates itself to the two higher)

and the

false and transitory personality, the mayavi or astral body, so-called, or the

animal-human Soul -- the two having to be closely blended for purposes of a full

terrestrial existence. (II, 241-2).

 

It does not mean that Monads entered forms in which other Monads already were

.... but

their " Egos, " or Manas ... had to pass through earthly human experiences to

become

all-wise, and be able to start on the returning ascending cycle. The Monads are

not

discrete principles, limited or conditioned, but rays from that one universal

absolute

Principle. The entrance into a dark room through the same aperture of one ray of

sunlight

following another will not constitute two rays, but one ray intensified. It is

not in the

course of natural law that man should become a perfect septenary being, before

the

seventh race in the seventh Round. Yet he has all these principles latent in him

from his

birth. Nor is it part of the evolutionary law that the Fifth principle (Manas),

should

receive its complete development before the Fifth Round. All such prematurely

developed

intellects (on the spiritual plane) in our Race are abnormal. ... Even in the

coming

seventh Race, at the close of this Fourth Round, while our four lower principles

will be

fully developed, that of Manas will be only proportionately so. This limitation,

however,

refers solely to the spiritual development. The intellectual, on the physical

plane, was

reached during the Fourth Root-Race. (II, 167).

 

.... the conscious Manas [is] the connecting link between Spirit and Matter,

heaven and

earth. (II, 98).

 

.... Manas, Mind and Self-consciousness. In each of us that golden thread of

continuous

life -- periodically broken into active and passive cycles of sensuous existence

on

Earth, and super-sensuous in Devachan -- is from the beginning of our appearance

upon

this earth. It is the Sutratma, the luminous thread of immortal impersonal

monadship, on

which our earthly lives or evanescent Egos are strung as so many beads. ... it

is our

Mind -- our tempter and Redeemer, our intelligent liberator and Saviour from

pure

animalism. Without this principle -- the emanation of the very essence of the

pure divine

principle Mahat (Intelligence), which radiates direct from the Divine mind -- we

would be

surely no better than animals. ... Without this quickening spirit, or human Mind

or soul,

there would be no difference between man and beast ... (II, 513).

 

COMPILER'S NOTE: The following is a separate item which followed the above

article but

was on the same page. I felt it was useful to include it here:

 

POWER OF THOUGHT

 

Man, made of thought, occupant only of many bodies from time to time, is

eternally

thinking. His chains are through thought, his release due to nothing else. His

mind is

immediately tinted or altered by whatever object it is directed to. By this

means the

soul is enmeshed in the same thought or series of thoughts as is the mind....

 

Every thought leaves a seed in the mind or manas of the thinker, no matter how

fugitive

the thought was. The whole sum of such small seeds will go to make up a larger

seed for

thought, and thus constitute a man of this, that, or the other general

character.

Thoughts, then, are highly important, for, as the Buddha said, we are made up of

thought

and built of thought; as we think, so we act and will act, and as we act and

think so

will we suffer or rejoice, and the whole world with us.

 

The Mind

 

Mind? What is the nature of mind in reality? Where is it?

 

Everyone is trying to find the One Supreme Brahmn using his own mind. But, how

can a

human mind find Him without really understanding his own individual mind? In

Kuljam

Swaroop, Mahamati says, “This creation itself is the play of mind. It is the

mind (in

the form of Lord Brahma) which creates the world. It is the mind (in the form

of Lord

Vishnu) which sustains the world. It is the mind (in the form of Shiva) which

destroys

the world. In brief, the entire creation of five Tatwas, three Gunas and

fourteen Lokas

is the play of mind. There is everything in the mind, there is nothing in it!

It is

empty, but the Brahmn also resides in it. The mind can be an excellent tool,

which can

be utilized to attain the salvation. Only that person can understand the mind

upon who

has descended the divine grace of the Supreme Brahmn.” In brief, to understand

our own

mind, we have to understand all the minds, and the levels where an individual’s

mind can

ascend. Then only, the question of ascending to the Eternal Bliss arises.

 

The four aspects of inner sense (Antah karan): In order, the scriptures talk

about the

following four aspects (lower-to-higher): Manas (Mind), Chit (faculty of

cognition or

reflection), Buddhi (Intellect), and Ahankaar (Ego). These are the four

internal or

psychic organs. These four faculties exist among all humans, Kshar Purusha, and

even the

Akshar Brahmn. It is important to understand these psychic organs, including

mind,

before we continue further.

 

 

* Buddhi is an intellectual aspect of the cosmic Mind, and represents the

faculty of

determination and judgement.

* Ahankaar or Ego is an aspect of the cosmic mind. It is the cause of the

five

Tanmatras, the mind and all the senses. It’s an effect of the Moh-Tatwa. “Eko

asmi bahu

Shyam” is the root Ego (of Kshar Purusha Adi Narayana) hidden behind this

creation.

* Lord Pran Nath has recognized Manas and Chit as two distinct faculties;

whereas,

Bhagvad Gita, Samkhya and Yoga System regard Manas and Chit as one and the same

faculty.

 

Major world scriptures and philosophers have failed to explain fully the nature

and the

origin of mind. Why? In absence of the spotless Tartam Knowledge, mind has

been

described as beginning less and endless, as God and devil, as life and death, as

colorless or colorful, existent or nonexistent. How can a human mind completely

understand these higher categories of mind? To understand the mind, many

philosophers

even suggested putting a stop to conceptual thinking. Whatever they

experienced, they

called it the original mind-they even named it ‘Buddha’ or ‘Tao!’ But none

explained the

mind in relation to this creation-from an individual level to the cosmic level.

 

The five categories of mind:

 

In Kuljam Swaroop, Mahamati explains these five categories of the mind:

 

 

* The highest realm of mind is Avyakrit Brahmn. This is the mind of Akshar

Brahmn.

Vedas have called this highest mental consciousness as ‘Neti Neti.’ In absence

of Tartam

Knowledge, the same consciousness is mistakenly regarded as the integral

component of

‘Sachidanand,’ the Supreme Brahmn. Maharshis attaind this level of supreme

mental

consciousness.

* Lord Adi Narayana is the dreaming mind of Avyakrit Brahmn. Human mind can

rise

only up to this level.

* Lord Vishnu is the mind of Lord Adi Narayana.

* Narada is the mind of Lord Vishnu. He is the one whose mind works through

all the

living beings, called Jivas, of this Creation.

* Minds of each individual living being or a Jiva, also called Physical mind

(Sthul

Manas).

 

 

 

Mana, mana thein treigun, ta thein thir char sab uttpan | (KS, Pragat

Wani)

 

In addition to the above explained categories of mind, Kuljam Swaroop also talks

of the

following two broad categories of the mind.

 

 

* Mijaji Dil- those who are nonbelievers or believers of Kshar Purusha or

his lower

spiritual forms. In general, Jiva Srishti falls under this category.

* Haqiqi Dil - those Brahmn Srishti souls who are always attached to the One

Supreme

Truth God.

 

Narada is the mind of Lord Vishnu: Scriptures reveal two different aspects of

Narada who

is regarded as the mind of Lord Vishnu. As we discussed earlier, Narada is the

mind of

Lord Vishnu; and Narada is the one whose mind works through all the Jivas of

this

Creation. Narada is, in fact, Lord Vishnu’s devotee angel. He is regarded as

the form

of Lord Vishnu’s mind (Manas). The minds of all creatures (Jivas), including

humans, are

regarded as the images of Narada. The two aspects of Narada are:

 

 

* The positive aspect of mind that inspires one to do or think well, about

God

(generally, about Lord Vishnu or Kshar Purusha Adi Narayana as Supreme Lord),

and

* The negative aspects of mind that make one think badly, makes one

nonbeliever or

prevents one from attaining true understanding about spiritual wisdoms. This

negative

aspect of mind is also called ‘Satan’ or ‘Ableis’ in Koran and Bible.

Therefore, in

scriptures, we find both these aspects of the same personality ‘Narada,’

recognized as

the Over-mind of all Jivas.

 

we understood the mind and its different levels. The seeker must also note that

our goal

is to attain the Eternal Bliss, which is even beyond the reach of all these

mental

planes. To rise beyond these realms of mind, the Blessings of the Supreme Lord

is

essential. His Divine Grace, when descends upon a qualified soul, that

individual soul

can rise to the State of Supreme Bliss. In the next chapter, we will learn

about the

Imperishable Akshar Brahmn and Aksharateet Supreme Brahmn.

 

Suddha Manas And Asuddha Manas

 

Through the discriminating mind, the lower mind is powerfully mastered by the

wise.

 

" Uddharet-atmana-atmanam-Let him raise the self by the Self. " (Gita, VI-5)

The Two Kinds Of Mind

 

Suddha Manas or Sattvic mind (pure mind) and Asuddha (impure) Manas or the

instinctive

mind or desire-mind as it is called are the two kinds of mind according to

Upanishadic

teaching. There is the lower mind filled with passion. There is the higher mind

filled

with Sattva (purity). There are two minds. You will have to make it into

one-Sattvic mind

only-if you want to meditate. It is through the higher or Sattvic mind that you

will have

to control the lower or instinctive mind of passions and emotions.

 

There are two kinds of Buddhi also-Vyavaharic Buddhi and pure Buddhi. There are

two kinds

of Aham or Ahankara, viz., Suddha Aham which identifies with Brahman

(Sat-Chit-Ananda)

and Asuddha Aham which identifies with the body. There are two kinds of Sankalpa

(resolve, conation), viz., Suddha Sankalpa (thoughts of God) and Asuddha

Sankalpa

(thoughts of body and the world).

 

The Asuddha Manas which creates Asuddha Sankalpa, the Vyavaharic Buddhi and

Asuddha

Ahankara-all these three form a vicious circle. These three work in

co-operation. The

seed of the mind is Ahankara. Mind is merely a bundle of thoughts. Of all

thoughts, the

'I' thought is the root thought. It is the first thought also that emanated from

the

mind. Therefore, mind is only the thought 'I'. Buddhi is the basis of Ahankara.

It is

Buddhi that forces you to identify yourself with the physical body. It is Buddhi

that

creates difference (Bheda) and Nana Bhava (the idea of many in the world).

Characteristics Of The Sattvic Mind

 

A Sattvic mind like solitude, silence, simple living, high thinking, study of

spiritual

books, philosophical discussions, concentration of mind and company of Sadhus,

Mahatmas

and Sannyasins. A stainless mind can be judged through speech, face and eyes.

Through

these expressions, the opinion can be formed whether a person has stainless

mind. Higher

desires, noble aspirations, lofty ideals, true religious feeling, mercy,

sympathy, pure

unselfish love, devotion, Vichara (Atmic enquiry), inspiration, genius-all come

from the

higher, pure Sattvic mind. Suddha Manas (pure mind) is Brahman itself. It is an

embodiment of purity itself.

Characteristics Of The Rajasic Mind

 

A Rajasic mind likes crowded cities, much talking, luxurious life, low thinking,

the

company of women, study of romantic novels, eating dainty dishes and selfish

works.

Instinctive mind is the lower, impure Kama Manas with desires, passions and

appetities.

The vast majority of persons have this instinctive mind only. Even the so-called

civilised and educated persons live on the plane of the instinctive mind. Their

senses

are very sharp and acute and they run after more refined things for their

sense-gratification. They identify themselves with the physical body and the

senses. They

have no idea of the subtle Atman which is entirely distinct from the body and

the

Indriyas. Their 'I' is the physical, gross body only though they know that there

is a

mind.

 

Sensual enjoyment brings on diseases and destroys the power of discrimination

(Viveka).

It makes the mind Malina (impure). Therefore, shun Vishayabhoga (sensual

enjoyment). Try

to realise the Self within wherein lies eternal bliss and immortality.

Sattvic Mind Needed For Atma-Vichara

 

A sharp, subtle, one-pointed, Sattvic (pure) mind is needed for Atma-Vichara

(enquiry

into Atman or the Supreme Spirit) and study of Upanishads. A gross mind or

practical

(Vyavaharic) Buddhi with selfishness and lust is absolutely unfit for Vichara

and

philosophical ratiocination. Selfishness clouds understanding. Selfishness is

the bane of

life. The mind of a worldling is ever ready to absorb sexual thoughts. It cannot

imbibe

subtle, philosophical ideas. It is callous and cannot vibrate properly to take

in

philosophical ideas. You can drive a nail in clay, but not in a stone. The mind

has to be

purified by Nishkama Karma, Japa, Pranayama and other spiritual Sadhanas.

 

Mind is compared to a mirror. If the mirror is dirty, you cannot see your face

clearly.

Similarly, if the mind-mirror is dirty (full of Mala, impurities-Kama, Krodha,

Lobha,

etc.), you cannot see God clearly; you cannot see the Self clearly. The light of

Brahman

cannot shine efficiently. Clean it up with effort daily, through spiritual

Sadhana,

meditation, strenuous Nishkama Karma Yoga, devotion, etc. You will realise God.

 

" Manasaiva-anudrashtavyam " is the utterance of the Srutis. Brahman is to be seen

by the

mind. Here 'mind' means the Suddha Manas (pure mind). Brahman can be seen by a

mind which

is equipped with the four means of salvation; which is rendered subtle and pure

by the

practice of Sama, Dama, Yama and Niyama; which is furnished with the sacred

instructions

of a qualified Guru and which does Sravana (hearing), Manana (reflection) and

Nididhyasana (constant musing). Should the pure mind concentrate itself for some

time

through a study of Jnana Sastras, association with the wise and an uninterrupted

practice

of meditation, then in such persons developing Jnana, a divine vision will dawn

in which

there will be a direct cognition of the one Reality.

Slay The Impure Mind

 

The enemy of Atman is the impure mind, which is replete with excessive delusion

and a

host of thoughts. This mischievous and powerful imp of lower mind is the

generator of all

pains and all fears and the destroyer of all noble, spiritual wealth. Your real

enemy is

this impure mind only which is full of delusion, Trishnas, Vasanas and host of

other

impurities. Lest this enemy of mind should spoil you in diverse ways through the

" enjoyments " of the many " pleasures " in this world, slay it in the hope of

getting

eternal bliss and spiritual illumination. Destroy the lower Asuddha (impure)

Manas

through the higher Suddha Manas. Destroy your instinctive mind through

discrimination and

help of your higher, Sattvic mind. Then and then alone will you get eternal,

infinite

peace and bliss of Atman. Then alone will you become a Jivanmukta.

 

Sattvic minds and Rajasic minds move in diametrically opposite directions.

Sattvic mind

unifies. Instinctive mind separates and divides. Voice from the instinctive mind

will

mislead you. Purify the mind and hear the voice of conscience (Sattvic mind).

You will

have to develop the Sattvic part of the mind by annihilating the lower, impure,

instinctive mind. If the lower mind is done away with through the higher mind

alone, then

only will you have eternal happiness and peace. Then alone will you attain

Moksha,

supreme knowledge and perennial bliss. Slay this mind through constant Vichara

and

meditation on Om and rest in your own Svarupa, Sat-Chit-Ananda state.

How To Purify The Mind

 

As one iron shapes another iron, the pure mind of a person which makes efforts

in the

virtuous path should correct and mould his impure mind. Mind is unfailingly

rendered pure

through true, virtuous and pure actions and constant Satsanga (association with

the

wise). Speaking the truth and practice of Daya (pure compassion) are very great

purifiers

of mind. All lofty aspirations, all-embracing tendencies and pity-all go a long

way in

increasing the Sattvic material of the mind. The higher Manas is developed.

 

Sacrifice, gift, compassion, study of the Vedas and speaking the truth: these

five are

purifying. The sixth is penance well-practised. The last one is highly

purifying.

Pilgrimage to sacred places is also purifying. You come in contact with holy

persons

there. You can have good Satsanga.

 

Charity, Japa, Nishkama Karma, Yajna, Agnihotra, Brahmacharya, Sandhya,

Tirtha-Yatra,

Dama, Sama, Yama, Niyama, Svadhyaya, Tapas, Vrata, service of saints-all tend to

purify

the mind. There will be, doubtless, unalloyed bliss in the mind thus purified.

 

A Mantra purifies the mind. Mere repetition of a Mantra, parrot-like, has very

little

effect. It has some benefit. It must be repeated with Bhava (feeling). Then it

produces

wonderful effects. The Mantra, unless inspired with the powerful will-force of

one's own

mind, cannot produce much effect.

 

Study of philosophical works, right thinking, exercise of good and noble

emotions,

prayers and beneficent endeavours and, above all, regular and strenuous

meditation are

the means to improve the mind. These will bring about the rapid evolution of the

mind.

When the mind is purified, a hole is formed in the centre through which purity,

light and

knowledge flow from Brahman.

 

A goldsmith converts 10 carat gold into 15 carat gold by adding acids and

burning it

several times in the crucible. Even so, you will have to purify your sensuous

mind

through concentration and reflection on the words of your spiritual preceptor

and the

Upanishadic sentences, meditation, Japa or silent repetition of the Name of the

Lord,

etc.

 

It takes a long time to purify Harital (yellow oxide of arsenic orpiment). It

has to be

soaked in cow's urine for seven days, in lime water for ten days and in milk for

seven

days. Then it has to be burnt out hundred and eight times before a Bhasma or

proper oxide

(ash) is obtained. Even so, it takes a long time to effect Chitta-Suddhi, purity

of mind.

Severe Tapascharya (austerity) is needed.

 

As a result of purification of the mind, it becomes more sensitive, gets easily

disturbed

by a sound or shock and feels any pressure acutely. An aspirant must be

sensitive and yet

have the body and nerves completely under his control. The greater the

sensitiveness

becomes, the more difficult is the task; there are many noises which pass

unheeded by an

ordinary person, but which are torture to one who is very sensitive. You must do

your

best to get over this oversensitiveness.

Initiation Of Pure Mind Leads To Quiescence

 

Purification is the first part of Yoga. When purification is over, the natural

tendency

of the mind is to go towards liberation, Moksha. If only a disciple whose mind

is

cleansed of all its impurities, is initiated into the sacred mysteries by a

Guru, then

his mind will get complete quiescence. He will enter into a Nirvikalpa state.

The

Nirvikalpa state is termed Asamvedana.

 

Freeing the Mind

This article was transcribed from the September 2001 issue of “The Theosophical

Movement,” a publication of Theosophy Company (India).

 

Often we are unable to understand what the mind is. And, when we speak of

controlling it,

we do not understand who or what controls it, or what control means. We need to

make

these points clear to ourselves.

 

We get tied up in words. What are words? Simply sounds and letters, or

characters which

convey ideas, either abstract or concrete? These ideas we may understand or we

may not

understand. The word " cup, " for instance, brings to us the memory of a concrete

object

that we know and use; " aspiration " brings to us a feeling of upliftment; words

such as

" Absolute " and " Consciousness " we find difficult to understand, for we have not

experienced them.

 

How can we " experience " consciousness or mind or other abstract, spiritual

concepts?

 

Let us think. When we see a person, are we not using the power of consciousness

to

perceive him through the medium of our eyes? Are we not " aware " of him? This

awareness

can be purely material; it can affect the emotions; or it can affect the will.

Therefore

our awareness or consciousness is of a threefold quality. H.P.B. says that " Mind

is a

name given to the sum of the states of Consciousness grouped under Thought, Will

and

Feeling. "

 

So we are " experiencing " consciousness all our waking life. But so is an animal.

It sees,

it has feelings and will power; then how does our mind differ from the mind of

an animal?

 

Do all people react in the same way to perceptions? Do all dogs react in the

same way to

perceptions? We can easily see that there is a far greater divergence of

individual

reaction in the human kingdom than in the animal. The animal reacts differently

within

the limits of instinct. Man reacts according to his materiality or

intellectuality or

spirituality. What makes the difference?

 

Man is a spiritual being and his mind is but a ray of his own spiritual

individuality. It

is this ray of mind with which each one is concerned in his daily life, for it

gives him

the feeling of personal identity or " I-ness. " It uses the senses and

sense-organs to

perceive the world in which he lives; it makes him aware of his emotional nature

and of

his ideas. Without it he would not be able to look forward to emotions that are

pleasant,

or backward to those that were pleasant. The same with unpleasant emotions. It

is

strange, is it not, that we seem to get as much " pleasure " in recalling

unpleasant things

and events as pleasant ones! Otherwise, why should we wallow in the memory of

unpleasant

things or happenings?

 

Here we have an example of Kama as an octopus grasping and controlling the mind

and

sullying the otherwise pure faculty of awareness. For, what is mind? It is

colourless in

itself, being merely " awareness, " and is coloured by the modifications it

constantly

undergoes by reason of the limiting thoughts or feelings or ideas on which it is

dwelling. Some of this colouring is brought over from past lives, but some is

acquired in

the present life. Hence we are told first to free the mind from Kama. The Voice

of the

Silence tells us not to let the senses make a " playground " of the mind.

 

What frees the mind, what prevents the senses from making of it a playground?

 

We need to consider carefully what it means to free the mind from Kama, to take

the mind

away from Kama. It is in the grip of Kama. How can it get free but by coming out

of that

grip? Therefore the mind has to free itself. It has to cease to be aware of Kama

(evil

emotions, desires, volition, etc.), which it will do when it realizes that it

can free

itself from the limitations imposed by Kama. It has to become aware of itself

and ask the

question, " Who am I ? "

 

Let us look at Manas. Manas is the " conscious principle of the Monad, " we are

told; and

the Monad is a unified triad, Atma-Buddhi-Manas. Therefore it has three aspects:

the will

aspect (Atma), the feelings or compassion aspect (Buddhi), and the thought

aspect

(Manas). Atma and Buddhi are reflected in Manas, however dimly. Manas Taijasi is

Manas

illuminated and activated by Buddhi. Manas flooded by Atma is Will, Spiritual

Will in

action.

 

Lower Manas is a ray or Higher Manas and is therefore also threefold. When

clothed in the

three lower principles it reflects these lower three—prana, feeling, and sense

impressions. Manas gets deluded by the information the senses bring to it. When

the

senses make a playground of it, it is bewitched; when it gets so enmeshed that

it knows

of nothing but the lower principles, it manifests as the lower will in action,

as

obstinacy, brute force and selfishness. What is meant by the senses making a

playground

of the mind is that they " play, " amuse themselves and strengthen their wishes by

thinking

about their reactions.

 

Hence the first stage of freeing the mind is to find out what mind is and what

binds it.

Once it realizes that is bound, it can begin to free itself. A difficult task

this, for

passion will not let go of the mind, selfishness will not give up its plotting

and

planning to gain its desires. Lower Manas is that which gives the sense of

" I-ness, " of

an entity, a being, to the personality. It is limited by its skandhas, but the

skandhas

are not it; it is modified by its thoughts and ideas, but it is not them; it is

deluded

by senses and sense-organs, but it is not these either. It is a ray of

Atma-Buddhi-Manas.

When it unites itself with its higher aspect, the Higher Manas, the two become

one. This

union is prevented because of the colouring given to it by the lower vehicles.

If we can

tear ourselves from these until we become onlookers of them and then use

them—that is to

say, if that in us which is Atma-Buddhi-Manas can see itself as separate from

them, then

can it free itself.

 

While we think that Kama must let go of Manas we shall never succeed. But when

we know

that it is Manas that must refuse to obey Kama, we have a starting point. Then

comes the

next stage. The will aspect of Manas comes into play when we realize why we have

to free

the mind. i.e., for the good of all. Then compassion and love take the place of

feelings,

and even the lower Manasic ray becomes Taijasi—shining.

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