MEDITATION IN THE TANTRA YOGA TRADITION – PART 3
Kundalini, Tattvas, Subtle Energy and the Layers of the Mind
Tantra is the body of knowledge about consciousness, spirituality and subtle energy that arose in northern India over 6000 years ago. From this knowledge emerged various meditation techniques, practices and traditions related to the expansion of human consciousness and spiritual self-realisation. The various schools of yoga emerged from Tantra as practices and techniques were developed by various enlightened sages and practitioners.
Spiritual and shamanic traditions around the world embody this same understanding of consciousness and subtle energy with varying emphases and differences of language and vocabulary. In many religions this knowledge is considered esoteric and only available to a few. In some cases it has been all but lost from understanding. A re-emergence and dissemination of this knowledge is occurring at this point in time.
Most meditation techniques assist in relaxation, centering and the development of mindfulness. In addition to this, Tantra brings an understanding of Kundalini and the subtle energy body to meditation with the goal of allowing one to achieve a focused state of absorption or merger, into higher states of consciousness.
The Cosmology of Consciousness
To understand how this works let us draw a simple map of consciousness and creation from the Tantric perspective:
All that exists is made of consciousness and has emerged from undifferentiated consciousness. As creation emerges into being there is a vibration present which is symbolized by the “Om” sound. Just as a prism refracts light into different wavelengths or colours this original ‘Om” vibration breaks down into a number of wavelengths of varying density. These ranges of wavelengths are commonly referred to as the solid, liquid, luminous, aerial and ethereal Tattvas (factors or elements). (Although they do not directly correspond to solid, liquid etc. as we know them through our senses). Each of these ranges of vibrational expression has a controlling “biija” sound related to it; a subtle vibrational frequency.
Human as a Microcosm
The human being is a microcosm of cosmic existence, reflecting all aspects of creation as a multi-layered vibrational structure which is simultaneously expressed at the physical level, the subtle energy level, the psychic/mental level and at the level of pure consciousness.
Each of the chakras are related to vibrational frequencies within cosmic expression. The cosmic “biija” sounds or vibrational frequencies are found within the human chakras and the solid, liquid, luminous, aerial and ethereal factors as they are expressed within the human being are controlled by the first five chakras.
The human mind is understood to operate at a number of different levels or Kosas. These are as follows:
- Kamamaya kosa – the conscious and sensory mind, interacting through the sense organs and motor organs.
- Manomaya kosa – the subconscious or subtle mind dealing with reason, memory and dreaming.
- Atimanasa kosa – the supramental mind, the first layer of the unconscious mind and functioning at the level of intuition, collective unconscious and extra-sensory perception.
- Vijinamaya kosa – the subliminal mind, the second level of the unconscious (or astral) mind and related to spiritual discrimination and perception of subtle energy expression.
- Hiranyamaya kosa – the subtle causal mind which experiences intimate communion with cosmic mind.
Each of these layers of the mind is also related to and expressed through each of the first five chakras respectively (root, genital, naval, heart and throat chakras).
The higher two chakras, third eye and crown chakra, embody the pure consciousness of the macrocosm; cosmic consciousness and are what allow humans to be divine spiritual beings.
Tantric spiritual practices include meditation on the biija sound vibrations and Tattvas (elements) within the chakras. By doing this meditation practice the chakras become purified and blocks to the experience of higher states of consciousness are removed.
Subtle “kundalini” spiritual energy moves upward via the subtle energy channels (Shushumna) through the chakras. As it does so, higher states of consciousness are experienced and eventually the merger of individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness is attained.
As the kundalini energy rises through the chakras the layers of the mind recede one into the next. The conscious mind recedes into the subconscious and the and the subconscious recedes into the unconscious. Thus the conscious mind becomes conscious not of material existence but of that which lies in the unconscious and that which is at the purely spiritual level.
In this process the mind goes from a concentrated state to a meditative state, to a state where consciousness is in a state of flow. Then as this flow becomes more and more focused the mind enters into a state of intense absorption that is called Samadhi or union with “cosmic consciousness.”
This experience is profound and evokes fundamental changes in the individual, their experience of themselves and their perception of the world around them. They become very close to the divine and their capacity for love of others will develop. They will feel that they are in love with every living being. They will experience the entire universe as the manifestation of the divine and they will not draw distractions between themselves and others. This is the state of self-realisation that spiritual practitioners from all traditions seek to achieve.
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