One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy.
[Sanskrit cakram, wheel, circle.]
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One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy.
[Sanskrit cakram, wheel, circle.]
For more information on chakra, visit Britannica.com.
According to Theosophists, the sense organs of the etheric double that receive their name from their appearance, which resembles vortices. Altogether there are ten chakras (visible only to clairvoyants) but of these it is advisable to use only seven. They are situated not on the denser physical body, but opposite certain parts of it as follows: (1) the top of the head, (2) between the eyebrows, (3) the throat, (4) the heart, (5) the spleen (where vitality is drawn from the sun), (6) the solar plexus, and (7) the base of the spine. The remaining three chakras are situated in the lower part of the pelvis and normally are not used, but are brought into play only in black magic. It is by means of the chakras that the trained occultist can become acquainted with the astral world.
The Theosophical concept of chakras was adapted from the ancient Hindu understanding of kundalini, a cosmic energy believed to be latent in the human organism responsible for sexual activity and also conditions of higher consciousness. The Hindu mystics pictured kundalini as a coiled serpent situated at the base of the spine in the subtle body. When aroused by spiritual disciplines, which included breath control and meditation, the energy darted up the spine in any of three subtle channels, illuminating the seven major centers or chakras in the body. These centers have been tentatively identified with the major nervous plexi. The seventh chakra, known as the sahasrara or "Thousand Petalled Lotus," is located in the area of the crown of the head. Many Indian yogis have described blissful conditions of mystical consciousness resulting from the arousal of kundalini and its successful culmination in the sahasrara. This supreme experience is compared with the sexual embrace of the god Siva and his consort.
Today, the idea of chakras is somewhat universal in occult and New Age circles. There is some difference of opinion as to the actual nature of the chakras and the experiences associated with them but some uniformity as to their location. An early identification with the nervous plexi of the body was made by V. G. Rele in his book The Mysterious Kundalini: The Physical Basis of the "Kundali-Hatha-Yoga" According to our Present Knowledge of Western Anatomy and Physiology (1939).
For comparative Chinese mysticism and meditation techniques in relation to chakras, see the books of "Charles Luk" (pseudonym of K'uan yü Lu), notably The Secrets of Chinese Meditation (London, 1964).
Sources:
Avalon, Arthur. The Serpent Power. Madras: Ganesh, 1950. Reprint, New York: Dover Pubications, 1974.
Gopi Krishna. Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man. Boulder, Colo.: Shambhala, 1970.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System. St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.
Leadbeater, C. W. The Chakras. Wheaton, Iill.: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972.
Rele, V. G. The Mysterious Kundalini: The Physical Basis of the "Kundali-Hatha-Yoga" According to our Present Knowledge of Western Anatomy and Physiology. Bombay: Taraporevala, 1939.
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Chakra (
pronunciation?) is a Sanskrit term meaning wheel. There is a wide literature on chakra models,
philosophy and lore that underpin many philosophical systems
and spiritual energy practices, religious observance and personal discipline. Theories on
chakras fit within systems that link the human body and mind into a single unit, sometimes called the bodymind. The philosophical theories and models of chakras as centers of energy were identified through the
mystical practice of yoga in Ancient India where they were first codified.
Judith (1996: p.5) provides a useful working definition for chakras:
A chakra is a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. The word chakra literally translates as wheel or disk and refers to a spinning sphere of bioenergetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. There are seven of these wheels stacked in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the top of the head. There are also minor chakras in the hands, feet, fingertips, and shoulders. Literally, any vortex of activity could be called a chakra. It is the seven major chakras that correlate with basic states of consciousness...
In other words, chakra are energy centers in the body located at major branchings of the human nervous system, beginning with the base of the spinal column and moving upward. Chakras are considered to be a touch point or nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy of the human body.
Chakra are explained in different ways, depending on who is doing the explaining. In Chinese medicine, they are often explained in relation to acupuncture points. In some Eastern thought, chakras are considered to be gradations of consciousness and reflect states of the soul--these systems rely less on proof than on experience (under the assumption that 'proving' the existence of chakras is asking to 'prove' the existence of the thought process). A mystic may deal with chakra as a model for their internal and external experience, and when talking about 'energy centers', may be talking about subtle electromagnetic forces which connect to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of a person.
As Bucknell and Stuart-Fox (1986: p.vii) concisely state in implying a dichotomy between Indian Vajrayana and Himalayan Vajrayana:
In the Vajrayana tradition, now preserved mainly in Tibetan sects, it has long been recognized that certain important teachings are expressed in a form of secret symbolic language known as saṃdhyā-bhāṣā, 'Twilight Language'. Mudrās and mantras, maṇḍalas and cakras, those mysterious devices and diagrams that were so much in vogue in the pseudo-Buddhist hippie culture of the 1960s, were all examples of Twilight Language....
Judith (1996: p.5) outlines that:
The chakra system originated in India more than four thousand years ago. Chakras were referred to in the ancient literature of the Vedas, the later Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and most thoroughly in the 16th century by an Indian yogi in a text called the Sat-Chakra-Nirupana. In the 1920s, chakras were brought to the West by Arthur Avalon with his book, The Serpent Power."
What is construed as the New Age movement, and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement, has adopted and developed the chakra meme.
The English word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit cakraṃ चक्रं meaning "wheel" or "circle".[1][2] More generally, the term refers to circular objects or formations, and Apte provides 23 different definitions for cakram used as a noun. Examples include "discus" (a type of divine weapon, particularly associated with the god Vishnu), a potter's wheel, a form of military array, etc.
Bhattacharyya's review of Tantric history says that the word chakra is used to mean several different things in the Sanskrit sources:[3]
In Buddhist literature the Sanskrit term cakra (Pali cakka) is used in a different sense of "circle", referring to a Buddhist conception of the 4 circles or states of existence in which gods or men may find themselves.[4]
Chakrology is a neologism sometimes employed by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers for the study of chakras. There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Hindu Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, or Western occult analyses, as well as ancient Greek and Christian references.
There are numerous traditional and modern models of the chakra system of the human subtle energetic body. As the system is subtle, these differences may co-exist and be perceived as foregrounding and backgrounding different qualities or attributes for specific reasons or purposes rather than perceived as vying for ascendancy. That said, the bodymind is a system, refer systems theory and no chakra is supreme. Chakra work in dialogue and in relationship to each other and that is how Ayurvedic Medicine energetic interplay which is directly comparable to the human endocrine system and how different glands chemically signal and communicate to each other.
In Hinduism, the concept of chakras is part of a complex of ideas related to esoteric anatomy. These ideas occur most often in the class of texts that are called Āgamas or Tantras. This is a large body of scripture, most of which is rejected by orthodox Brahmins.[5]
There are many variations on these concepts in the Sanskrit source texts. In earlier texts there are various systems of chakras and nadis, with varying connections between them. Various traditional sources list 5, 6, 7, or 8 chakras. Over time, one system of 6 or 7 chakras along the body's axis became the dominant model, adopted by most schools of yoga. This particular system may have originated in about the 11th century AD, and rapidly became widely popular.[6] It is in this model where Kundalini is said to "rise" upward, piercing the various centers until reaching the crown of the head, resulting in union with the Divine.
This is the conventional arrangement cited by Monier-Williams, where the chakras are defined as "6 in number, one above the other".[7]
Atal Behari Ghosh presents the 6-chakra model but notes that "Opinion is divided as to the number of these cakras; some say that there are 16, and others that there are more."[8]
The Hindu sadhana of Laya yoga works with the chakra system.
The chakras are described in the tantric texts the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka [9] , in which they are described as emanations of consciousness from Brahman, an energy emanating from the spiritual which gradually turns concrete, creating these distinct levels of chakras, and which eventually finds its rest in the Muladhara chakra. They are therefore part of an emanationist theory, like that of the kabbalah in the west, lataif-e-sitta in Sufism or neo-platonism. The energy that was unleashed in creation, called the Kundalini, lies coiled and sleeping at the base of the spine. It is the purpose of the tantric or kundalini forms of yoga to arouse this energy, and cause it to rise back up through the increasingly subtler chakras, until union with God is achieved in the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head.
The Tantric sadhana of Laya yoga works with the chakra system.[10] [11][citation needed]
| Tantric chakras |
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Sahasrara |
Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes eight primary inner chakras:[citation needed]
According to contemporary buddhist teacher Tarthang Tulku, the heart chakra is very important for the feeling of existential fullfilment.[citation needed]
A result of energetic imbalance between chakras is an almost continuous feeling of dissatisfaction. When the heart chakra is agitated, people lose touch with feelings and sensations, and that breeds the sense of dissatisfaction. That leads to looking outside for fullfilment.
When people live in their heads, feelings are secondary, they are interpretations of mental images that are fed back to the individual. When awareness is focused on memories of past experiences and mental verbalizations, the energy flow to the head chakra increases and the energy flow to the heart chakra lessens. Without nurturing feelings of the heart a subtle form of anxiety arises which results in the self reaching out for experience.
When the throat chakra settles and energy is distributed evenly between the head and the heart chakras, one is able to truly contact one's senses and touch real feelings.[12]
Chögyal Namkai Norbu Rinpoche teaches a version of the Six Lokas sadhana which works with the chakra system.[citation needed]
Chakras, as pranic centers of the body, according to the Himalayan Bönpo tradition, influence the quality of experience, because movement of prana can not be separated from experience. Each of six major chakras are linked to experiential qualities of one of the six realms of existence.[13]
A modern teacher, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche uses a computer analogy: main chakras are like hard drives. Each hard drive has many files. One of the files is always open in each of the chakras, no matter how "closed" that particular chakra may be. What is displayed by the file shapes experience.
The tsa lung practices such as those embodied in Trul Khor lineages open channels so lung (Lung is a Tibetan term cognate with prana or qi) may move without obstruction. Yoga opens chakras and evokes positive qualities associated with a particular chakra. In the hard drive analogy, the screen is cleared and a file is called up that contains positive, supportive qualities. A seed syllable (Sanskrit bija) is used both as a password that evokes the positive quality and the armor that sustains the quality.[13]
Tantric practice eventually transforms all experience into bliss. The practice liberates from negative conditioning and leads to control over perception and cognition.[13]
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche teaches a version of the Six Lokas sadhana which works with the chakra system.
Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system, except that it involves the circulation of qi energy [14][15], rather than a simple ascent as in kundalini yoga.
In the circuit of qi, called the Microcosmic orbit, energy also comes back down the front torso channel (equivalent to the nadis of Hatha yoga), and enters the tan tiens: when it returns to the heart (and cycles down and reascends to the head) further meditation/contemplation or union with deity develops [citation needed]. In Macrocosmic orbit the qi is also guided through the main channels in the limbs. [16]
With the front tan tiens (autonomic plexuses to organs/glands) branching from cerebrospinal chakras) and two levels of a vitality triangle on/in the back (spleen and behind a 'belly chakra/tantien', and by the arm-nadi branch) on the back, there are 7 (or 8) chakra spots outside the cerebrospinal nadis.[citation needed]
The chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. In New Age practices, each chakra is often associated with a certain color. In various traditions chakras are associated with multiple physiological functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics. They are visualized as lotuses/flowers with a different number of petals in every chakra.
The chakras are thought to vitalize the physical body and to be associated with interactions of a physical, emotional and mental nature. They are considered loci of life energy or prana, also called shakti, qi (Chinese; ki in Japanese), coach-ha-guf (Hebrew), bios (Greek) and aether (English), which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis. The function of the chakras is to spin and draw in this energy to keep the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health of the body in balance.
The New Age movement has led to an increased interest in the West regarding chakras. Many in this movement point to a correspondence between the position and role of the chakras and those of the glands in the endocrine system. These ideas first appear in the writings of theosophical authors like C. W. Leadbeater, who wrote a book on the Chakras.
The seven principal chakras are said by some to reflect how the unified consciousness of humanity (the immortal human being or the soul), is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body/instinct/vital energy/deeper emotions/communication/having an overview of life/contact to God). The chakras are placed at differing levels of spiritual subtlety, with Sahasrara at the top being concerned with pure consciousness, and Muladhara at the bottom being concerned with matter, which is seen simply as crudified consciousness.
Hesychasm specifies four centres[17]:
In the Hesychastic Tradition [18] (and Christian Ascetical Theology as well [19]) the ascetical methods and meditation which lead to an inner Knowledge of the Heart are often referred as Cardiognosis
The first western reference on chakra commonly accepted by modern scholars is from a disceple of Jakob Böhme namely Johann Georg Gichtel. Gichtel, in his book Theosophia Practica (1696), directly refer to inner force centres which are strictly related with eastern chakra doctrines [20]. Anyway it is the shakta theory of 7 main chakras that many people in the West adhere to, largely thanks to a translation of two Indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon, in a book entitled The Serpent Power[21]. This book is extremely detailed and complex, and later the ideas were developed into what is predominant western view of the Chakras by the Theosophists, and largely the controversial (in theosophical circles) C. W. Leadbeater in his book The Chakras, which are in large part his own meditations and insights on the matter.
Rudolf Steiner (one-time Theosophist, and founder of Anthroposophy) says much about the Chakras that is unusual, especially that the chakra system is dynamic and evolving and is very different for modern people than it was in ancient times, and will in turn be radically different in future times. In contrast to the traditional eastern teachings, Steiner describes a sequence of development from the top down rather than the bottom up. This is the so called 'Christos Path' which has not always been available to humanity. He also seems to ignore the Thousand Petaled at the crown of the head and mentions cryptically an Eight Petaled chakra located between the Ten Petaled and the Six Petaled. In his book How to Know Higher Worlds Steiner gives clear instructions on how to develop the chakras safely into maturity. These are more like life disciplines than exercises and can take considerable time. He warns that while quicker methods exist, they can be dangerous to one's health, character, or sanity.[citations needed]
Many New Age writers, such as the Danish author and musician Peter Kjærulff in his book, The Ringbearer's Diary or Anodea Judith in her book Wheels of Life, have written their opinions about the chakras in great detail, including the reasons for their appearance and functions.
Additionally, some chakra system models describe one or more Transpersonal chakras above the crown chakra, and an Earth star chakra below the feet. There are also held to be many minor chakras, for example between the major chakras.
The primary importance and level of existence of chakras is posited to be in the psyche. However, there are those who believe that chakras have a physical manifestation as well. [citation needed] Some authors allege that there is a relationship between the positions and functions of the chakras, and of the various organs of the endocrine system (Sivananda 1953). It is noted by many that there is a marked similarity between the positions and roles described for chakras, and the positions and roles of the glands in the endocrine system, and also by the positions of the nerve ganglia (also known as "plexuses") along the spinal cord (branching to plexuses by endocrine glands or organs), opening the possibility that two vastly different systems of conceptualization have been brought to bear to systemize insights about the same phenomenon. By some, chakras are thought of as having their physical manifestation in the body as these glands, and their subjective manifestation as the associated emotional, mental and spiritual experiences. [citation needed]. However, as there are important organs located at virtually any point in the body, the correspondence of certain biological systems or organs with the traditional locations of chakras is unsurprising and may be considered inevitable.
Sahasrara or the crown chakra is generally considered to be the chakra of consciousness. Its role may be envisioned somewhat similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones to communicate to the rest of the endocrine system and also connects to the central nervous system via the hypothalamus. The thalamus is thought to have a key role in the physical basis of consciousness. Symbolised by a lotus with nine hundred seventy-two petals, it is located above the head outside the body.
Ajna (along with Bindu, either or both are considered to correspond to the third eye) is linked to the pineal gland which may inform a model of its envisioning. Ajna is held as the chakra of time, awareness and of light. The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland that produces the hormone melatonin which regulates sleep and awakening. Symbolised by a lotus with ninety-six petals.
(Note: some opine that the pineal and pituitary glands should be exchanged in their relationship to the Crown and Brow chakras, based on the description in Arthur Avalon's book on kundalini called Serpent Power or empirical research.)
Vishuddha (also Vishuddhi) or the throat chakra may be envisioned as relating to communication and growth, growth being a form of expression. This chakra is paralleled to the thyroid, a gland that is also in the throat and which produces thyroid hormone, responsible for growth and maturation. Symbolised by a lotus with sixteen petals.
Anahata or the heart chakra is related to complex emotion, compassion, love, equilibrium and well-being. It is related to the thymus, located in the chest. The thymus is an element of the immune system as well as being part of the endocrine system. It produces T cells responsible for fending off disease and may be adversely affected by stress. Symbolised by a lotus with twelve petals. See also heartmind.
Manipura (also Nabhi) or the solar plexus chakra is related to the transition from simple or base to complex emotion, energy, assimilation and digestion, and is held to correspond to the roles played by the pancreas and the outer adrenal glands, the adrenal cortex. These play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter into energy for the body. Symbolised by a lotus with ten petals.
Swadhisthana or the sacral[citation needed] chakra is located in the groin[citation needed] and is related to base emotion, sexuality and creativity. This chakra is considered to correspond to the testicles or the ovaries that produce the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle which may cause dramatic mood swings. Symbolised by a lotus with six petals.
Muladhara or the base or root chakra is related to instinct, security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. This centre is located in the region between the genitals and the anus. Although no endocrine organ is placed here, it is said to relate to the inner adrenal glands, the adrenal medulla, responsible for the fight and flight response when survival is under threat. In this region is located a muscle that controls ejaculation in the sexual act in the human male. A parallel is charted between the sperm cell and the ovum where the genetic code lies coiled and the kundalini. Symbolised by a lotus with four petals.
The following table sets forth some of the properties generally associated with each chakra:
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this article are disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. |
| Chakra | Color | Primary Functions | Associated Element | Location | Open or Balance | Foods | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown sahasrāra, सहस्रार |
white or violet; may assume color of dominant chakra | Union, Bliss, Sense of empathy | space / thought | Top of the head | Meditation, guided visualization, energy, work | Air, Incense and Smudging Herbs | |
| Third eye ājñā, आज्ञा |
indigo | Direct perception, intuition, imagination, visualization, concentration, Self-mastery, Extra Sensory Perception | time / light | Between the eyebrows. | Meditation, guided visualization. | Dark bluish colored fruits, Liquids, Spices | |
| Throat viśuddha, विशुद्ध |
azure blue | Creativity, communication, expression, eloquence, Intuition, synthesis, hearing | life / sound | Base of the throat | Sing, chant, hum, breathe consciously. | Liquids, Tart or tangy fruits, Other tree grown fruits, Spices | |
| Heart/Lung anāhata, अनाहत |
green | Love, wisdom, stability, perseverance, mental patience and equilibrium, or pleasure, Compassion, Touch | Air | Center of the chest | Meditating, practising yoga or other bodily techniques, by swimming regularly (because water has healing powers) | Leafy vegetables, Air vegetables, Liquids, Spices | |
| Solar plexus maṇipūra, मणिपूर |
yellow | Will, determination, assertion, personal power, laughter, joy, anger, sight | Fire | Located at the mouth of the stomach | Rub your belly, become aware of the energy radiating from your solar plexus, breathe using your diaphragm. | Granola and Grains, Dairy, Spices | |
| Sacrum svādhiṣṭhāna, स्वाधिष्ठान |
orange | Creativity, sexual energy (for women), desire, pleasure, Stability, self confidence, well-being, taste | Water | The lower belly | Sexual healing, try new ways of expressing yourself creatively, dance, move your hips, practice yoga. | Sweet fruits, raw honey, nuts, spices | |
| Root mūlādhāra, मूलाधार |
red or coral red (shown) | Survival, grounding, sexuality (for men), stability, smell | Earth | The base of the spine | Spend some time each day sitting directly on the earth. Dance! | Root vegetables, Protein-rich foods, Spices |
Woodroffe also describes 7 head chakras (including Ajna and Sahasrara) in his other Indian text sources. Lowest to highest they are: Talu/Talana/Lalana, Ajna, Manas, Soma, Brahmarandra, Sri (inside Sahasrara) Sahasrara.
Chakras underpin much of the later philosophy of the writer D H Lawrence. He explores them most explicitly in his 1931 book Apocalypse and the writings on Revelation.
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