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Can't remember sushumna from sahasrara?
An essential aid in understanding
words and their meanings.
Chit (Chiti) - (1) Divine
conscious energy (2) The active or creative aspect of God; the power which
manifests the universe.
Kashmir Shaivism - non-dualistic philosophy that recognises the entire universe
as a manifestation of Chiti, or divine conscious energy. Kashmir Shaivism
explains how the unmanifest supreme principle manifests as the universe.
Ida - the nadi which extends from the muladhara to the ajna chakras running
alongside the sushumna and terminating above the base of the left nostril. Ida
is referred to as the moon nadi because of its cooling nature.
muladhara chakra - the chakra at the base of the spine where Kundalini lies
coiled. From here, Kundalini controls all the activities of the physiological
system through its network of 72 000 channels (nadis).
Nadi - a channel through which life-force is circulated through the human body.
In the physical body, nadis take the form of blood vessels, nerves and lymph
ducts; in the subtle body they constitute a complex system of 72 000 astral
tubes through which prana flows. Of these, the most important nadis are ida,
pingala and sushumna.
Pingala - same as Ida but terminates at the base of the right nostril. Pingala
is referred to as the sun nadi because of its heating nature.
prana - (1) Life Breath, the vital force of the body and universe which sustains
life and is the power of animation; (2) the outgoing breath; (3) in the human
body, yoga divides prana into five types according to the functions it performs:
prana controls the breath, apana controls the elimination of waste matter,
samana distributes nourishment, vyana moves the body parts, and udana is the
upward force in the sushumna and is the power which, when activated, impels us
upward toward Self-realisation.
sahasrara - the topmost spiritual center described as a thousand-petalled lotus
located in the crown of the head. It is the seat of Shiva, the supreme Guru. As
Kundalini travels up the sushumna and merges with the sahasrara, the individual
soul attains the state of samadhi.
samadhi - a transcendental state of awareness in which one experiences the
supreme reality and becomes Self-realised. This state occurs when the topmost
chakra, sahasrara is activated. There are types of samadhi depending upon the
the degree of activation and the type of yoga employed. In Siddha Yoga, the
samadhi state is not attended by unconsciousness to the external world; rather,
one experiences sahaja (natural) samadhi, in which one remains fully alert and
perceives the all-pervasiveness of universal consciousness throughout all daily
activities.
Shiva - a name for the all-pervasive supreme Reality, the conscious inner Self.
In his personal form he is revered as the lord of yogis and is known as the
supreme Guru from whom the lineage of Gurus descends. He revealed and expounded
various scriptures known as agamas, among them the scriptures of the Kashmir Shaivism and the tantras.
Sushumna - The primary nadi of the subtle body, running up the center of the
spinal axis. It is the only nadi which connects all six chakras with the
sahasrara, the abode of Shiva at the crown of the head, and thus it is through
this nadi that the Shakti must flow before Self-realisation can be attained.
Related:
Nature of Kundalini |
Awakening of Kundalini |
Kundalini Awakening in Daily Life
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The Attainment |
Glossary
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