Chakras
First chakra (Muladhara)
located at the base of the spine, between the anus and the genitals. A person at this level is usually insecure and concerned primarily with physical survival. Of the types of perception, the sense of smell dominates. The element of the first chakra is the earth - the grossest manifestation of reality, the color is red.
The main problem at this level is violent behavior stemming from deep-seated insecurities. But the same uncertainty can also be a positive factor stimulating the development of material technology aimed at improving living conditions. People under the influence of the first chakra sleep for ten to twelve hours, lying on their stomach.
On the playing board, the first chakra corresponds to the physical plane - the fifth square in the first row. It also includes the entire first row, including the planes of birth, maya (the illusory world perceived by the senses), anger, greed, delusion, conceit, greed and sensuality. Entering the game, the participant must pass through these nine squares. At this level, there is not a single arrow that could lift the player to the next levels, since all aspects that characterize the first chakra are fundamental to human existence. If we leave aside the assessments and judgments accepted in society, we can understand the importance of these aspects for human life. However, if the player is concerned about the judgments of the world, he says: “Yes, it is bad to be angry, it is bad to be greedy, it is very bad to be conceited. All this is very bad." After all, these elements lead to disharmony, create an unfavorable chemical state in the body, increase egoism, violate the inner world, and so on. But here it would be nice to remember Shakespeare: “Things themselves cannot be either bad or good, only our thinking makes them so.” If you look at this picture more deeply, then, from the point of view of survival (namely, in this direction consciousness is oriented in the first chakra), without attachment, without greed, without striving for something more, life stagnates. If there were no anger or vanity, all the salt of the presentation (Lila) would be lost. This diversity of moods and passions gives flavor to life and is the main driving force for the development of the individual. They are considered something inappropriate, since they are associated with the lower, animal nature, but we cannot but see that they are also responsible for the development of our rational, human and divine qualities.
Control of the first chakra frees the yogi from disease. Overcoming basic attachments, he becomes open to gaining new knowledge and is no longer so concerned with self-affirmation. He learns to avoid the influence of lower desires and attachments. Tantric scriptures also say that he can become invisible if he wants to.
In the second chakra (Svadhisthana)
the player is caught up in the perceptions coming from the senses. This center is located in the genital area. The dominant type of perception is taste, the element of this chakra is water, the color is orange. The main problems at this level are the corruption and disorder that arises from the loss of energy in sensual pleasures and fantasies. But the same sensuality is the driving force behind any creative process. A person who is under the influence of this center sleeps for eight to ten hours, curled up - pressing his knees to his stomach.
The second chakra serves as the beginning of two arrows: purification and mercy, as well as two snakes: envy and jealousy. Here are the astral plane, the planes of fantasy and joy, the nothingness and the plane of entertainment.
Control of the second chakra makes yoga a favorite of all beings. He becomes able to control the love of any person or animal and control the elements. He is freed from enemies and shines like the sun. Such a person masterfully owns prose and poetry and conquers voluptuous desires.
The main characteristic of the third chakra (Manipura)
is the need to recognize one's ego and the desire for bodily immortality. Like a fetus in the womb, a person receives energy nourishment through this center. It is located above the navel in the area of the solar plexus and is connected with the junction of the right and left sympathetic circuits with the spinal axis. It is connected to sympathetic nerves that control sleep and thirst. The main modality of perception is vision. The element of this chakra is fire and the color is yellow.
The main problem at this level is the abuse of one's power, the projection of the will of one's ego onto others. A positive aspect is the organizational skills associated with the altruistic use of one's strength. One who is at this level usually sleeps six to eight hours lying on his back.
The third chakra refers to the celestial plane and contains the beginnings of three arrows (on the spaces of selfless service, Dharma and charity) and one snake (on the space of bad company). This plane also contains the fields of sorrow, good company, redemption and karma. Thanks to the control over the third chakra, a person gets rid of suffering and illness, he discovers the knowledge of various worlds (lokas). He also possesses healing power. This is the chakra of stability, accumulation of strength, command, control and worldly achievements necessary to strengthen the ego.
In the fourth chakra (Anahata)
the player begins to realize the elements of his karma, his behavior and the structure of his life. Its vibrations now come from the region of the heart, from where the heavenly tree of desires grows. The heart is the seat of the conscious principle, life, and the center of prana. This chakra is at the center of the entire chakra system and therefore is under the influence of both higher and lower forces. The element is air, the color is green, the dominant mode of perception is tactile sensations, touch.
The main problem for the player at this level is that he spends too much time trying to correct the consequences of his actions, which leads to loss of balance. Active faith (bhakti) becomes the force motivating his life. He sleeps five or six hours, lying on his left side.
This is the plane of balance, and the arrow starting on the true religion space takes the player to higher levels. The Serpent of Irreligion returns the player back to the illusion. Here are the planes of holiness, aromas and taste. At this level there are also purgatory, good tendencies and clarity of consciousness.
By gaining control of the fourth chakra, the yogi becomes like Jupiter, the lord of speech. His senses are completely subject to conscious control. All women adore him. The life of such a person is filled with inspiration, and poetry flows from his mouth in a free stream. The scriptures say that he gains the ability to transfer his "I" to other bodies, become invisible, and also levitate. All worlds open to His gaze: visible and invisible. By force of will, he can move to any place. He is out of control of time.
In the fifth chakra (Vishudha)
the player is filled with compassion and wants to share with others how he managed to resolve the elements of his karma. This chakra is located in the throat, at the junction of the spinal cord and medulla oblongata. This is the chakra of jnana (jnana), or knowledge. Regardless of formal training, knowledge of all scriptures comes to the player, and he becomes a jnani - "knowing". He is constant, gentle, modest, courageous and free from sorrows and illnesses. He is merciful to every being and has no expectations.
The main problem is authoritarianism: "I know the only right way." Being beyond sensory perceptions, this chakra serves as the center of akasha (ether), and the color of this element is smoky purple. At this level, the player meditates on the Soham mantra (So - "That, It", ham - "I am"): "It is me." He hears this sound in his breathing: inhalation corresponds to so, and exhalation corresponds to ham. Logic is his obsession, and understanding is his reward. The intellect of such a person is freed from worldly affairs, which allows him to see the past, present and future within himself. Meditation on the throat frees him from hunger and thirst, and he attains the unshakable. He sleeps for four or five hours, tossing and turning from side to side.
The fifth chakra is the human plane. The arrows of jnana and right knowledge (suvidya) lead the player to the top, and the only snake at this level is ignorance. This is the plane of positive, negative and neutral life currents (prana, apana and vyana). Here the player is born as a Man - a representative of the Higher Consciousness, opposing the animal nature, and the understanding of the energy of Agni - cosmic fire, the color - blue comes to him.
Control of the fifth chakra allows a person to rejuvenate his body at will. His mere presence opens the way for other people to know their "I", understanding the mysteries of nature and the presence of divine knowledge in every phenomenon.
In the sixth chakra (Ajna)
tapasya predominates - an irresistible desire to raise one's consciousness even higher. This is the center of movement control called the ajna chakra. A player at this level does not have any problems - in fact, he is beyond the possibility of any problems. It focuses on the "third eye" (in the area of the pineal gland). He meditates on the vibration of Om and the sound of his breath, which he now hears as Hamsa (ham - "I am", sa - "It, That"), or "I am It." There is a difference between Soham and Hamsa: in Soham the yogi is still in duality, he connects himself with the Higher Consciousness, saying and feeling that It, the Higher Consciousness, is the "I", the individual consciousness. In the sixth chakra, duality dissolves and indestructible unity sets in in the player's mind, individual restrictions disappear, and he realizes himself as the Higher Consciousness. He lives in this oneness, meditating on his true nature. This state is beyond the elements of creation, the color is blue.
An arrow starting at a consciousness cell takes the player upward, while a serpent of violence drags the player back to the lower levels. On this plane of self-restraint and austerity, we come to understand the action of ida and pingala, the lunar and solar channels ascending to him from the first chakra and then descending to the nostrils, which work in the rhythm of breathing. Sushumna, which conducts neutral currents, rises higher to the seventh chakra, whose name is sahasrara. Spiritual devotion can take the player straight from this plane to Cosmic Consciousness. In the game, this is the only direct path to liberation that is outside the earth (place of refuge) and the plane of fluids (the plane of fluidity). Control of the sixth chakra gives the player immense psychic powers, and all karma acquired in this and previous lives is destroyed.
In the seventh chakra (Sahasrara)
the player goes beyond pleasure and pain. He dwells in a thousand-petalled lotus located on the top of the head. The scriptures say that one who establishes himself in this place acquires eight supernatural powers, or siddhis. These are anima - the ability to decrease in size, mahima - the ability to increase, garima - the ability to increase one's weight, laghima - the ability to reduce one's weight, prapti - the ability to instantly be transported to any place, prakamya - the ability to fulfill any of one's desires, ishititva - the ability to create and vashtva - the ability to command all. These siddhi-powers make the yogi a siddha-purusha, or perfect being. He is not limited by anything and can do whatever he wants. He does not become passive or inert, but lives, filled with the light of the Supreme Consciousness and bliss.
But it is precisely here that egoism can take over, and the siddhis, which are valuable qualities in themselves, can become fetters. Or tamas (inertia) can drag him down into the realm of illusion. Upon reaching the Plane of Reality, the player gains the experience of Positive and Negative Intelligence. The latter gives rise to a snake that returns the player to the second chakra. The plane of happiness, the plane of gases, the plane of radiance and the plane of primordial vibrations are also located here.
The eighth horizontal row is located outside the chakras. This is the absolute plane, the seat of the Cosmic Consciousness. Each of the nine cells here represents one of the powers of the Lord. These are the planes of the phenomenal world, inner space, bliss, cosmic goodness, Cosmic Consciousness, the Absolute, as well as the three phases of energy that manifest in the process of creation. These are rajoguna, tamoguna and sattvaguna, which are respectively positive (dynamic), negative (inert) and balanced. If the player does not reach Cosmic Consciousness, he must again descend to Earth and continue the game until he reaches liberation. Tamoguna brings him back to Earth, where he works off his karma by moving up from the sixth chakra.
Leela is a game contained in the very nature of the Creator, and the created world is a manifestation of this game, which has neither beginning nor end. Leela is a great adventure and an extraordinary discovery. It is an eternal game that we play over and over and over again, gaining nothing and losing nothing. One who is aware of the game cannot be caught by the playing board. He looks at everything that happens as at the divine Lila, which is played out in front of him by Lila-Dhara (“Game Leader”, that is, Cosmic Consciousness). The one who is identified with the fields and plans of the playing board, himself becomes the object of the game; for him, the playing board becomes maya - a great force that hides reality and entangles the player's mind, maya that creates this whole diverse world of forms and phenomena. Tamas leads the player to the world of Maya, and boundless love and devotion return him to the source, to the Cosmic Consciousness. Spiritual devotion is a huge find for the player on the field of Lila, created by the Maya of Higher Consciousness. Created by Him to enjoy by playing, hiding from oneself and opening up to oneself here and there. There is no goal or responsibility in this game. Let us recall the words of Sri Ramana Maharishi: “The ideas of purpose and responsibility are purely social in nature and created by the human mind to exhort the ego. God is above all these ideas. If He is immanent, that is, present in everything, and there is nothing that would exist apart from Him, then who can be responsible here and for whom?” Creation is the expression of the inner laws inherent in its source. This inner law is a game inherent in the nature of the Divine, that is, Leela."
Ideas of purpose and responsibility are purely social in nature and created by the human mind to exhort the ego. God is above all these ideas. If He is immanent, that is, He is present in everything, and there is nothing that would exist apart from Him, then who can be responsible here and for whom? Creation is the expression of the inner laws inherent in its source. This inner law is a game inherent in the nature of the Divine, that is, Leela.