Hi All Namaskar The Supramental Mind We've gone through both the Crude and Subtle Minds. Now we come to the Causal Mind. In Western psychology it was given the name "unconscious", and although Freud recognized it on the individual level, it was Carl Jung who went on to develop the idea of the "collective unconscious", although the idea had already been around a long time in Eastern philosophy. Because the term "unconscious" tends to imply absence of consciousness - the exact opposite of the actual reality - the better name is "causal" mind, signifying that it is the deepest layer of the mind in the most direct contact with the causal consciousness within which the mind exists and from which all knowledge emanates. The Crude and Subtle Minds are the layers we use most. We need them to take care of all the different problems that come up in our lives, but their over-use inhibits the expression of the Causal Mind. Whereas the Crude and Subtle Minds are characteristic to each individual, the Causal mind is common to everyone, being in the deepest layer of the Cosmic Mind. It can be likened to the depths of the ocean, where the waves on the surface represent the subtle and crude layers of individual minds. On the surface the water is "divided" into different waves, but in the depths there is no turbulence or division. The Causal Mind itself has within it three different depths. The first shallow layer is called the Supramental Mind. This is the layer of intuition, which gives the capacity for such phenomena as intuitive dreams, clairvoyance, telepathy and creative insight. Intuition is sometimes known as the "sixth sense". You may have noticed that sometimes when you think of something it happens. You may think of a friend and then almost immediately she or he will call or email. This is a type of intuition. There are many examples of important discoveries or great works of art coming from inspiration from the Supramental Mind. Intuitive insight is transferred through this layer from the vast storehouse of infinite cosmic knowledge in the deeper layers of the Cosmic Mind. One way in which this happens is through intuitive dreams. For this reason they have real significance in life because they can reveal important information. They often occur when someone is thinking very deeply about a certain problem and their mind is concentrated very acutely on that problem. A man called Elias Howe was working on an invention. He had everything worked out except for one sticking point that he just couldn't work out. Then one night he dreamt that he was captured by a tribe of people and they were dancing around him with spears in their hands. Then he noticed something unusual about those spears: each one had a hole in the tip. In a flash of insight he got the solution to his problem: put the hole at the tip of the needle, and he invented the first sewing machine! So intuition can be a very useful faculty to develop. Its natural means of development is through psychic clash. This means the clash between minds - the mind struggles to progress. It can happen by having a disagreement with friends or family, exam pressure, stress at work, etc. Through this type of clash the mind develops from the subtle (cognitive) into the causal (intuitive) sphere. This development is accelerated by special positive techniques of meditation that allow the mind to withdraw itself from the day-to-day reality of everyday life and come into contact with the deeper intuitive layers. These techniques are part of the more advanced lessons of meditation. --- The Third Cakra The third cakra is called the Igneous Plexus. At the level of the navel, it controls the luminous factor (heat) of the body, and is itself controlled by the Supramental Mind. The luminous factor is associated with the sense of sight. We can't see in the dark – we need light to be able to make out different forms and colours. This plexus is the centre of the body and the shelter of the body's heat and energy. It has such a high melting point that in places where they traditionally cremate dead bodies on wooden pyres, the nave can't be burnt by that normal fire and has to be thrown away! There are three main endocrine glands in this area: 1. The Adrenal Glands (one on top of each kidney) secrete adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline, which are the hormones which give the “fight, fright, flight” response in a stressful situation. 2. The Prostate Gland (and female counterpart/s – glands distributed in the navel area) secretes prostatic hormone and components of semen in men and sexual fluid in women. Normal secretion creates the feeling of shyness in the mind. Over-secretion causes melancholia and under-secretion causes a person to have a fearful or anxious nature. There's an asana called the "peacock" which puts pressure directly on this area and corrects any hormone imbalance. It cures fear. 3. The Pancreas, apart from producing digestive hormones, secretes insulin and glucagon, the hormones needed for glucose metabolism. --- Healthy Hints: Because this plexus - the third cakra - controls the digestion, keeping the digestive tract clean and healthy by eating properly and avoiding constipation applies here. Also the body heat needs to be regulated and normal. As a general rule, “keep your back to the sun and front to the fire.” Fire here means any form of heat other than the sun. A moderate amount of sun each day is important for a healthy body and mind. The sunbath, if done properly, is rejuvenating as well as therapeutic. There are other asanas which regulate the function of this plexus, such as the "wheel" and the "boat (bow)". --- Below find an article entitled 'The Moon, Mantras and Belief'. Susmit Kumar explains: Most people believe in the veracity of the exploits of modern technology because they experience it every day, but when asked about the inner world and spirituality, form ready-made opinions absent experience. Susmit Kumar looks at our confused standards when it comes to judgment and experience and recommends how we can improve the functioning of our minds. The moon, mantras and belief By Susmit Kumar, Ph. D To begin with I would like to ask readers a question (I hope Apollo astronauts are not among them): Why, if they have not gone to the Moon, do they believe that men went to the Moon? Most probably they will answer that they learned this through newspapers, television and radio. In other words, belief that Moon landings actually took place is due to acceptance of TV and its live transmissions of Apollo astronauts on the Moon. One could of course argue that the U.S. made an artificial surface like that of the Moon somewhere in the Arizona desert and televised a landing there to the world. To satisfy a person who argues along this line, you can show him Moon rocks which were brought back by the Apollo astronauts and photographs and films of the landing, but the authenticity of all your evidence can be questioned. Indeed, whatever you show to people living in remote parts of the world, it is possible that most of them will not believe that the landing ever took place. The point I am making concerns BELIEF - we have belief in modern technology and that’s why we accept that the Moon landing and other space flights actually took place. Suppose you are walking with your friend, who tells you that a passer-by is a Nobel Prize winner in physics and very knowledgeable in the field. Will you believe this? If you have faith in your friend, you will. But if you do not have faith in your friend - or other people for that matter - how can you verify that the passer-by is as good in physics as receiving a Nobel Prize says he is? First you will have to learn physics, and then you can ask the person questions about physics to plumb the depths of his knowledge. Without knowledge of physics, however, you have no right to doubt the person’s knowledge. This is true in the case of spirituality too. Most of us have no knowledge in this area, but because of our opinions about ourselves we sometimes think we have general authority in many fields without knowing anything in depth about a particular field, including the inner world and spirituality. Spirituality and miracles Spirituality is often equated with miracles. The great saint Vivekananda said people should not blindly believe stories about miracles, however. He said rather that people should experience them! We call some incidents miracles because modern science is only 2-300 years old, and cannot yet explain everything Of course, to experience miracles a person will have to meditate or follow the paths set by spiritual leaders :) One should not take spirituality and religion to be the same. In my opinion, spirituality is much more scientific and is 99 percent practical; physics, chemistry, biology, etc. are 50 percent practical and 50 percent theoretical. By doing mental exercises and using appropriate Sanskrit mantras, one can know about meditation techniques and their benefits.. I will also say that not all the stories about miracles are accurate. Many cause harm to spirituality, because they revolve around superstition. Mantras are generally in Sanskrit because the combinations of acoustic sounds generated by the Sanskrit alphabet have profound effects on the body’s cakras. Cakras are associated with the glands. At the origin of Yoga around 5000 B.C., its founders gave utmost importance to the cakras they discovered in the human body. It is only in the last 2-300 years that we have come to know that these cakras occupy the positions of various glands in the body. Most of our bodily and mental functioning depends on the hormones secreted by these glands. Concentration of mind is the secret Aside from miracles, yogic mental exercises help a lot in concentration of the mind. It is the mind that is the final recipient of everything - sorrow, happiness, pain, etc. If people can control their minds, they can use their mind according to their preferences. We witness a common example of this in the classroom. Many times, despite their best efforts, students are unable to concentrate on the teacher’s lecture. The subject of their minds change from time to time, even every 5-10 seconds. If at one moment a student’s mind is focused on the lecture, within some seconds its subject may change to a movie, then to his residence, and so on. This shows that they are not masters of their minds, but instead that their minds master them. The mind has an unique characteristic. At any given instant, it can focus on only one subject. We all see this characteristic in daily life. If someone is walking on the road thinking about something, he might ignore his best friend who happens to be standing on the pavement. At that time, his eyes were working and the friend’s picture was being formed on his retina, but as his mind was busy with some other thing, he was not taking notice of the information sent by the eye. Similarly, if someone is eating and reading an interesting book simultaneously, he might not notice the lack of salt in the food; as his mind was busy with reading, the information sent by his tongue (the food being less salty) to the mind was blocked. Hence, by controlling the mind, people can use it according to their preference. For whatever reason, many people believe in modern technology but do not believe in the science of spirituality. But by application of meditation techniques and actual practice one learns from experience. That is the only way meditation is learnt and taught. The nature of our experience depends in large part on our concentration of mind, which is helped by proper meditation practices. Again, the way to know is by experience of meditation. --- Initiation As you know, for want of sufficient vocabulary in certain tongues, we use some words having close proximity to the required term. For instance, we use the English word "initiation" to convey the sense of attaining the first lesson of spiritual practices associated with meditation (in Sanskrit it is called diiks'a'). The word "initiation" though cannot represent the spirit of diiks'a'. The rudimental meaning of "initiation" is "to resort to a new avenue of progress". Learning the first lesson of meditation in the series of spiritual practices means to be able to move along the path to attain self-realisation. The word "tantra" is derived from "tan" which means "to expand" and "tra" which means "liberator". So the science that frees the aspirant from the fetters of bondages by expansion - by expanding the mind, by expanding the existence - is Tantra. The first lesson of meditation ' gives the aspirant the route, the way or path. It shows the path of bliss. To show the path light is required; and that light is also supplied by this diiks'a'. There is much behind this process and science. As with all things to do with spiritual practice, its is 90% practical and so understood by doing and learning from a competent person. Even intellectually the approach is 'guide my intellect unto the path of bliss, so that I may do something useful or noble in this universe'. In Tantra the system of learning meditation is highly scientific. It involves an awakening (some may call it a spiritual light or awareness) and attaining one's mantra to assist conceptual understanding of and psychic association with spiritual ideation. In the Tantras it is said that: "The process which produces the capacity to realise the inner import of mantra and which expedites the requital of one's potential reactions - negative assertions, thoughts and feelings - to past actions (the sam'ska'ras or reactive momenta) is called diiks'a'." Didi (sister) is a female a'ca'rya or spiritual teacher and is qualified to give initiation and teach all lessons of meditation. Dada (brother) is a male a'ca'rya or spiritual teacher and is also qualified to give initiation and teach all lessons of meditation. All personal lessons are free and no fee is charged as it is considered the birthright of all to learn meditation and make progress on the spiritual path. Anyone can learn meditation. The a'ca'ryas can also assist in teaching basic yoga postures (asanas) at the time of learning meditation. Thanks Dharma