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==Asian religions==
==Asian religions==


The [[Yoga|Yogic]], [[tantra|Tantric]] and other systems of [[Hinduism]], [[Vajrayana]] [[Buddhism]], as well as Chinese [[Taoist alchemy]] contain theories of subtle physiology having a number of focal points ([[chakra]]s, [[acupuncture points]]) connected by a series of channels ([[Nadi (yoga)|nadis]], [[Meridian (Chinese medicine)|meridians]]) that convey subtle breath ([[prana]], vayu, [[Qi|ch'i, ki]], [[lung (Tibetan Buddhism)|lung]]). These invisible channels and points are understood to determine the characteristics of the visible physical form. By understanding and mastering the subtlest levels of reality one gains mastery over the physical realm. Through practice of various breathing and visualization exercises one is able to manipulate and direct the flow of vital force, to achieve supernormal powers ''(''[[Sanskrit]]: ''[[siddhi]]s)'' and attain higher [[Altered state of consciousness|states of consciousness]], [[immortality]], or [[Moksha|liberation]].{{sfn|Mallinson|Singleton|2017|pp=171–184}}
The [[Yoga|Yogic]], [[tantra|Tantric]] and other systems of [[Hinduism]], [[Vajrayana]] [[Buddhism]], as well as Chinese [[Taoist alchemy]] contain theories of subtle physiology having a number of focal points ([[chakra]]s, [[acupuncture points]]) connected by a series of channels ([[Nadi (yoga)|nadis]], [[Meridian (Chinese medicine)|meridians]]) that convey subtle breath ([[prana]], vayu, [[Qi|ch'i, ki]], [[lung (Tibetan Buddhism)|lung]]). These invisible channels and points are understood to determine the characteristics of the visible physical form. By understanding and mastering the subtlest levels of reality one gains mastery over the physical realm. Through practice of various breathing and visualization exercises one is able to manipulate and direct the flow of vital force, to achieve supernormal powers ''(''[[Sanskrit]]: ''[[siddhi]]s)'' and attain higher [[Altered state of consciousness|states of consciousness]], [[immortality]], or [[Moksha|liberation]].{{sfn|Mallinson|Singleton|2017|pp=171–184}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Pregadio |first=Fabrizio |url=http://www.goldenelixir.com/press/occ_03_jindan_history.html |title=The Way of the Golden Elixir: A Historical Overview of Taoist Alchemy |publisher=Golden Elixir Press |year=2012 |format=PDF, 60 pp., free download}}</ref>


=== Hinduism ===
=== Hinduism ===

Revision as of 08:47, 10 August 2019

The subtle body in Indian mysticism, from a Yoga manuscript in Braj Bhasa language, 1899, now in the British Library.

A subtle body is one of a series of psycho-spiritual constituents of living beings, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. According to such beliefs each subtle body corresponds to a subtle plane of existence, in a hierarchy or great chain of being that culminates in the physical form.

The subtle body (Sanskrit: sūkṣma śarīra) is important in several Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, mainly in the forms which focus on Tantra and Yoga. According to Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred texts of Hinduism, the subtle body is composed of mind, intelligence and ego, which controls the gross physical body.[1] In Buddhist Tantra, it is also called the ‘innate body’ (nija-deha) or the ‘uncommon means body’ (asadhdrana-upayadeha).[2]

Other spiritual traditions teach similar ideas of a mystical or divine body, such as: "the most sacred body" (wujud al-aqdas) and "true and genuine body" (jism asli haqiqi) in Sufism, the meridian system in Chinese religion, and "the immortal body" (soma athanaton) in Hermeticism.[3] The various attributes of the subtle body are frequently described in terms of often obscure symbolism: Tantra features references to the sun and moon as well as various Indian rivers and deities, while Taoist alchemy speaks of cauldrons and cinnabar fields.

Asian religions

The Yogic, Tantric and other systems of Hinduism, Vajrayana Buddhism, as well as Chinese Taoist alchemy contain theories of subtle physiology having a number of focal points (chakras, acupuncture points) connected by a series of channels (nadis, meridians) that convey subtle breath (prana, vayu, ch'i, ki, lung). These invisible channels and points are understood to determine the characteristics of the visible physical form. By understanding and mastering the subtlest levels of reality one gains mastery over the physical realm. Through practice of various breathing and visualization exercises one is able to manipulate and direct the flow of vital force, to achieve supernormal powers (Sanskrit: siddhis) and attain higher states of consciousness, immortality, or liberation.[4][5]

Hinduism

An illustration of a subtle body system of seven chakras commonly adopted by contemporary yoga
Further information: Kosha, Chakra, and Nadi (yoga)

Early

Early mentions of subtle body (Sanskrit: sūkṣma śarīra) concepts appear in the Upanishads, including the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad and the Katha Upanishad.[6] The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the theory of five bodies or selves:[7][8]

  • The anna-maya ("food body", physical body),
  • The prana-maya (body made of vital breath or prana),
  • The mano-maya (body made of mind),
  • The vijñana-maya (body made of consciousness)
  • The ananda-maya (bliss body).

Subtle internal anatomy included a central channel (nadi).[7] In later Vedic texts called samhitas and brahmanas one also finds a theory of five "winds" or "breaths" (vayus, pranas):[7]

  • Prāṇa, associated with inhalation
  • Apāna, associated with exhalation
  • Uḍāna, associated with distribution of breath within the body
  • Samāna, associated with digestion
  • Vyāna, associated with excretion of waste

Later

A millennium later, these concepts were adapted and refined by various spiritual traditions. The similar concept of the Liṅga Śarīra is seen as the vehicle of consciousness in later Samkhya, Vedanta, and Yoga, and is propelled by past-life tendencies, or bhavas.[9] Linga can be translated as "characteristic mark" or "impermanence" and the term Sarira (Vedanta) as "form" or "mold".[10] Karana or "instrument" is a synonymous term. In the Classical Samkhya system of Isvarakrsna (ca. 4th century CE), the Lińga is the characteristic mark of the transmigrating entity. It consists of twenty-five tattvas from eternal consciousness down to the five organs of sense, five of activity (buddindriya or jñānendriya, and karmendriya respectively) and the five subtle elements that are the objects of sense (tanmatras) The Samkhyakarika says:[11]

The subtle body (linga), previously arisen, unconfined, constant, inclusive of the great one (mahat) etc , through the subtle elements, not having enjoyment, transmigrates, (because of) being endowed with bhavas ("conditions" or "dispositions"). As a picture (does) not (exist) without a support, or as a shadow (does) not (exist) without a post and so forth; so too the instrument (linga or karana) does not exist without that which is specific (i.e. a subtle body).

— Samkhyakarika, 60-81[11]

The classical Vedanta tradition developed the theory of the five bodies into the theory of the koshas "sheaths" or "coverings" which surround and obscure the self (atman). In classical Vedanta these are seen as obstacles to realization and traditions like Shankara's Advaita Vedanta had little interest in working with the subtle body.[12]

Tantra

In Tantra traditions meanwhile (Shaiva Kaula, Kashmir Shaivism and Buddhist Vajrayana), the subtle body was seen in a more positive light, offering potential for yogic practices which could lead to liberation.[13] Tantric traditions contain the most complex theories of the subtle body, with sophisticated descriptions of energy nadis (literally "stream or river", channels through which vayu and prana flows) and chakras, points of focus where nadis meet.[14]

The main channels, shared by both Hindu and Buddhist systems, are the central (in Hindu systems: sushumna; in Buddhist: avadhuti), left and right (in Hindu systems: ida and pingala; Buddhist: lalana and rasana).[15] Further subsidiary channels are said to radiate outwards from the chakras, where the main channels meet.[16]

Chakra systems vary with the tantra; the Netra Tantra describes six chakras, the Kaulajñana-nirnaya describes eight, and the Kubjikamata Tantra describes seven (the most widely known set).[17][18]

Modern

The modern Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba stated that the subtle body "is the vehicle of desires and vital forces,"[19] He held that the subtle body is one of three bodies with which the soul must cease to identify in order to realize God.[20]

Buddhism

A Tibetan illustration of the subtle body showing the central channel and two side channels as well as five chakras.

In Buddhist Tantra, the subtle body is termed the ‘innate body’ (nija-deha) or the ‘uncommon means body’ (asadhdrana-upayadeha).[2] It is also called sūkṣma śarīra, rendered in Tibetan as traway-lu (transliterated phra ba’i lus). [21]

The subtle body consists of thousands of subtle energy channels (nadis), which are conduits for energies or "winds" (lung or prana) and converge at chakras.[2] According to Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche, there are three mains channels (nadis), central, left and right; "their beginning point is located between a person's eyebrows. From there, they run upward to the crown chakra. The passage then parallels the spine, running through all seven chakras - the centers of subtle energy - and ending about two inches below the belly button."[22]

Buddhist tantras generally describe four or five chakras in the shape of a lotus with varying petals. For example, the Hevajra Tantra (8th century) states:

In the Center [i.e. cakra] of Creation [at the sexual organ] a sixty-four petal lotus. In the Center of Essential Nature [at the heart] an eight petal lotus. In the Center of Enjoyment [at the throat] a sixteen petal lotus. In the Center of Great Bliss [at the top of the head] a thirty-two petal lotus.[17]

In contrast, the historically later Kalachakra tantra describes six chakras.[17]

In Vajrayana Buddhism, liberation is achieved through subtle body processes during Completion Stage practices such as the Six yogas of Naropa.[23]

Western esotericism

The Subtle body and the cosmic man, Nepal 1600s

Theosophy

In the 19th century, H. P. Blavatsky founded the esoteric religious system of Theosophy, which attempted to restate Hindu and Buddhist philosophy for the Western world.[24] She adopted the phrase "subtle body" as the English equivalent of the Vedantic sūkṣmaśarīra, which in Adi Shankara's writings was one of three bodies (physical, subtle, and causal). Geoffrey Samuel notes that theosophical use of these terms by Blavatsky and later authors, especially C. W. Leadbeater, Annie Besant and Rudolf Steiner (who went on to found Anthroposophy), has made them "problematic"[24] to modern scholars, since the Theosophists adapted the terms as they expanded their ideas based on "psychic and clairvoyant insights", changing their meaning from what they had in their original context in India.[24] [24]

Post-theosophists

The later theosophical arrangement was taken up by Alice Bailey, and from there found its way into the New Age worldview[25] and the human aura.[26]

Max Heindel divided the subtle body into the Vital Body made of Ether; the Desire body, related to the Astral plane; and the Mental body.[27]

Samael Aun Weor wrote extensively on the subtle bodies (Astral, Mental, and Causal), aligning them with the kabbalistic tree of life.[28]

Barbara Brennan's account of the subtle bodies in her books Hands of Light and Light Emerging refers to the subtle bodies as "layers" in the "Human Energy Field" or aura.[29]

Fourth Way

Subtle bodies are found in both Alchemical Taoism and the "Fourth Way" teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, where it is said that one can create a subtle body, and hence achieve post-mortem immortality, through spiritual or yogic exercises. The "soul" then is not something one is born with, but something that one has to develop through esoteric practice. According to the historian Bernice Rosenthal, "In Gurdjieff's cosmology our nature is tripartite and is composed of the physical (planetary), emotional (astral) and mental (spiritual) bodies; in each person one of these three bodies ultimately achieves dominance."[30] The Fourth way as taught by Gurdjieff and Ouspensky is a philosophy of developing the divine body which is gained when one has complete understanding and self perfection. The ultimate task of the fourth way teachings is to harmoniously develop the four bodies into a single way.[30]

Aleister Crowley's Body of Light

The occultist Aleister Crowley's system of magick envisaged "a subtle body (instrument is a better term) called the body of Light; this one develops and controls; it gains new powers as one progresses".[31]

References

  1. ^ pnd (15 July 2011). "Bg 13.6-7". www.vedabase.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c Wayman, Alex; Yoga of the Guhyasamajatantra: The arcane lore of forty verses : a Buddhist Tantra commentary, 1977, page 65.
  3. ^ White.
  4. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. 171–184.
  5. ^ Pregadio, Fabrizio (2012). The Way of the Golden Elixir: A Historical Overview of Taoist Alchemy (PDF, 60 pp., free download). Golden Elixir Press.
  6. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. 173–174.
  7. ^ a b c Samuel 2013, p. 33.
  8. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, p. 184.
  9. ^ Larson 2005, p. 242.
  10. ^ Purucker, Gottfried. The Occult Glossary
  11. ^ a b Larson 2005, p. 268.
  12. ^ Samuel 2013, pp. 34, 37.
  13. ^ Samuel 2013, p. 34.
  14. ^ Samuel 2013, p. 38-39.
  15. ^ Samuel 2013, p. 39.
  16. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. 172–174.
  17. ^ a b c Samuel 2013, p. 40.
  18. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. 175–178.
  19. ^ Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. 2. San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented. p. 145. ISBN 978-1880619094.
  20. ^ Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. 2. San Francisco: Sufism Reoriented. p. 144. ISBN 978-1880619094.
  21. ^ Lama Willa B Miller. Reviews: Investigating the Subtle Body. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche, The Practice of Tibetan Meditation: Exercises, Visualizations, and Mantras for Health and Well-being. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 2002, p. 80
  23. ^ Samuel 2013, p. 38.
  24. ^ a b c d Samuel 2013, pp. 1–3.
  25. ^ Johnston, Jay (2002). "The "Theosophic Glance": Fluid Ontologies, Subtle Bodies and Intuitive Vision". Australian Religion Studies Review. 15 (2): 101–117.
  26. ^ Hammer, Olav (2001). Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age. Brill. p. 55. ISBN 900413638X.
  27. ^ Heindel, Max (1911). The Rosicrucian Mysteries. p. Chapter IV, The Constitution of Man: Vital Body - Desire Body - Mind. ISBN 0-911274-86-3.
  28. ^ Samael Aun Weor. "Types of Spiritual Schools". Archived from the original on 31 May 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Dale, Cyndi. "Energetic Anatomy: A Complete Guide to the Human Energy Fields and Etheric Bodies". Conscious Lifestyle magazine. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  30. ^ a b Rosenthal, Bernice (1997). The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture. Cornell University Press. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-8014-8331-8. OCLC 35990156.
  31. ^ Aleister Crowley Magick (Book 4), chapter 81.

Sources

Further reading

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