Chakra

For the disc weapon of Vishnu, see: Sudarshana Chakra

In South & Far East Asian cultures, a chakra () is thought to be a nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy residing in the human body. The New Age movement, and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement, have also adopted and elaborated on this belief.

File:Sabdha chakras.jpg

Location of the seven chakras in the human body.

Etymology

The English word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit cakraṃ चक्रं meaning "wheel" or "circle". More generally the term refers to circular objects or formations, and Apte provides twenty-three 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:

1. "Circle", used in a variety of senses, symbolizing endless rotation of Śakti.

2. A circle of people. In rituals there are different cakra-sādhanā in which adherents assemble and perform rites. Acccording to the Niruttaratantra chakras in the sense of assemblies are of five types.

3. The term chakra also is used to denote yantras or mystic diagrams. These are variously known as trikoṇa-cakra, aṣṭakoṇa-cakra, etc.

4. Different "nerve plexi within the body."

In Buddhist literature the Sanskrit term cakra (= Pali cakka) is used in a different sense of "circle", referring to a Buddhist conception of the four circles or states of existence in which gods or men may find themselves.

Hindu sources

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 Brahmans.

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 five, six, seven, or eight chakras. Over time one system of six or seven 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. 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".

Atal Behari Ghosh presents the six-chakra model but notes that "Opinion is divided as to the number of these cakras; some say that there are sixteen, and others that there are more."

Western interpretations

File:Seven chakras.jpg

The seven chakras and the five elements in Tantra. Origin : Chakras Images Database

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.

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.

That said, many present-day Indian gurus that incorporate chakras within their systems of philosophy do not seem to radically disagree with the western view of chakras, at least on the key points, and proponents of both these eastern and western views claim it was developed from the Shakta Tantra school.

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, chi (Chinese), 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.

Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system.

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. Some New Age practitioners also say that other chakras, besides the above, exist — for instance, ear chakras — and have described many more chakras than made reference to in traditional texts. Frequent references are made to the chakras in the New Age "sacred sexuality" or neotantra movement.

The chakras are described in the tantric texts the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, 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. In Microcosmic orbit energy also comes back down the front torso nadi (and can branch to limb nadis in Macrocosmic orbit) and enters the tantiens: when it returns to the heart (and cycles down and reascends to the head) further meditation/contemplation or union with deity develops.

Apart from these primary texts from India, different Western authors have attempted to describe the chakras, such as the Theosophists. 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.

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.

There are various other models of chakras in other traditions, notably in Chinese medicine, and also in Tibetan Buddhism. Even in Jewish kabbalah, the different Sephirot are sometimes associated with parts of the body. In Islamic Sufism, Lataif-e-Sitta ( Six Subtleties ) are considered as psychospiritual "organs" or faculties of sensory and suprasensory perception, activation of which makes a man complete. Attempts are made to try and reconcile the systems with each other, and notably there are some successes, even between such diverged traditions as Shakta Tantra, Sufism and Kabbalism, where chakras, lataif and Sephirot can seemingly represent the same archetypal spiritual concepts. In Surat Shabda Yoga, initiation by an Outer Living Satguru (Sat - true, Guru - teacher) is required and involves reconnecting soul to the Shabda and stationing the Inner Shabda Master (the Radiant Form of the Master) at the third eye chakra.

The Seven basic chakras

Sahasrara

Sahasrara or the crown chakra is said to be the chakra of consciousness, the master chakra that controls all the others. Its role would be very similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones to control 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 a thousand petals, it is located above the head outside the body.

Ajna

Ajna (said by some to correspond to the third eye) is linked to the pineal gland. Ajna is the chakra of time and awareness and of light. The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland, that produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates the instincts of going to sleep and awakening. Symbolised by a lotus with two petals.

(Note: some argue 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

Vishuddha (also Vishuddhi) or the throat chakra is said to be related 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

Anahata or the heart chakra is related to higher emotion, compassion, love, equilibrium, and well-being. It is related to the thymus, located in the chest. This organ is part of the immune system, as well as being part of the endocrine system. It produces T cells responsible for fighting off disease, and is adversely affected by stress. Symbolised by a lotus with twelve petals.

Fullfilment feeling and the heart chakra

According to contemporary buddhist teacher Tarthang Tulku, the heart chakra is very important for the feeling of existential fullfilment.

As result of energetic imblance between chakras arises 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.

Manipura/Nabhi

Manipura (also Nabhi) or the solar plexus chakra is related to the transition from base to higher emotion, energy, assimilation and digestion, and is said 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

Swadhisthana or the sacral chakra is located in the groin, and is related to base emotion, sexuality and creativity. This chakra is said to correspond to the testicles or the ovaries, that produce the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle, which can cause dramatic mood swings. Symbolised by a lotus with six petals.

Muladhara

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. A parallel is drawn 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 associated with each chakra:

Chakra	Color	Primary Functions	Associated Element	Symbol
Crown (just above the head) sahasrāra, सहस्रार	white or violet; may assume color of dominant chakra	connection to the divine	space / thought
Third eye ājñā, आज्ञा	indigo	intuition, Extra-sensory perception	time / light
Throat viśuddha, विशुद्ध	azure blue	speech, self-expression	life / sound
Heart/Lung anāhata, अनाहत	green	devotion, love, compassion, healing	fire
Solar plexus maṇipūra, मणिपूर	yellow	mental functioning, power, control, freedom to be oneself, career	air
Sacrum svādhiṣṭhāna, स्वाधिष्ठान	orange	emotion, sexual energy, creativity	water
Root mūlādhāra, मूलाधार	red or coral red (shown)	instinct, survival, security	earth

It is claimed to be very important to know the right color tone for a specific area because the wrong hue of color can allegedly do different things to the energetic system. Yet different systems differ in the colors they ascribe.

Additionally, some teachers describe one or more Transpersonal chakras above the crown chakra, and an Earth star chakra below the feet. There are also said to be many minor chakras, for example between the major chakras.

With the front tantiens (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.

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.

Various models

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.

The tantric chakras

Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes eight primary inner chakras:

1. Sahasrara (Sanskrit: सहस्रार)
2. Ajna (Sanskrit: आज्ञा)
3. Vishuddha (Sanskrit: विशुद्ध)
4. Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत)
5. Manipura (Sanskrit: मिणपूर)
6. Swadhisthana (Sanskrit: स्वाधिष्ठान)
7. Muladhara (Sanskrit: मूलाधार)
8. Bindu (Sanskrit: बिन्दु)

Hesychastic centres of prayer

Hesychasm specifies four centres:

1. Cerebrofrontal centre: Positioned between the eyebrows (compare with Ajna).
2. Buccolaryngeal centre.
3. Pectoral centre: Positioned in the upper and median region of the chest.
4. Cardiac centre: Positioned near the upper part of the heart (compare with Anahata).

This compares notably with Tibetan Buddhism, in which the sequence of centres is very similar, beginning with the eyebrows and going down to the heart, which symbolizes the highest consciousness. Varying Tibetan systems, however, use different numbers of centres, typically between 3 and 7, as appropriate for the practice in question.

It is alleged by modern mystics that in Hesychasm, the centres of prayer were points of concentration or meditation on the body to be used during the hesychastic prayer. This terminology, however, is not used in Orthodox Christianity and is not and has not been part of hesychastic prayer as practiced within the Orthodox Churches.

Scientific basis

The idea of chakras as understood in Eastern philosophy does not exist in medical science. There is no physically verifiable anatomical or histological basis for their existence. In Eastern thought, the chakras are thought to be levels of consciousness, and states of the soul, and 'proving' the existence of chakras is asking to 'prove' the existence of a soul. A mystic deals with these metaphysical concepts as a model for their own internal experience, and when talking about 'energy centres', they are generally talking about subtle, spiritual forces, which work on the psyche and spirit, not about physical or electromagnetic fields (besides in nerves; nadis).

Chakras and the endocrine system

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. 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 psychological and spiritual experiences . 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.

References in fiction

The word "chakra" has become widely used in popular language, and appears often in literature, films, and video games.

In Grant Morrison's "Here Comes Tomorrow" New X-Men story arc, it is revealed that the Phoenix consciousness accesses its human avatar, Jean Grey, through the "crown chakra port".

In the original Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, monks as in Eldritch Wizardry could practice yoga, and so use chakras. In D&D 3.5, Incarnum is a system of magic that uses chakra binds on parts of your body.

In the Teen Titans animated series, during the episode 'Sisters', Blackfire compliments Raven on the jewel she wears on her Ajna chakra

In the anime/manga series Naruto, the energy used to perform certain techniques is referred to as chakra. Through various methods, the most common of which is handseals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water. This energy flows through the body in a network connected to the internal organs, concentrating in eight "chakra gates" which correspond roughly to the traditional chakras. Rock Lee can unlock these gate to draw maximum power from his body at a cost.

In the Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, in order for Aang to fully access and control the Avatar State he needs to be able to fully open his Chakras.

In the "rockumentary" Spinal Tap, David St. Hubbins extols the virtues of his new girlfriend Jeanine for, among other things, balancing his chakras. He states: "Before I met Jeanine my life was cosmically a shambles."

In the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies a selection of torture instruments are presented as "instruments of the ancient art of Chakra torture".

See also

• Acupuncture
• Aura
• Energy (spirituality)
• Hinduism
• Kirlian photography
• Kuji-in
• Kundalini
• Lataif-e-sitta
• Meditation
• Naruto
• Petal (chakra)
• Qi
• Qigong
• Reality and Chakras in Bön
• Reiki
• Sefirot
• Tantra
• Tantric Buddhism
• Tree of Life
• Tsa lung
• Yoga
• Avatar: The Last Airbender

Further reading

Reference works on Hindu sources

• Banerji, S. C. Tantra in Bengal. Second Revised and Enlarged Edition. (Manohar: Delhi, 1992) ISBN 81-85425-63-9

• Bhattacharyya, N. N. History of the Tantric Religion. Second Revised Edition. (Manohar: New Delhi, 1999) p. 174. ISBN 81-7304-025-7

• Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996). ISBN 0-521-43878-0

Other sources

• Leadbeater, C.W. The Chakras Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.A.:1926--Theosophical Publishing House--Picture of the Chakras on plates facing page 17 as claimed to have been observed by Leadbeater with his third eye.

• Saraswati, Swami Sivananda, MD (1953 - 2001). Kundalini Yoga. Tehri-Garhwal, India: Divine Life Society. ISBN 81-7052-052-5. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Sharp, Dr. Michael (2005). Dossier of the Ascension: A Practical Guide to Chakra Activation and Kundalini Awakening (1st ed.). Avatar Publications. 0973537930.

• Guru Dharam S Khalsa and Darryl OKeeffe. The Kundalini Yoga Experience New York, NY U.S.A.:2002, Fireside, Simon & Schuster, Inc. Copyright by Baia Books Limited. Kriyans and meditations copyright Yogi Bhajan, All Rights reserved.

• Woodroffe, John (1919 - 1964). The Serpent Power. Madras, India: Ganesh & Co. Private Ltd. ISBN 0-486-23058-9. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

• Minor Upanishads. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashram. 1956. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)

External links

• Sites related to chakra at the Open Directory Project.
• Hindu Malas for Chakras