The aim of the Yoga, Pranayama & Meditation
Practices is to gain a thorough knowledge of the 3 bodies and the 5 sheaths. It
is through this knowledge that the practitioner is able to gain control of the
Prana or the vital force, in preparation for the advanced practices of
Meditation.
The Prana is vibrating as the physical body on the
gross level, the astral body on the subtle level and the causal body on the
subtlest level.
Medical science can understand the functions of the
physical body on the gross level, but is still at the stage of infancy in terms
of understanding the astral and the causal bodies.
The ancient Yogis gained a thorough knowledge of
these sheaths through deep meditation and were able to chart the nadis (energy
channels or meridians) and record a comprehensive understanding of the flow of
energy through these channels.
Through our practices we learn how to experience
the flow of energy through these channels, preparing us for the subtler and
higher practices of Yoga.
The outline below is a representation of the Prana (Energy)
as it vibrates as the 3 bodies and the 5 Sheaths.
Physical body
Physical body is composed of five elements: earth,
water, fire, air and ether. It contains the Food Sheath known as the Annamaya
Kosha.
The food sheath is in the physical body and is
composed of the elements of the physical world. It is made up of food and will
go back into the elements when the body dies.
Astral Body
The Astral body contains the Vital, Mental and
Intellectual Sheaths.
The Astral Body consists of 19 elements:
5 Pranas (Vital Energies)
5 Karma Indriyas (Organs of Action)
5 Jnana Indriyas (Organs of Knowledge)
4 Antakarana (Instruments of Mind, Sub Conscious
Mind, Intellect and Ego)
The Vital Sheath experiences hunger
and thirst and is composed of
5
Pranas ( Vital Energies)
Prana (regulates breathing), Apana (elimination),
Vyana ( all pervasive, regulates vital forces), Samana (digestion), Udana
(upward flowing current).
5Karma Indriyas (Organs of Action)
Mouth, hands, feet, anus & genitals
The Mental sheath performs
functions of thinking, doubting, exhilaration, depression, anger, lust and
delusion. It is composed of
5
Jnana Indriyas (Organs of Knowledge) Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste
Mind
Sub Conscious Mind
Intellectual sheath performs functions of analyzing and decision making. It is composed of
Intellect ( Buddhi)
Ego ( Ahamkara)
Causal Body
Causal body contains the samskaras or subtle
impressions of all the lives lived. The Causal/Soul Body is named
"Causal" because it is the originating source of each personality
that incarnates in each lifetime.
The Blissful sheath in the Causal Body experiences
bliss, joy, calmness and peace.
The astral and causal body will leave the physical
body at the time of death.
The Koshas
Anamaya kosha
Pranamaya kosha
Manomaya kosha the sheath of the
mind
Jnanamaya kosha the sheath of the buddhi
Anandamaya kosha the sheath of bliss
They are called sheath, because
they conceal the Self.
They are described as one inside
the other, the physical being the outermost and the sheath of bliss the
innermost.
The real meaning is that one
sheath is finer than the other.
As a finer entity permeates a
grosser one, so also a finer sheath permeates a grosser one.
This is important to realize, for
it explains when it is said, that the sheath of the vital force is inside the
gross physical sheath and means that the former is finer than the latter and
therefore permeates it.
The Self is the finest substance.
It is detached from the sheaths and permeates them all.
So the Self, the soul shines through
all the sheaths in accordance with their density.
Through ignorance, man identifies
the Self with one or more of the Sheaths. The seers describe the illusory
nature of the various sheaths and urge us to see them for what they are. They
tell us that only through detached discrimination can the true Self be
revealed.
How do we discriminate?
The physical body consists of
gross elements and depends on food for its existence. It lives as long as it
can assimilate food.
It is not seen prior to birth or
after death; its existence is transitory. It is changeable by nature. Therefore
the body cannot be the Self.
The ignorant identify themselves
with the body, the book-learned with the combination of ego, mind and body.
While the knower, the one that
discriminates, regards the Self distinct from body, mind and ego.
As long as man does not give up
his mistaken identity with the body, he cannot experience the bliss of the Self
or soul.
Yet the body can be a help to the
soul as long as it is seen as an instrument.
The prana sheath
It is finer than the gross
physical sheath but impels the physical to action. It consists of 5 pranas,
(prana upward, vital energy, apana, downward flowing, samana, carries nutrition
to the body, vyana, pervades the entire body, udana, controls the intake of air
and food) - enters the body after conception, leaves it at the hour of death,
and produces the feeling of hunger and thirst. It cannot be the Self, the
omnipresent and all seeing Witness.
The sheath of the mind
It is finer that the sheath of the
prana. The Self identified with the mind feels the diversity of ‘I’ and ‘you’.
It also experiences the names and forms of the outer world.
The seed bed of desires, good and
bad, the mind impels the senses to activity for their fulfillment.
The phenomenal world has no
existence outside the mind, which is a product of ignorance.
The mind agitated by desires
becomes aware of sense objects gross and fine, enjoys them and becomes attached
to them.
The purification of the mind through discrimination and dispassion is the
goal of spiritual discipline.
The mental sheath cannot be the
Self for it is characterized by change.
The buddhi or sheath of the
intellect
Buddhi, the discriminative faculty
is like the mind a function of the inner organ and therefore a product or
prakrity or matter. It appears intelligent and conscious because it reflects
Chit or Pure Intelligence.
This reflection of Pure
Consciousness in buddhi is called jiva, or individualized soul, whose chief
characteristic when identified with matter becomes I – Consciousness.
Subject to the law of karma, it
assumes different bodies, determined by the desire of previous births, and
performs good and bad actions.
The Self or Atman identifying
itself with the sheath is intelligence, experiences misery and happiness in the
waking and dream states and their absence of dreamless sleep.
Through ignorance man superimposes
the ego upon the Self and experiences bondage. This forms the delusion of the
soul.
How then can there be liberation
of the soul?
By true
knowledge of the Self
The sheath of bliss
Is finer than the sheath of
intelligence which still a modification of prakriti, it manifest itself by
catching a reflection of the ever blissful Self, or Atman. The chief features
are pleasure and rest such as one experiences in deep sleep.
The sheath of bliss even close to Atman
cannot be Atman or the Self because it too is subject to change.
It must be understood, that the 5
sheath are all modifications of prakrity, or primordial matter.
They do not possess Absolute
Reality.
It is the light of the Self that
shines in varying measures through the different sheaths, according to their
composition.
The true glory of the Self,
unobstructed by any sheath can be fully realized by the aspirant when through
discrimination and detachment, self control and meditation; he no longer identifies
himself with any modification of maya, such as sense organs and mind, the
buddhi or the ego, but is completely absorbed in the SELF.
It can be assumed that after the
negation of the five sheaths, the mind and the mind and the ego as unreal, one
finds nothing but the void, the absence of anything.
The question then arises, what
entity remains by which the illumined soul realizes its identity?
The answer is that only after such
negation can one realize the Self or Atman which is devoid of attributes, is of
the nature of pure consciousness, and is the witness of the various
modification of prakrity seen in the waking and dream state, such as the mind,
the body and the senses or also in samadhi which can be called content less
consciousness in which both subject and object merge and disappear.
The seers tell us, that it cannot
be the void, for one emerging from the experience of Self Knowledge shows a
richer and enhanced personality.
After the realization of this
all-pervading consciousness, one discovers the true Self. Just as a river
entering the ocean finds its real source and ultimate goal.
