Dear Ram
That’s very
interesting and thank you. It takes me to
a part of knowledge where I am very flimsy, haven't read the proper scriptures
to know these things.
How do you relate/connect what you
have written below, in terms of the 'seed' left by the Self, to
that other seed, the blue pearl that Muktananda talks
of, that lies within the Sahasraha (excuse spelling,
haven't got my books with me), which while located at the apex of the sushumna,
opens out to contain a vision of the Lord and the whole Universe.
Mike
Hi Mike,
The Kundalini metaphor is an
artistic and mystical description of the spiritual journey, the
‘movement’ of the subtle body (the mind/intellect/ego) back to its
source, the Self.
As one proceeds on the spiritual
path the mind becomes increasingly subtle, still, clear and pure i.e.
sattvic. In this condition the mind
is turned inward and is facing the Self instead of being turned outward facing
the world as it is when it is under the influence of rajas and tamas. When it is in this meditative state the
Self is often experienced according to subtle memory traces (vasanas) in it
that best represent its vision of the Self.
Blue is a common symbol of
limitlessness. The ocean and the
sky, which are relatively limitless phenomena, suggest infinity. I have a good friend who is a very
advanced yogini and who has epiphanies in which blue
in various forms consistently appears.
In my own meditations and dreams the Self often uses some shade of blue
to talk about itself.
A pearl is an obvious Self
symbol. First, pearls are treasured
for their milky luminescence. Both
white and light are common Self symbols.
White is appropriate because it is the absence of color, just as the
Self is the absence of attributes.
And light is an obvious symbol of Self knowledge. Without physical light nothing can be seen/known.
Without Self knowledge, you live in ‘the dark,’ i.e.
spiritual ignorance. Pearls are
also known for their beauty. What
is more beautiful than the Self?
And they are valuable. What
is more valuable than the Self?
Seeds are also very common Self
symbols. A seed is the ultimate
cause of something, just as the Self is the ultimate cause of the whole
universe. It contains within it the
idea of infinite possibility and potentiality. It also symbolizes non-linear time, a
common Self symbol.
When it is says the Blue Pearl lies
within the sahasrara what does this mean? Sashasrara
means ‘thousand’ which is a common symbol of the Self in Vedic
literature and which represents limitlessness, the nature of the Self. The word ‘within’ presents a
potentially dangerous problem.
Why? Because it makes one
think that there is something somewhere, a sahasrara,
within which is a Blue Pearl. But the word ‘within’ in
spiritual literature is not a spatial metaphor, nor does it indicate a physical
location. It means ‘within
the scope of.’ It means that
by virtue of Awareness, the Self, this very subtle psycho-spiritual event, is
known. So the words Blue pearl and sahasrara are just symbolic representations of the Self.
“The apex of the
sushumna…” The sushumna represents the spiritual journey from start
to finish. It starts in ignorance,
the root, and proceeds to sahasrara, the Self. In this context ‘apex’ means
the end of the spiritual journey.
What is the end of the spiritual journey? It is the knowledge that I am limitless
Awareness.
“It contains the vision of the
Lord and the whole universe…”
The idea as you express it is backwards. Speaking from an experiential level the
Blue Pearl does not contain the vision of the Lord (the Self) and the whole
universe. The Self contains within
its awareness the Blue Pearl. The
Blue Pearl is just an inanimate form, a subtle ‘thingafication’
that seems to be conscious because of its association with the Self.
It is important to understand that
any spiritual experience is only as valuable as one’s ability to
understand its meaning, the Blue Pearl included. It is a shame that Baba didn’t
make it clear that because he experienced a blue pearl shortly before he
awakened, that it was only a mystic form that he personally needed to spur him
on. Yes, others have
experienced the ‘Blue Pearl’ but that only goes to show that such
forms exist in the collective unconscious, not that any particular form is
required for enlightenment.
It is quite possible to awaken permanently
without having one ‘spiritual’ experience. It is the yogis, not the jnanis, that use this kind of potentially confusing
language. If you take the words
Blue Pearl as a symbol of the Self then your statement is true. But to avoid the confusion that can
happen when you take things literally you would be better off saying,
“The vision of the Lord and the whole universe appears in
Awareness.”
The beauty of Vedanta is that it
demystifies the whole spiritual idea.
This is important because it is quite possible, nay common, for people
to get completely confused by imprecise, unscientific, mystical and symbolical
language. If you just want to feel
romantic and imagine that you are questing for a great mystery take up the
kundalini metaphor and let your imagination run wild. But if you really want to know
what’s up, you need to inquire into these symbols and see if they
don’t obscure the Self as much as they seem to reveal it.
Ram