Читать книгу Ashtanga Yoga - The Intermediate Series - Gregor Maehle - Страница 49

From the unmanifest state, the gunas are stirred into action through the mere presence of consciousness, which functions as a catalyst. Like a chemical catalyst, consciousness is present and necessary for the “reaction” of manifestation to take place, but it is not changed or altered in the process at all. This second gunic state is called the manifest state, and during it the only category of manifestation that the gunas bring forth is cosmic intelligence (called mahat in its universal form and buddhi in its individual form). The sound during this state is called pashyanti and it consists of only one syllable, the sacred syllable Om.

The importance of Om, the primordial sound and mightiest of all mantras, cannot be overestimated. Says the Mandukya Upanishad: “Om is all there is, all that has been, and all that will be. And all that is beyond these three is also Om.”⁴ This sacred and foremost sound can be heard during samadhi, and focusing on its perception is the principal meditation technique advocated in the Upanishads.

Also coming into existence during the manifest state of the gunas is the karana sharira of the various beings. The karana sharira, which exists within cosmic intelligence, is called the “causal body”; however, it is very different from what we generally understand the term body to mean. The karana sharira consists of eternal or extremely long-lived conditioned patterns (vasanas) and subconscious imprints (samskaras).

During the manifest state of the gunas and the pashyantic state of sound, ego does not yet exist, and as such we cannot really say, “It is I who is reborn” — an expression that the Buddha rightly criticized. Nevertheless, some form of subconsciousness, which at this point is not attached to any egoic notions, does exist. Therefore, as something disappears, something else must reappear. The force and information behind this “something” is the karana sharira, the causal body.

When through yogic effort shakti is made to rise to the ajna chakra (third eye center), the sacred Om is heard, cosmic intelligence is realized, and the causal body is cleansed, which enables the yogi to let go of or disassociate from karma. The shakti can be made to ascend by means of chanting, meditating on, and finally “hearing” the sound Om. Paradoxically, although shakti needs to have reached the ajna chakra for Om to be heard, Om really is heard — or, more accurately, manifests — in the anahata chakra (heart center).