Agna – The Third Eye Chakra

He then also sees the light, which is in the form of a flaming lamp. It is seen to be shining like a newborn sun, the brightness of this flame encompasses oneself like the brightness of the newborn sun covers the space between the sky and the earth. This space is the very embodiment of divinity in its full glory. This state is unchanging, all witnessing, and is like a circle of the sun, moon, and fire.
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 36

The Metaphysics of Agna

The sixth chakra, and perhaps the most popular one, is called agna, or the Third Eye chakra. It is located slightly above the middle of the eyebrows. In other spiritual traditions, it has also been called “The Spiritual Eye”. In the Islamic tradition for instance, it is said that the one who has transcended fear has the most powerful eyes. They are eyes that can perceive reality beyond illusion, eyes that can know states, eyes that acquire True Knowledge. These eyes are capable of what’s called basira (بصيرة), which means perception, insight, and foresight of Transcendental Truth. The capacity for the discernment of wisdom from that Truth is firasa.

As I described in a previous post, from a Yogic perspective, Shiva, which represents the Supreme Transcendence, revealed 112 basic ways in which consciousness can be explored. Each way corresponds to each of the 112 chakras within the body, each way for traveling the path of Enlightenment corresponds to one particular chakra in the body. The way of the Buddha was the way of awareness, his spiritual system focused on awakening agna, which is the symbol of wisdom.

Monks, in the world with its devas, Mara and Brahma, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, devas and humans, whatever is seen, heard, sensed and cognized, attained, searched into, pondered over by the mind—all that is fully understood by the Tathagata. That is why he is called the Tathagata.
Anguttara Nikaya 4:23

The word agna literally means “command”. The root sound of agna is “nya”, which means knowledge. Agna is thus the source of knowing, and represents absolute agency and control over the physical self through knowledge. It is the highest level of discernment. The Third Eye chakra is symbolic of heightened perception or awareness, which implies that true knowledge arises out of true perception. As agna is cultivated, it starts to awaken. As it awakens, our level of perception becomes heightened to levels that are beyond the scope of the physical eyes. We are enabled a type of perception that is infused with true Knowledge born through higher awareness, leading ultimately to Liberation from suffering.

In traditional Buddhist thought, suffering arises out of the Three Poisons (Triviṣa), the root kleshas (क्लेश). The root kleshas are fundamental perceptions and mental states that cloud the Mind and manifest in unwholesome feelings and actions. The first is Ignorance (moha), which is a metaphysical misperception about the nature of reality. It causes the Mind to perceive phenomena with permanence. This perception of permanence, on the most fundamental dimension of Being, is a veil between the awareness of the Mind and the Divine Essence of Mind. Ignorance is the basis of materialism or physicalism as an epistemological system of reality, and it is the basis of the false self that we become tethered to; it leads to Attachment (raga), which necessitates Aversion (dvesa); all together they lead to the 108 kleshas or afflictions that manifest in the physical body, which characterize entanglement in karmic Suffering (dukkha).

The Yoga Tattwa Upanishad states, “Suffering is due to Ignorance. Spiritual knowledge frees you from suffering. And that Knowledge is to discover the true, Divine Nature of your own consciousness.” Enlightenment is the discovery of that innate Divine Nature, and removing the veil of Ignorance requires Knowledge (Divine Knowledge) since knowledge is the opposite of ignorance. If Enlightenment is gained through Knowledge, then what is the purpose of Kundalini and purifying chakras? The scholars explain this in terms of primary causes and secondary causes; spiritual knowledge is the primary cause of Enlightenment, but Yoga and spiritual practice is the secondary cause. The Upanishads pose the question, “…without Yogic practice, how can spiritual knowledge free you from suffering? Without spiritual knowledge, how can Yogic practice free you from suffering? Both are required for Liberation.”

Within agna lies the subtle aspect of the Mind called manas. It is the everyday conscious mind, the coordinator of the senses and the mental screen on which thoughts and images occur. Attachment and its coinciding aspect of Aversion are 108 afflictions. The 108 afflictions are the mind-pollutions that compose the fabric of the veil of Ignorance which obscures the Mind from seeing its true nature. True spiritual Knowledge which lifts the veil of metaphysical Ignorance is acquired through direct experience. This form of knowledge is called direct knowing, which leads to certain knowledge or certainty; all spiritual traditions since the time of the Pre-Socratic sages to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ have various terms for describing this category of knowledge, from gnosis (γνῶσις) to ma’rifah (معرفة‎).

It is said that Shiva burns away illusion with his Third Eye. Such expressions are metaphorical, they pertain to purification for which fire is a symbol of. When the gaze of the Third Eye falls upon phenomena, their illusory nature is revealed at once, and they fall away into oblivion. When the gaze of the Third Eye falls upon the 108 afflictions thereby seeing their true illusory nature, the corresponding 108 chakras become purified. The physical body is the modality of spiritual purification, for spiritual illness is made manifest in bodily sensations. Because the energy body is expressed in the physical body through the chakra system, which are described in the Shat Chakra Nirupanam as points of the “emanation of consciousness”, by purifying the chakra system of the afflictions through the body, the energy body becomes purified. And by purifying the energy body, the karmic seeds of consciousness from which the energy body itself arises from is also purified. One is transforming the impure karmic seeds of consciousness into pure seeds, which is said to be the characteristic of a Buddha. Since it is from these seeds that consciousness arises, by purifying our karma we are in fact purifying the Mind of metaphysical Ignorance, the root kleshas, and thus, we are negating the false self that is expressed by the Mind. When the false self is reduced to ash, entanglement in the chaotic fluctuations of the arising and cessation of consciousness that characterizes the false self ends, and manas is calmed. Sense activities quieten, meandering thoughts settle down, grasping ceases, and attention becomes focused. This enables our vital life force of cosmic consciousness, our prana-Kundalini, to reach the realm of agna, which is the meeting point of the three principle nadis, Ida (Moon nadi), Pingala (Sun nadi) and Sushumna (spirit nadi).

The Ida and Pingala represent the basic duality in the existence. It is this duality which we traditionally personify as Shiva and Shakti. Or you can simply call it masculine [represented by the sun] and feminine [represented by the moon]
The Three Fundamental Nadis – Ida, Pingala and Sush

Our awareness reaching the meeting point of the three principle nadis represents a purified chakra system. When our prana-Kundalini rises along the Sushumna nadi to agna, when the energy of these three nadis unite here, which is the basic purpose of Yoga, we begin to see a dimension of our Being that lies beyond the duality of the physical universe. The Mind enters into a deeper dimension of transcendent consciousness. Some traditions call this place Sacred Silence. Here then we may come to know the true nature – the essence – of consciousness, of Mind. The Clear Mind, perceiving beyond duality, has the capacity to discern between nitya and anitya (Eternal and non-eternal), sat and asat (Real and unreal), tattwa and atattwa (Essence and non-essence).

As our sight pierces more deeply into the Heart of Being, our energy rises further. The Light of moksha or Liberation, the entrance into Samadhi, Supreme Consciousness, Oneness, Unity, comes into full view. Then like the reflection of the luminous full moon on the surface of a lake that has become completely calm, our view of the pure white radiant light is no longer obscured by the waves of mental disturbances and the dark clouds of spiritual pollution. This Light that is above the ocean of consciousness is said to be the true nature of Mind, the Natural Mind, it is what the Buddhists call Buddha-Nature. Buddha simply means “above intellect”, so a Buddha is one who has attained to the realm Buddha-Nature that is above the intellect. Buddha-Nature refers to several related terms, most notably tathāgatagarbha. Tathāgatagarbha means “the womb” or “embryo” (garbha) of the “thus-gone” (tathagata), or “containing a tathāgata”.

The Tibetan scholar, Go Lotsawa, outlined four meanings generally used by Indian-Buddhist scholars for tathāgatagarbha: The first as an emptiness that is a non-implicative negation, the second as the luminous nature of Mind, the third as alaya-vijñana (storehouse of consciousness), and the fourth as all bodhisattvas and sentient beings.

This Light can be described according to the four qualities of the Buddha-Nature. The first is that the ‘Buddha-nature is great purity beyond all concepts of pure and impure’, the second is that the ‘Buddha-nature is the great self beyond all concepts of self and no-self’, the third is that the ‘Buddha-nature is great blissfulness of pleasure and pain, beyond all pleasure and pain’, and the fourth is that the ‘Buddha-nature is the great permanent state beyond all concepts of permanence and impermanence.’ The Light of the Buddha-Nature can be summarized simply as beyond duality. Characteristics such as permanence and impermanence, pure and impure, clean and unclean, self and no-self, are all dualistic conceptions, they are the labels, restrictions, and distractions of the duality-mind.

He then also sees the light, which is in the form of a flaming lamp. It is seen to be shining like a newborn sun, the brightness of this flame encompasses oneself like the brightness of the newborn sun covers the space between the sky and the earth. This space is the very embodiment of Divinity in its full glory. This state is unchanging, all witnessing, and is like a circle of the sun, moon, and fire.
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 37

In the Yogic tradition, this luminous white light pertains to the Itari Lingam. The word “lingam” is found in Sanskrit texts with the meaning of “evidence”, “proof”, or “sign” of God and God’s existence. It is a sacred symbol that pertains to the Supreme Spirit and its subsequent manifestations, all of which are signs that point us towards the reality of God. Within the Heart chakra, anahata, for instance, lies the Bana Lingam. It is said to be the seat of consciousness itself, the abode of Purusha, which shines with a golden light. Passing through this lingam, one may approach the Itari Lingam.

The Itari Lingam is described as shining white, like pure light. It is said to contain Ardhanarishvara, the personification of the unification of the Divine Masculine Principle, Shiva with the Divine Feminine Principle. The conjunction of lingam and yoni symbolizes the metaphysical truth that Shiva and Shakti are inherent in one another—are one and the same, and thus, represents the end of duality. This lingam is the entrance to the Para Lingam, the supreme lingam of the crown chakra, sahasrara, the Divine Presence itself. It is said that it is the abode of the realization of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality.

This is the incomparable and delightful abode of Vishnu. A yogi who focuses his life energy here at the time of death becomes one with the Eternal and Ultimate, Purusha (The Supreme Spirit or Universal Consciousness)
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 38

In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, it is described how one must recognize the pure white radiant light of consciousness, the Buddha-Nature, as one’s true nature in order to pass through the interstice realm, what is referred to as bardo or antarābhava, immediately after death. Fundamentally, the ability to do so is largely dependent on the state of our own soul and its karmic purity while alive in this world. In the words of al-Ghazali, “He has succeeded who has purified it (one’s Soul), and he has failed who has polluted it.” For the Mind to be able to focus its energy here at the time of death is for the Heart to bear witness to Oneness, to the sublime reality of the Divine.

The Element of Agna

The Third Eye chakra transcends all gross or physical elements. Rather, its elemental symbol pertains to the subtle element called Mahat (महत्). Mahat is a deeply metaphysical concept that refers to the creative Principle of the Intellect, which is neither illusory nor an abstraction, and although concrete, it is transcendent. It pertains to Buddhi, that is, to the Buddha-Nature, the essence of Mind.

The downward facing triangle represents the direction of Divine Will descending from the transcendent spiritual realm to the immanent material realm thereby “commanding” and governing the material body. Agna thus represents the mastery of the spirit over the animal self, which is it is said to be the center of command. The crescent moon above it represents the Light of consciousness, its essence, which is the universal source of the wisdom that underlies the agency of the higher Mind. To see this light is for the universal to awaken within the particular. The circle in which the triangle is located represents Emptiness, or Sunyata, which is the fundamental perception that we have of the world from this higher place of wisdom, and which characterizes a Buddha. It could perhaps also be said that the circle represents the physical body and the presence of the triangle inside of it represents the theophany of Divine Consciousness within, and thus represents Enlightenment.

Characteristics of Agna

The foremost of Sādhakas (spiritual seekers) who meditate on this chakra finds attainment quickly. He becomes all knowing, all perceiving, and beneficent to all. He understands the essence of all shashtras (revelatory teachings), and perceives the world as non-dual (beyond duality). He acquires a long life, and becomes adept at the three primordial tasks of creation, maintenance, and resolution.
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 33

When agna is active, our awareness opens up to transcendent consciousness, which transforms us on the most fundamental dimensions of Being. To experience this is to observe directly the true nature of existence, and thus, there is a shift in our ontological system of reality. The “why” and “how” of existence are no longer mysterious to us, and thus this realization represents a completely actualized self-concept, which transcends any material category of a self. No longer identifying existentially with form, no longer obsessed with the endless multiplication of identity, our consciousness resides in a state of non-duality. The universal awakens on the level of the particular, where one observes existence with the eye of the universal instead of the eye of the particular. In other words, one no longer experiences reality from an ego-centric point of view. Rather, one experiences reality from the point of view of the universe, of the Divine.

As Harish Johari says, “a yogi who has passed through vishuddhi at the throat to agna transcends the five elements and becomes freed (mukta) from the bondage of time-bound consciousness. This is where the consciousness of “I” is absorbed into super-consciousness. In this way, they understand directly how all sentient beings are in fact like limbs of a single body because they can perceive the interconnected nature of reality. For this reason, the primary quality of the one who has achieved the station of agna is overarching compassion for all sentient beings.

The full realization of agna fundamentally pertains to the realization of the Buddha-Nature. A Buddha is one who has developed his or her compassion and wisdom to the ultimate level, beyond all limits. Wisdom, in this context, refers not to an accumulation of knowledge but to the ability to see the true nature of things.

Signs of an Opened Agna

Agna is the Spiritual Eye. The primary sign that one’s Third Eye is open is the quality of non-attachment. One is able to contextualize all aspects of material life within its broader metaphysical and spiritual context, particularly with respect to its impermanent nature and profound destiny. Understanding that this life is temporary, there is no attachment to it, and thus, no clinging, no grasping, no fear. One’s gaze is towards the highest ideal of Enlightenment.

This perspective of agna denotes the state of upeksha, which is characterized by pure equanimity. It is said to be a higher quality of non-attachment. This perspective is like the boundary between human and Divine consciousness, and standing at this boundary, we may look down into the world of form as if looking down from atop a mountain or in from an outside realm – we are in the world but not part of the world, and thus has the self become emptied of the world and the world emptied of a self. It enables one to exist in a state of even-mindedness, and is characterized by an equality that removes all boundaries, discrimination, and prejudices while leading to the realization of the sublime unity where there is no self and no other. It is said that without upeksha, love becomes possessive. The non-attached Mind is free like the wind in the sky, as the Buddha described it. What characterizes a Buddha therefore is wisdom and compassion.

For this reason, the yogis say that a person who has a highly active agna is characterized by disinterest with the world. They alone see through the illusions that people are otherwise trapped within. They are not impressed by or bound to the contrived systems of value and social hierarchies that others compete within and judge each other according to. They understand these aspects of society as not much more than the most superficial manifestations of karmic entanglements; while society may valorize and epitomize and celebrate these behaviors, the Awakened Ones understand them as primitive tendencies mired in decay and impermanence. They possess the ability to negate the impure karmic influences of the world around them, and thus, possess the ability to discern right from wrong. But because of a sense of compassion for all sentient creatures, they remain involved in the world in order to benefit the world in the ways that truly matter, which is according to Divine Wisdom. The Buddha taught that “it is owing to the development of virtue, concentration, and wisdom, that enlightenment has been fully realized.”

This is what it means then for one to be able to act in accordance with the Dharma, or from an Islamic perspective, the Sunnah, or from a Daoist perspective, the Dao. What this implies is that all spiritual ways taught by the Awakened Ones were from the perspective of the universal, which enables a person to understand the metaphysical mechanics of existence and the interconnected nature of all things. On the level of particularity we understand this way as Divine or Heavenly Law. Such a person is able to act based on knowledge of higher metaphysical Principles as opposed to simply reacting to sensory inputs and impulses, and thus, are able to act with agency. Agency is the quality of freewill, that is, a Mind that is free of attachment. Different people have different capacities for agency and free will, and thus, the Awakened Ones are those who are the most free, and thus, conscious. They discern the merits of actions as wholesome or unwholesome based on the knowledge of causality and its vibrational effects on the substratum of manifested reality. This denotes ultimate concern, which pertains not only to the welfare of beings in this world but also in the next. It is a compassion and mercy that is transcendent to the material world because it emanates from the luminous transcendent Source.

Signs of a Blocked Agna

Because agna is the Spiritual Eye, for it to be blocked means that one sees only with the material eye. The events of life cannot be contextualized within an overarching metaphysical system of reality, and so, they are characterized with permanence. What this implies then is that the material world itself is perceived as permanent, that this world is all that there is. Our relationship with the world is thus characterized by Attachment, Aversion, and Suffering. In this state, one exists in the world in a state of anxiety and neuroticism, chasing after it and competing amongst each other within contrived and fabricated social dominance hierarchies. We are fueled by the animal self and its drive for domination. Our ethics, values, and morality revolve around this effort, which is lower desire and the satisfaction of the ego.

To this, we become dominated by an obsession with identity and the validation of those identities. This is because we have confused identity with self, and self with egoic Being. Now, we feel that in order to validate our very existence, we must validate our identities. But because these identities are largely determined by the flux of the world around us, our existence itself on a visceral level also feels to be in flux. We become increasingly dominated by the 108 afflictions.

A closed agna represents spiritual blindness, and thus, a closing of our spiritual faculties. It represents the darkness of Ignorance, and is the basis of nihilistic philosophies, worldviews, and core beliefs. It is at the heart of materialism as a lifestyle, and the materialist epistemology of modern discourse. It denotes a perceptive capability that is limited to the physical world, and thus it forms the bedrock of not just our worldview but our sense of Being. On the other hand, an open Spiritual Eye, the Third Eye, possesses the ability to perceive that which is beyond the physical, and thus the knowledge gleaned from this perceptive faculty forms the basis of our worldview. The spiritual worldview therefore is in contradiction to the materialist worldview.

A closed Spiritual Eye is associated with the concept of the Anti-Christ, of the Dajjal, in the Abrahamic traditions. From a Yogic perspective, it is the symbol of the demon Kali, who is the archetypal figure of Kali Yuga. Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages (or ages) the world goes through as part of a ‘cycle of yugas’. It is synonymous with the concept of the Latter Days in the Abrahamic traditions in which human civilization undergoes a period of spiritual degeneracy, strife, and hardships. Chaotic frequencies dominate the vibrational substratum of consciousness, which manifests on the physical plane of existence.

The Color of Agna

From a color psychology perspective, the color indigo is the color of the Third Eye because it is associated with intuition and perception, and is thus helpful in opening the Third Eye. It promotes deep concentration during times of introspection and meditation, helping you achieve deeper levels of consciousness. It is a color which relates to the “New Age” – the ability to use the Higher Mind to see beyond the normal senses with great powers of perception. It relies on intuition rather than gut feeling.

Indigo is a deep midnight blue. It is a combination of deep blue and violet and holds the attributes of both these colors.

Service to humanity is one of the strengths of the color indigo. Powerful and dignified, indigo conveys integrity and deep sincerity.

Activation of Agna

Inside this chakra lies the sound perceived by the purest of minds, shining with the radiance like that of a flame. This sound is known by the name Pranava.
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 38

Pranava means “cosmic sound” in Sanskrit. It is the name for the mantra, Om (or Aum). Pranava Yoga is a technique for meditation which is considered by many to be one of the classical forms of meditation. It is described in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

To perform Pranava Yoga is to focus the Mind on the mantra, Om, and to contemplate its sacred nature, repeating the mantra with full and proper breaths with deep resonance that vibrates throughout one’s body. Pranava is known as the word of power because it is believed to be the primordial sound from which the universe originated. When uttered in a profound way, it has vocal similarities with the Arabic word for “The Command” of God, which is “Amr”. Another point demonstrating a sacred symmetry.

However, this meditation is only as effective as one’s capacity for discernment, which is rooted in the ability of the Third Eye to negate illusions and sever Attachment. The Third Eye is cultivated by training the Mind to cognize and perceive phenomena as impermanent thereby ascertaining its true nature directly. This ultimately entails the relaxing of the Mind through mastery of thought sequencing, where relaxation pertains to the realization of impermanence as a result of observing the subsiding of mental fabrications.

“Now when a monk, attending to another theme, scrutinizing the drawbacks of those thoughts, paying no mind and paying no attention to those thoughts, attending to the relaxing of thought-fabrication with regard to those thoughts, beating down, constraining and crushing his mind with his awareness, steadies his mind right within, settles it, unifies it and concentrates it: He is then called a monk with mastery over the ways of thought sequences. He thinks whatever thought he wants to, and does not think whatever thought he does not want to. He has severed craving, thrown off the fetters, and — through the right penetration of conceit — has made an end of Suffering and stress.”
The Relaxation of Thoughts – Vitakkasaṇṭhāna Sutta (MN 20)

This way of perception is not a mere intellectual exercise, rather, it is a way for awakening the Third Eye. The relaxing of the Mind through the means of skillful thought sequencing is realization because it draws upon intuitive knowledge that has not actualized as perceptive knowledge until now. When it does actualize as perceptive knowledge, then it represents the opening of the higher perceptive faculty of agna.

This way of perception illuminates with the light of knowledge the true nature of phenomena. By seeing clearly its impermanent and temporary nature, and therefore, how dissatisfying it really is on an existential level, our attachment to it is severed and our unwholesome emotions are released. When we see the vanishing nature of phenomenal reality, desire for it ends, and therefore, so too does craving and clinging. Detachment and letting go is not the result of effort, rather, it is the result of its opposite, which is relaxation.

Attachment (raga) is expressed in the 108 afflictions. The 108 afflictions have 108 feelings, which when attached to perpetuate entanglement in impure karmic vibrational energies on the substratum of consciousness.

What are the six feelings? The feelings born of sense-impression through eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind.
What are the eighteen feelings? There are the (above) six feelings by which there is an approach (to the objects) in gladness; and there are six approaches in sadness, and there are six approaches in neutrality.
What are the thirty six feelings? There are six feelings of gladness based on the household life and six based on renunciation; six feelings of sadness based on the household life and six based on renunciation; six feelings of neutrality based on the household life and six based on renunciation.
What are the hundred and eight feelings? There are the (above) thirty six feelings of the past; there are thirty six of the future and there are thirty six of the present.
Atthasatapariyaya Sutta: One Hundred Eight Feelings

Each of these energies, as feelings, can be either “attached to pleasure or detached from pleasure” making 36 “passions”, each of which may be manifested in the past, present, or future, totaling 108 states of attachment.

The analogy of white light is often used to describe agna. That is because white light is ultimately a colorless light. It is beyond colored states, which is why agna is related to the state of vairagya. Vairagya comes from the root “raga”, which means “color”, but denotes Attachment, and “vai”, which means “beyond”. “Vairagya” therefore means beyond “raga” or color, and therefore, it is to be without Attachment. To be in a state of vairagya is to be without Attachment, and this denotes ultimate clarity of Mind. When vairagya is performed according to its twin, abhyasa, which pertains to long duration, effort, and discipline, they function as the means of restraining the fluctuations of consciousness – the vrittis (fluctuations of mind) and kleshas (afflictions) and obstacles in practice.

If we were to look through a colored lens, that is with Attachment, then the world would appear in the color of that lens. We would be perceiving the world in a way that merely validates our preconceived paradigm of reality and cognitive frames, which are reinforced by our insecurities, desires, biases, and expectations. We are not, therefore, looking at the world per se. Rather, we are looking at the illusory world, what is called Mithyā in Sanskrit or Dunyā in Arabic, as a projection of our own metaphysical Ignorance. The Mind that is covered in Ignorance unconsciously conceptualizes the flower with permanence. It therefore perceives the flower according to its immediate appearance only, reducing it ontologically to self-existent physicality. It is a perception that thus induces a sense of separation from the indwelling life, disconnecting us from transcendent reality. This reductive perception however is merely reflecting, and therefore validating, our already held unexamined ontological assumption(s) of materiality.

If we were to look through the colorless lens of agna however, that is to be in the state of vairagya, then we would see the world for the way it actually is. From this perspective of the Clear Mind, we conceptualize the flower according to the knowledge of the true nature of phenomena, which is that of impermanence. Our Mind therefore includes in its conceptualization of the flower its entire lifecycle, from non-existence to birth to growth to decay to death. In other words, we see the arising and cessation of phenomena, from thoughts and emotions to flowers and people, from the microcosmic to the macrocosmic.

A powerful meditation that aids in the perception of impermanence is what is called Paṭikkūlamanasikāra, which is a Pāli term. It is made up of the root words “pati”, “kula”, “manas”, and “karoti”, and is generally translated as “reflections on repulsiveness”. In the Sampasadaniya Sutta (DN 28), Ven. Sariputta declares that meditating on the dissatisfactory nature of the body leads to “the attainment of vision in four ways”, and he outlines how this method can be used as a springboard by which one “comes to know the unbroken stream of human consciousness that is not established either in this world or in the next”. In addition, in the Iddhipāda-samyutta’s Vibhanga Sutta (SN 51.20), this meditation is used to develop the four bases of power (iddhipāda) by which one is able to achieve Liberation from suffering.

When the true nature of the material world is perceived, the Heart relaxes its fearful grip on it. It stops trying to desperately cling to a projected illusion of what we unconsciously wish for the world to be. We become disillusioned of our illusion. The relaxation of the Mind corresponds to the flow of our prana-Kundalini life force to the Third Eye. Then it is like a door within us begins to open. As this door opens, we start to see the traces of Beauty painted on the canvass of the world, reminders of Divine Love that nourishes us and brings a sense of fullness to us.

“Impermanent, alas, are conditioned things! Their very nature is to arise and vanish. Having arisen they then cease. Their subsiding is blissful!“
Bikkhu Bodhi | What are “Conditioned Things” in Buddhism?

Perceiving the impermanent nature of the flower opens the Spiritual Eye to seeing the dependent nature of phenomena. Detachment therefore leads to knowledge of Pratītyasamutpāda – Dependent Origination (प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद). The doctrine of Dependent Origination, found in Buddhist and early Hindu texts, is the law of causality. It describes how all manifested phenomena – as effects – are dependent on and arise from the other phenomena – as causes and conditions – which in turn are dependent in the same way on other phenomenal causes and conditions. All phenomena are thus compounded, they are ‘that which has been put together’ and ‘that which puts together’ (saṅkhāra). This dependent co-arising describes the interconnected links of the Karmic Chain of Causality.

“According to this law, nothing has independent, permanent, or absolute existence. Everything is part of a limitless web of interconnections and undergoes a continual process of transformation. Every appearance arises from complex causes and conditions, and in turn combines with others to produce countless effects. By interrupting the causal chain at certain key points, the course of existence can be altered and effects prevented by eliminating their causes.“
Bikkhu Bodhi | What are “Conditioned Things” in Buddhism?

We realize that the flower, being impermanent, and being dependent, is not self-existent, and thus lacks inherent reality. It is empty of a separate independent existence, which leads to the knowledge of Emptiness (sunyata). Because the flower is fundamentally dependent on and co-arises from all of the conditions of the universe, it is empty of inherent reality as a self-existent entity, but it is therefore also full of the universe itself. It is thus said that “form is emptiness, and emptiness is form”, just as the wave is the water and the water is the wave. Emptiness therefore denotes “fullness”.

“When Avalokita says that our sheet of paper is empty, he means it is empty of a separate, independent existence. It cannot just be by itself. It has to inter-be with the sunshine, the cloud, the forest, the logger, the mind, and everything else (that lead to its existence). It is empty of a separate self. But, empty of a separate self means full of everything…Form is empty of a separate self, but it is full of everything in the cosmos.”
Thich Nhat Hanh | The Heart Sutra: the Fullness of Emptiness

This realization of Emptiness frees us from Attachment to identity since identity is now seen as an illusion. The realization of Emptiness expands our vision of reality because we understand now how the phenomenal world is just like the flower in that it is also Empty. Like the flower, it does not have an independent and self-existent nature or inherent reality. It does not exist just by itself. The sun for which the flower is dependent is itself dependent on other causes and conditions, just as the galaxies are, and just as the very cause of the material universe itself is. Just like the particularity of the wave contains the ocean, the particularity of the ocean contains the Earth. And just like the particularity of the ocean contains the Earth, the particularity of the Earth contains the solar system. And just as the particularity of the solar system contains the galaxy, the particularity of the galaxy contains the universe. But just as the particularity of the galaxy contains the universe, the universe contains its transcendent cause. Emptiness expands the Mind into infinity, and thus, takes the awareness of the Mind into transcendence. Even the transcendent, the Buddha-Nature, the Divine Nature, therefore is contained in the flower itself, in the animals, and in the human being.

“Suzuki Roshi explains that the purpose of Shikantaza — a practice commonly known as “just sitting” — is to actualize Emptiness and move beyond our interpretations of reality. When we remember there is another world beyond our limited experience, we can empty ourselves of preconceived ideas and accept things as they are.“
Shunryu Suzuki | Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness

The phenomenal realm does not exist without the broader metaphysical context in which it emerged. Our universe is simply like the leaf of a tree. Understanding this confers upon us a transcendent view of reality, and thus, represents the awakening of theThird Eye chakra.

“Monks, this is my last advice to you. All conditioned things in the world will decay. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”
The Buddha

As the Buddhist teacher Shunryu Suzuki explains, Emptiness thus also denotes absolute fullness, as if one were once again a child being lovingly held by one’s mother, or to receive a letter from one’s far away home. The feeling of fullness that comes from perceiving the Empty nature of phenomena is rooted in a connection that transcends phenomena. The inter-being of all things, which we perceive with the Third Eye, is to perceive the connection with the fundamental Source of phenomena. Within the broader Yogic context, it represents awakening to Divine Consciousness, to the reality of Oneness with God, which is at the Heart of all revealed religious-spiritual systems in the world.

By immersing oneself in the meditative bliss of this chakra, by continuous practice of mudras, and by serving the gurus, one starts to have the vision of the everlasting Pranava in the form of embers of a flame created by the blowing of the wind.
Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Shlokas 36

References

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[25] Empowered by Color – The Color Indigo

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[29] Wikipedia – Tanmatras