The Evolution of Consciousness
DAAJI takes us on a journey – the ultimate journey to freedom. In the process he explains why freedom is of such importance to humans worldwide.
If we study history, we realize that there are some fundamental principles and values that the peoples of all cultures, backgrounds and walks of life have considered important. We can call them universal principles. One of the most highly valued is freedom.
In the words of Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, “The natural yearning of the soul is to be free from bondage.” This yearning or craving for freedom is the core of our human purpose. You could say, in fact, that the march to freedom is our true human purpose.
But what freedom is Ram Chandra talking about in this statement? Is it the license to do whatever we want on this earth for our own happiness, at the expense of other people, other species and our environment? The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said “No”, and argued that with freedom comes a responsibility to align our choices with goodness. In the 17th century, John Milton said the same thing. In the teachings of all religions, philosophies and spiritual traditions, we find the idea of choosing what is right over what is pleasurable. The Buddha’s noble eightfold path is based on the same premise, as are the ethical precepts of Yoga – yama and niyama – and the Ten Commandments of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
So let’s explore further Ram Chandra’s statement, “The natural yearning of the soul is to be free from bondage.” What bondage? What is the bondage of the soul? All throughout this series on the evolution of consciousness we have been very close to this theme. The evolution of consciousness is the expansion that comes step-by-step, as we transcend the bondages of the soul. We have explored the three bodies of a human being: the soul is at the center of our existence, and then there are coverings around the soul. There are an infinite number of coverings around the soul, all of which can become heavy with complexities and impurities.
Our real march to freedom is to purify these coverings so that they no longer bind the soul. To let the soul be free of all heaviness, so it can soar and become one with the universal soul we call the Divine or God. To live in universal consciousness. This march to freedom is the spiritual journey, and there is a map to give us guidance and directions. This map is the spiritual anatomy of the human system. In earlier articles of this series we started to explore spiritual anatomy, but now we will explore it in more depth. Many of you will have heard of chakras, which are often described as centers of concentrated energy in the human system. The traditional view is that there are 7 main chakras: the root chakra at the base of the spine, the sacral chakra just below the navel, the solar plexus chakra in the upper abdomen, the heart chakra, the throat chakra, the brow chakra and the crown chakra at the top of the head.
But we now know that the spiritual anatomy of a human being is made up of many more chakras than these 7, and that they extend to the occipital prominence at the back of the head. ...
Read the complete article in the Collectors' Edition 2017
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Article by DAAJI
Daaji
Kamlesh Patel is known to many as Daaji. He is the Heartfulness Guide in a tradition of Yoga meditation that is over 100 years old, overseeing 14,000 certified Heartfulness trainers and many volunteers in over 160 countries. He is an inn... Read More
