Chakras may well be some kind of energetic resonance associated with endocrine glands or spinal plexuses (can't be both -- check out the locations), but I've never understood this practice on meditating on chakras, cleansing them, opening them, etc. (unless it's supposed to be some kind of etheric hygeine). If one doesn't work with the motives associated with the chakras, to cultivate the virtues associated with each, and diminsh the vices for each, little good will come of cleansing them with meditations, mantras, etc.. It will be like the person in the Gospel who has demons exorcised, but they do nothing to fill their house with God, so the demons come back worse than before. (Mt. 12:43-45)

We are so prone to try to "fix ourselves" and to avoid the hard work of ongoing conversion!

I agree with Phil for the most part here, but sometimes feel attention drawn to a particular chakra spontaneously, which might stimulate energy and promote the virtue associated with it. But yes, it seems more important to cultivate the quality rather than consciously trying to open or close a chakra.

It always seems safer to me to follow a contemplative path of devotion, or simply resting in awareness, rather than manipulating energy or chakras.

Bliss
I understand you perfectly - everything you have said makes sense to me. Did you post more about your own story somewhere? Or can you tell us more about yourself?

In Tibetan Buddhism, too, we start with the heart and eventually end with the heart. Love is the most important goal.

Phil
I don't like the word 'cleansing' the chakras, either. It sounds too mechanistic. What really happens is that we hold our negative egotistical motivations, beliefs and associated emotions in different part in our body (Unawareness and stupidy in the brain, fear in throat, hatred in heart, fear in solar plexus and greed in navel, for example)

Cleansing the chakras means to let go of these beliefs and then kind of 'tune into' a higher and ultimately a divine 'vibration'.

So, cleansing the chakras means becoming successively one with the divine.

People often cleanse some of their chakras, for example, the throat and then maybe become a charismatic preacher who can talk beautifully and inspiringly about God. But they may have not cleansed their navel chakra and have secret affairs. (Not untypcial, isn't it?)

The different 'amount' of cleansing in different chakras accounts for these contradictions in our lifes. That is why it is of utter importance to merge with God in ALL of our chakras and not only with the heart or head or whatever our 'preferred' chakra.

hi i dont want to aweken my kundalini for ego or for show off i just want to wake up for purpose of self development self relisation i just want to respond people with appropiate way i dont want to harm what my condition is not good enough i beleive in divine i believe in kindness but i cant express them i do but a human do when he's tensed i want to respond with love that's why i need it

Sai_ke-das
a kundalini awakening is the awakening of our POWER. It is not directly an awakening of our love.

You can use the power of the kundalini to become more loving but that can be a challenge.

That is why you should practise devotional practises and loving kindness meditation and also try to become more loving in everyday life BEFORE you awaken the kundalini.

kundalini therapist
i use to call the names of hebrew god on each chakra well it is middle pillar meditation i think u may have heard israel regardie before opening to chakra i used to surrender to my god before opening the chakras well im hindu wat i think religion doesn't matter only matter is your growth and your beleif

quote:

One should not write that much about ones own inner experiences.

Hey Bliss, sometimes one's experience can benefit others, or sometimes the experience is so bizarre it needs worked through with others. Either way, sharing experience can often be more beneficial than offering advice, which can be hit or miss, take it or leave it. I love hearing about other people's inner lives. And faustina's child story WAS fabulous!

I second Samson!

I recently came across a book that I read with interest that is actually addressing the question of the original poster: what is the difference of the middle pillar exercise and kundalini.

The book is Circuit of the Force by Dion Fortune and Gareth Wright. A very interesting read where they compare Buddhist, Hindu and quabalist ways to awaken the kundalini.

quote:

Originally posted by sai_ke_das:
hi everyone im new in this forum well sry if i have posted in wrong place well im working with middle pillar exercise well im somewhat confused because middle pillar uses only 5 chakras while kundalini uses 7 are these 2 chakras are negligble effect or they are bypassed

Hi sai_ke_das
Are these exercises anything like the ones your
practicing?
http://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/article/26326

What I noticed is that there is a lot of exercises where the mind is directing energy
for a specific result.

To me that is not the same as being in a place of surrender to God.

quote:

Originally posted by KundaliniTherapist:


There are different systems of chakras. The Hindu system has seven, the Taoist has three (head, chest and abdomen) and Tibetan Buddhism has five and many minor ones virtually in all the joints. On a 'good' day I can feel those too, particularly in the palms of my hands and in my eyes.

In Tantric Hinduism and Buddhism the chakras are of vital importance and need to purified through the rising kundalini. In fact, the purification of the chakras is the main purpose of the kundalini. All our negative emotions and attitudes are held in the chakras, for example, fear in the solar plexus, anger in the abdomen and cruelty in the heart. So, we all are feeling our chakras all the time, either in their unpurified state as our negative emotions or physical pain or in their purified state as the different facets of bliss.

When our chakras are purified and filled with the power of kundalini we will become able to manifest what the chakra represents - e.g. a real love relationship from the heart chakra or a lot of money from the navel etc. Chakra change means life change - I can attest for it!

Hi Tara:

From your perspective & experience how are the chakras purified. For years I have seen what seems to me 2 different paths. One is a person doing particular exercises given to them by someone/tradition. Another path is to surrender to the inner guidance of Kundalini .

At this point I question whether the energies these 2 paths are talking about are both Kundalini. Thank you for your feedback.

quote:

... how are the chakras purified ...
2 different paths : One is a person doing particular exercises given to them by someone/tradition. Another path is to surrender to the inner guidance of Kundalini .

. . . And a third one is to let them cleaned by Jesus or another highly spiritual person .

quote:

Hi Tara:

From your perspective & experience how are the chakras purified. For years I have seen what seems to me 2 different paths. One is a person doing particular exercises given to them by someone/tradition. Another path is to surrender to the inner guidance of Kundalini .

At this point I question whether the energies these 2 paths are talking about are both Kundalini. Thank you for your feedback.

Hi Mary Sue
Everything is effecting our chakras. Everything positive like singing, being in nature or laughing with friends that makes you happy also helps your chakras to purify and vibrate at a higher level. All visualisation exercises or mantra chanting etc. achieve the same.

Everything that helps you to let go of your negativities and become more positive and loving and wise will purify your chakras and the ultimate way to achieve this is the union with God or Christ.

Every Christian wants to unite with God or Christ but inadvertently they usually only unite through the higher chakras (heart and throat in the holy communion, for example). How do you unite with Christ in the navel or root chakra? A lot of people would find that tricky.

But on our spiritual path we need to purify our entire self, not only the areas represented by the higher chakras. The power, lust and energy of the lower chakras need to be put into divine service, too.

That is what kundalini and chakra work is all about - uniting the lower chakras with God, transforming all lower impulses and harnessing our entire energy for the spiritual path.

did that answer your question?

quote:

Originally posted by KundaliniTherapist:
Every Christian wants to unite with God or Christ but inadvertently they usually only unite through the higher chakras (heart and throat in the holy communion, for example). How do you unite with Christ in the navel or root chakra? A lot of people would find that tricky.

But on our spiritual path we need to purify our entire self, not only the areas represented by the higher chakras. The power, lust and energy of the lower chakras need to be put into divine service, too.

That is what kundalini and chakra work is all about - uniting the lower chakras with God, transforming all lower impulses and harnessing our entire energy for the spiritual path.

did that answer your question?

Hi Tara
I wanted to thank you for your reply. It did
however bring up something else for me. That is the cleansing chakras as part of union of God. I can see how Christian practices can be purifying. Yet most Christians aren't going to focus on chakras & kundalini per say. The lower impulses are addressed but not through the focus of chakras. Seems to me that the approach to purification may be an area of difference between the 2 beliefs.

Hi Mary
I am not a specialist in Christianity as you know. Maybe Phil can shed some light on the question if there is anything resembling chakra exercises in Catholicism.

I have read however that in the Greek orthodox church they speak of having an 'erotic relationship' with God. I have no idea how that may look in practice. And being a 'bride of Christ' as a nun certainly sounds rather erotic, too. How much the visualisation of being an actual bride is encouraged I have not idea.
Obviously, both these 'approaches' would focus on the union with God through the lower chakras.

The erotic relationship to the divine is also something we find in Tibetan Buddhism as well, where you specifically meditate to unite with the deity in an erotic way.

People often (wrongly) assume that chakra work is something mechanical that you do on your own but essentially it can only ever happen through the union with a higher being (the spiritual teacher or God)