Five Sheaths or Koshas in Yoga

8/13/2019 Five Sheaths or Koshas in Yoga

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Five Sheaths or Koshas in Yoga by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

We humans are like a lamp that has five lampshades over our light. Each of the lampshadesis a different color and density. As the light shines through the lampshades, it isprogressively changed in color and nature. It is a bitter-sweet coloring. On the one hand,the shades provide the individualized beauty of each lamp. Yet, the la mpshades alsoobscure the pure light .

The Yoga path of Self-realization is one of progressively moving inward, through each ofthose lampshades, so as to experience the purity at the eternal center of consciousness,while at the same time allowing that purity to animate through our individuality. These fivelevels are called koshas , which literally means sheaths .

Kosha means sheath , like the lampshades covering the light, or like the series of woodendolls pictured below. Maya means appearance , as if something appears to be one way, butis really another. Advaita Vedanta suggests that you imagine a dark night in which you thinkyou see a man, only to find that it was an old fence post that was hard to see at first; thatis maya .

Here, it means that each of the sheaths or koshas is only an appearance . In truth, all of thelevels, layers, koshas, or sheaths of our reality is only appearance , or maya (while also veryreal in the sense of dealing with the external world), and that underneath all of thoseappearances, we are pure, divine, eternal consciousness, or whatever name you prefer tocall it. This is one of the fundamental principles of Advaita Vedanta meditation.



While some view maya as meaning that nothing is real, and turn this into a cold-heartedintellectual practice, others view the illusion of maya as being shakti , the creative force ofthe universe. In this way, the maya of the koshas is experienced both as unreal and, at thesame time, as the beautiful manifestations of the universal oneness.

Physical - Annamaya kosha

Anna means food . All of the physical aspects of life come and go, and are consumed byanother aspect of external reality. T hus, the outermost of the koshas is called the sheath offood, or Annamaya kosha.

In Vedanta practice, we train this aspect of ourselves, take care of it, nurture it, so that wecan both enjoy our external lives and go inward without it being an obstacle duringmeditation time. In meditation, we become aware of Annamaya kosha, explore it, and thengo inward, to and through the other koshas.

Energy - Pranamaya kosha

The next of the koshas is Pranamaya kosha. Prana means energy . It is the vital force thatproduces the subtle vibrations related to breath, and which are the driving force behind thephysical aspect of the senses and the operation of the physical body. It allows the invisibleindweller, our True Self to be able to animate in the external world. At the same time,however, it allows the eternally still, silent center of consciousness to be mistakenlyidentified as the moving, visible physical body.

For both a healthy life and the practice of meditation, Vedanta says that it is very useful, oressential that this level of our being be trained, regulated, and direct ed, so that it flowssmoothly. In meditation, we become aware of Pranamaya kosha, explore it, and then goinward, to and through the other koshas.

Mental - Manamaya kosha

The next of the koshas is Manamaya kosha. Mana means mind . It is the level of processingthoughts and emotions. It is in direct control of the operation, through t he prana, of thephysical body and senses. It is like a supervisor in a factory, in that it gives instructions, but

is not supposed to be the manager of the factory of life. Because of this, it naturally hasdoubts, and created illusions. When it receives clear instructions from the deeper level, itfunctions quite well. However, when it is clouded over by its illusions, the deeper wisdom isclouded over.

After taking care of the physical body and training the energy flow of prana, the mostimportant part to be trained in positive ways is this level of mind. In meditation, we becomeaware of Manamaya kosha, explore it, and then go inward, to and through the remainingkoshas.



Wisdom - Vijnanamaya kosha

The next of the koshas is Vijnanamaya kosha. Vijnana means knowing . It is the sheath ofwisdom that is underneath the processing, thinking aspect of mind. It knows, decides,

judges, and disc riminates between this and that, between useful and not useful. It is alsothe level of ego consciousness, meaning the powerful wave of I-am-ness. This I-am-nessitself is a positive influence, but when it gets co-mingled with the memories, and is cloudedover by the manas, it loses its positive strength.

A major part of sadhana (spiritual practice) is gaining ever increasing access to this level ofour being. It is the level that has the higher wisdom to seek Truth, to go within, in search ofthe eternal center of consciousness.

Bliss - Anandamaya kosha

Anandamaya kosha is the most interior of the koshas, the first of the koshas surroundingthe Atman, the eternal center of consciousness. Ananda means bliss . However, it is not blissas a mere emotion experienced at the level of the sheath of mind. Ananda is a wholedifferent order of reality from that of the mind. It is peace, joy, and love that is underneath,beyond the mind, independent of any reason or stimulus to cause a happy mental reaction.It is simply being , resting in bliss called ananda .

Yet, even this bliss, however wonderful it is, is still a covering, a sheath, a lampshadecovering the pure light of consciousness. It is the subtle most of the five koshas. In thesilenc e of deep meditat ion, t his t oo is let go of, so as to experience the center.

Atman - Self

Atman is the Self , the eternal center of consciousness, which was never born and neverdies. In the metaphor of the lamp and the lampshades, At man is the light itself, though toeven describe it as that is incomplete and incorrect. The deepest light shines through the

koshas, and takes on their colorings.

Atman , the Self , has been best described as indescribable. The realization of that, in directexperience, is the goal of Yoga meditat ion, Adva ita Vedanta, and Tantra practices taught inthe Tibet.

JAPA AND AJAPA MANTRA ….



A key to stabilizing the mind

Many students of meditation and spiritual life complain of a noisy mind, out of controlsenses, and emotional challenges. One of the most significant, single suggestions of theancient sages is the use of mantra japa, or sacred word to focus the mind. No amount ofintellectualizing will convince you of this. It must be pract iced for the benefits to beexperienced.

Constant remembrance of mantra

Regardless of what mantra you use, one of the most important principles is the practice ofconstant remembrance . By cultivating such a steady awareness many benefits come:

One who pract ices mantra japa in this way will find that the challenges and stressorsof daily life are not nearly as disturbing. The mantra gives a place of refuge, an oasis in which the mind can rest. It is not escape, denial, or repression, but a tranquil companion. The objects of the senses begin to lose their control over actions. The incoming streams of negative thoughts, emotions, and desires from theunconscious mind attenuate, or become weaker.The mantra japa gradually becomes a best friend of the mind. Mantra japa leads one in the direct ion of deeper medita tions, and subtle r spiritualexperiences.

Japa and Ajapa-Japa

Japa means repeating or remembering the mantra, and Ajapa-Japa means constantawareness. The letter A in front of the word Japa means without . Thus, Ajapa-Japa is thepractice of Japa without the mental effort normally needed to repeat the mantra. In otherwords, it has begun to come naturally, t urning into a constant awareness. The practice ofconstant remembrance evolves in stages:

At first, you intentionally repeat the syllables of the mantra internally, as if you aretalking to yourself in your mind. You allow the inner sound to come at whateverspeed feels comfortable to the mind. Sometimes it is very slow, as if the mind werewading through a vat of honey. At other times it is very fast, as if flying through thesky without restraint. With practice, the mantra japa is repeated automatically, like a song that you haveheard many t imes, which just comes on its own. (Some pract itioners consider thisautomatic repeating to be the meaning of Ajapa- Japa, though there is a subtlermeaning, as described below.) Gradually, you merely remember the mantra with attention drawn to it. It is morelike noticing what is already happening, rather than causing it to happen. It issomewhat like the attention stance of listening rather than speaking, though youmight not literally hear the sound. In time, the feeling of the mantra is there, even when the sound or remembering ofthe syllables is not there. For example, sometimes people will say, "OM, Shanti,



Shanti, Shanti," where the word Shanti means peace or tranquility . During theremembering of the word there may be two things--the word and the feeling ofpeace or tranquility. When the syllables fade away, t he feeling may still be there;this is remembrance of the feeling of the mantra. As the practice evolves, there comes a pervasive awareness of the mantra, subtlerthan both the syllables and any surfac e level meaning or definition. This c onstant

awareness is the meaning of Ajapa-Japa of the mantra.

Choice of mantras

There are many mantras, words, or compac t prayers that can be used for Japa and Ajapa -Japa. Virtually all of the meditation traditions, spiritual lineages, and religions have mantrain one form or another.

Some words have specific meaning, while others are seed syllables having onlyfeeling, not literal, word-for-word definitions. Some have religious significance, while others are completely non-sectarian. Some have very subtle effects on energy, while others are more like positiveaffirmations given to train the conscious mind.

Whatever mantra, wo rd, or syllables are used, useful benefits will co me from the pract ice ofJapa and Ajapa-Japa. Here are three mantras described elsewhere in this website

Five Sheaths or Koshas in Yoga

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