Silva Method (India) Kolkata
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Silva Programming - A Vedic Perspective |
By: Avadhut das
10-April-2007, Kolkata
This is a technical paper meant for individuals who have undergone the Silva BLS training from Silva International Inc. Laredo, Texas, USA. From the Vedic perspective, we will attempt to understand the energies that go into the process of psychorientology and self-realization.
Some non-Silva contents of this paper are taken directly from an essay written by Jahnava Nitai das in Tattva Prakasha Vol 1, Issue 7.
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In the Vedic conception, the akshara (alphabet) is the beej (seed) of existence. In Sanskrit, the syllable Om is considered to be the root of all aksharas. In fact Om is considered to be the source of the entire cosmic manifestation including the Vedas. The Bhagavad-gita [3.15] confirms this as follows:
karma brahmodbhavam viddhi
brahmakshara-samudbhavam
"Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from akshara, the sacred brahma-syllable (Om)."
Here sam-udbhavam means direct manifestation.
The chant of the sound of Om, begins from the Solar plexus Manipura Chakra gradually rising through the Heart Anahata Chakra, moving to the Throat Vishudha Chakra, moving up in a resonating “mmmm” at the Third eye Agya Charka within the head and finishing in a lasting silence - the final essential sound atop the head in the Crown Sahasrara Charka region.
To understand the mystery of the ending “silent” sound, let us understand the meaning (artha) of sound (shabda) itself.
In Indian languages, the word “shabda” is taught in the schools to mean “a word”, but as such it is something more potent as we will see in a moment.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (3.26.33) we find an interesting definition for shabda as follows:
arthashrayatvam shabdasya
drashtur lingatvam eva ca
tan-matratvam ca nabhaso
lakshanam kavayo viduh
"Persons who are learned and who have true knowledge define shabda as that which conveys the idea of an object, indicates the presence of a speaker and constitutes the subtle form of ether."
This definition, as given in the Srimad Bhagavatam is very interesting. We are referring to shabda as that sound which conveys the idea of an object. The exact word used in this connection is "artha-ashraya" or "the shelter of the meaning" thus here we are clearly not referring to noise.
In the Tantras the aksharas are traced back to their source deity, Shakti (creative power). Each of her stages of manifestation is explained as phases in the evolution of our universe. Thus the aksharas are seen as potent sound, constitutionally connected to objects as sound (shabda) and its meaning (artha).
Shri Baladev Vidyabhushan in his commentary to Vedanta Sutra 1.3.28 says that the creation of all living entities proceeds from the remembrance of their form and characteristics by Lord Brahma reciting the corresponding mantra-words. From this we can begin to understand the potency of sound and its meaning.
The second aspect of Srimad Bhagavatam's definition of shabda is "that which indicates the presence of a speaker". Thus such a sound must be a product of consciousness. In this sense, sound is sometimes referred to as vaak, or speech, throughout the Vedic texts.
In the tantra system, the purva mimamsaka’s theory of the eternality of shabda (sound) and artha (meaning) is accepted. They go further to assert that shabda and artha are the embodiment of Shiv and Shakti. They name their original source as shabdaartha-brahmman instead of shabda-brahmman. For, to them that is the source of both the objects and their descriptions. They believe that words and their meanings are manifestations of Shakti (the deity for creative potency) in the objective world.
As sound is of the nature of the varna (syllables) composing it, the Vedas affirms that the creative force of the universe resides in all the letters of the akshara (Sanskrit alphabets). The different letters symbolize the different functions of that creative force, and their totality is designated as maatrikaa or the "mother in essence".
Thus the Sanskrit mantras are not just a mere combination of whimsical sounds but they are the subtle form of their presiding deity; and the purpose of one’s meditation through the mantra is to communicate with the deity of that particular mantra.
The sound of the mantras (shabda) has to pass through four stages before it is fully experienced in perfection. These stages of shabda are termed as:
Each level of shabda corresponds to a separate level of existence, and one's experience of shabda depends upon the refinement of one's consciousness.
It takes a realized consciousness to experience the full range of shabda, the full range of existence. The seers who can comprehend the four stages of such sound are known as Manishis. [Mann = Mind ; ishi = Controlled. Manishi = One who has controlled his/her mind.]
The higher three forms of shabda are described in the Rig Veda as hidden as in "guha", or within the self, whereas the fourth one is the external manifested speech, known as laukika bhaashaa.
laukika also means “of the common folk”, as differentiated from that of the rishis whose every vaak manifests that what is being said. For example, if an ordinary person says “agni” he is simply referring to fire, whereas if a brahmma-rishi pronounces “agni”, fire will instantaneously manifest! That is why the rishi’s spoken word (vaak – in all its four levels) is sometimes referred to as one type of alaukika. (Few other meanings of alaukika is, amazing, celestial, magical and mystical.)
We the Silva practitioners are approaching this alaukika bhaashaa stage. When at the basic plane level (with or without the 3 fingers technique - depending on the level of our practice) when we visualize something, it manifests. For example if two people were arguing, with or without 3-fingers we may say or think, “relax”, and the concerned persons indeed stop arguing! We desire reaching a particular place at a particular time irrespective of the adverse time, traffic or weather condition and it amazingly happens! We desire spontaneous remission and it manifests! We desire stopping or creating rain and it happens! When someone whom we care for tells us something, we might say/think “it will be done” and it gets done! Thanks to Jose Silva and our teacher, we all have innumerable daily experiences of the manifestive power of the alaukika bhaashaa.
Now let us say we would like to improve the quality, speed and content of our programmed manifestations. That is where the analysis of “shabda” and “vaak” appears priceless.
The four levels of shabda correspond to four states of consciousness:
These states of consciousness tally with the four states known technically as
In manifestation, the subtle is always the source of the gross, and thus from paraa-vaak manifests the other three forms of sound. Though the manifestation of sound takes place from paraa-vaak down to vaikhari-vaak (from fine to gross), in explaining these stages we will begin from the external vaikhari-vaak, as that is the sound we all have the most experience of.
Vaikhari-vaak is the grossest level of speech, and it is heard through the external senses. When sound comes out through the mouth as spoken syllables it is called as vaikhari.
Madhyamaa-vaak is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound, whose seat is in the heart. The word Madhyamaa means "in between" or "the middle". The middle sound is that sound which exists between the states of sushupti and jaagrat, Delta and Beta. It may interest us that in the “Scale of Brain Evolution” chart, Jose Silva has marked the “Basic Plane level” in the middle of this middle, i.e., in the middle of Alpha and Theta.
Madhyamaa-vaak refers to mental expression, as opposed to external audible expression. It is on this level that the experience of our thoughts are normally noticed by us.
In Silva we have learnt to program at this level. When done accurately, we are doing Madhyamaa-vaak. vaak is the root for Vaakya. Vaak mean “to express.” At the basic plane level we express our programming through visual, auditory and kinesthetic means.
In the manifestation process, after sound has attained the form of Pashyanti-vaak, it goes further up to the heart and becomes coupled with the assertive intelligence. At this point it manifests itself in the form of vibratory naada rupa Madhyamaa-vaak. Only those who are endowed with discriminative intelligence can feel this.
This shows that with the help of discriminative intelligence we can take our Madhayamaa-vaak to Pashyanti-vaak (expressions at shushupti, Delta - the very stem of the manifestive potency of matter)
Of course this will require spiritual growth within us which necessitates conscious attempts at anartha-nivritti – removal, nivritti from our consciousness of all that is undesirable, anartha – that which ultimately means nothing – i.e., the identification of the eternal spiritual spirit soul self with temporary matter and its byproducts.
Consciousness being a higher form of energy doesn’t require the association of the lower form of energy of non-conscious dull matter. Anartha-nivritti thus means the gradual journey of the self from dedicated consciousness of matter (both gross and subtle) towards dedicated consciousness of self and the ashraya-tattva, the cause, the maintainer and shelter of self – the Supersoul.
On the levels of madhyamaa and vaikhari, there is a distinction between the sound and the object as in the previously mentioned example of “agni”, fire. At these levels, the object is perceived as something different from the sound, where the sound is connected to the object mostly by convention.
Pashyanti-vaak is the second level of shabda, and is less subtle than Paraa-vaak. Pashyanti in Sanskrit means "that which can be seen or visualized". Thus we have to now give up the “auditory” aspects. We have to create thoughts of a much more subtle nature, of much more inner quality. We have to go to sushupti, to Delta.
From the basic-plane level with the help of programming, we first enter “deeper and deeper levels of awareness” to become aware of the creation process of our thoughts. This takes us to the “samaadhi” or Delta brain wave frequencies. At this sushupti level, our “discriminative intelligence” develops and we are able to discriminate the auditory visualization while it is forming and taking shape at this near initial stage of creation of ‘thought’.
First enter deep level. A very deep level. Now think of something, say water. The auditory thought did occur. Go deeper within your level, go to the zone of your mind where you can slow down time, where you can delve deeper within the energy of time. Now observe the creation of your thought, “water”. Detect the creation of the auditory, kinesthetic and visual aspects. Being able to detect these, we are easily able to selectively create expressions that are devoid of the auditory perception. This is Pashyanti-vaak!
In the pashyanti stage, sound possesses qualities such as color and form. Yogis who have inner vision can perceive these qualities in sound. On this stage the differences between language do not exist, as this sound is intuitive and situated beyond rigidly defined concepts. On the stage of Pashyanti-vaak, speech is intuitively connected to the object. There is near oneness between the word and the experience described.
Pashyanti-vaak is the finest impulse of speech. The seat of pashyanti is the Svadhisthana Chakra**. When sound goes up to the naval with the bodily air in its vibratory form without any particular syllable (varna), yet is connected with the mind, it is known as Pashyanti-vaak.
Programming done at this samaadhi level obviously will be for spiritual growth and self-realization, for one is able to enter samaadhi only when one is in the process of detaching oneself from one’s consciousness of matter.
In the process of attempting to attain Pashyanti-vaak or subtle programming ability, our regular basic-plane level programming quality would have improved multifold at a rapid pace resulting in improved quality, speed and content of our programmed manifestation.
Paraa-vaak is also known as "rava-shabda" - a condition of shabda that is beyond the reach of mind and intelligence (avyakta), only to be realized by great souls. An example of it is shown in listening to the silence that is found at the end of the chanting of “Om” as a kinesthetic experience.
To realize the pashyanti-vaak, we had to drop the auditory aspect of shabda visualization, and now for the paraa-vaak we dropped the visual aspect too and stayed on only with the subtlest aspect of visualization, the kinesthetic form.
Thus, by taking our Silva programming to this level we certainly will derive the finest result.
So, is this it then? Is this the ultimate application of paraa-vaak? No. Indeed we have just begun touching the outer zone of the spiritual potency of paraa-vaak.
Paraa-vaak is the transcendent sound. Paraa in one sense means the highest or farthest, and in this connection it indicates that sound which is beyond the perception of the senses. Kinesthetic on the other hand is well within the perception of our senses. So how far is this paraa from then?
The Vedic Paraa means that which is from the beyond. It is so because it springs forth from beyond the world of the matter – from beyond the objective world originating from the spiritual manifestation.
Paraa-vaak is the most potent shabda. Our contact to it brings about an observable life altering change within us. It brings about enlightenment leading to self-realization. It uplifts us to the manifest spiritual universe.
So how do we access that level of consciousness which is beyond the realm of mind and intelligence? What lies in that realm that is non-spiritual that we can take help of? What is there that is still material and as a result accessible to a non-self-realized person like us?
The summary conclusion of all the Vedic scriptures, the Bhagavad-gita in chapter 7 verse 4 mentions that, beyond our gross physical body made up of the five elements is our astral or subtle (sukshma) material body made up of mann, buddhi and ahankaar. This is the key.
The Vedas explain us that here in the objective material world, the consciousness of self (“I” the pure spiritual spark, “Soul”, the spiritual living person, me) is covered with five material koshas, or coverings.
Thus Self realization (realization of self) begins from the stage of realization of self as being a pure-spirit-soul-person independent of any need of association of matter in both of its gross and subtle states.
What are these five material coverings that we have to give up to begin the process of realization of our spiritual sva-rupa (true self)?
annamaya kosha (accessible at the Beta level) is where our primary concern is providing all kinds of aahaar, intakes for our body.
praanmaya kosha (accessible at the Alpha level) is where our primary concern is to maintain our praana, the inner needs of our body, to maintain things at their desired normal healthy level.
mannomaya kosha (accessible at the Theta level) is where we explore the various creative powers of our inner-conscious sukshma, subtle mind.
In attempting pashyanti-vaak, or the samaadhi level we work at the vigyaanmaya kosha or the buddhi or material intelligence level of our consciousness at the Delta brain frequencies.
To experience the final and the deepest covering of our consciousness, the aanandmaya kosha, (the zone within the covering of aananda), the relief of neutrality, we have to experience the paraa-vaak. This is where the key is utilized. We may experience paraa-vaak by working on our ahankaar, the false ego.
Mind you, even this is a covering, a kosha, this is not the self, the “me”, the “I”. This is not self-realization. Self realization begins after this last covering is removed. These are “my” coverings, these are not “me.” To think of this covering to be me is false identification. That is why this covering is called ahankaar, or the false ego, or the mistaken identity of self. Self realization begins with answers to: “who actually am I?”, “what am I?”, “why am I?” etc.
Since ahankaar is the last level of our material identification, we cannot remove it on our own, since for us to remove it we would need an identification to exist upon. We will need a platform, a foothold place from where we can stand and begin the journey of self-discovery in our true pristine spiritual form and nature, seeing our-self free from all the (unnecessary) material coverings and identifications.
It is like, if I am sitting atop a chair, no matter how strong am I, I just cannot lift that chair. I will need external help. Somebody maybe from a hovering helicopter can help. That person can help who has no grounding to that to which I have. That is why it is explained in the Vedic literatures that one needs a self-realized spiritual master who is free from all material identifications, one who is an uttama adhikaari, one who is utt, above tama, ignorance of material coverings to impart us a suitable paraa-vaak, hearing which, our last covering of ahankaar, our last shelter our false ego, the last snare of maya, illusion, the aanandamaya kosha will dissolve and we will enter the blissful realm of our journey of self-discovery.
On the stage of Paraa-vaak there is no distinction between the object and the vaak. The vaak contains within it all the qualities of the object.
In terms of the universal cosmology, vaikhari, madhyamaa and pashyanti correspond respectively to bhuh, bhuvah, and svah.
Beginning with receival of paraa-vaak (where the means and the goal is the same), we will then on act in the true ego of our personal spiritually blissful eternal process of self-realization in the spiritual vaikuntha realms, that which is beyond bhuh, bhuvah and svah.
The pranava, or the syllable "Om", is the complete representation of the four stages of sound and their existential counterparts. They are:
the physical (sthula) which is connected to the vaikhari-shabda,
the subtle (sukshma) which is connected to the madhyamaa-shabda,
the causal (kaarana) which is connected with the pashyanti-shabda, and
the transcendental (paraa) which is related to the paraa-shabda.
These four existential realities further correspond to the four states of consciousness.
The sthula sharira, or physical body, operates in the state of jaagrat (Beta). In this realm of consciousness and through this body the vaikhari-vaak is manifested.
The sukshma-sharira, subtle or psychic body, operates in the state of svapna (Basic Plane). In this realm of consciousness and through this body the Madhyamaa-vaak is manifested.
The kaarana-sarira, or causal body, operates in the state of sushupti (Delta). In this realm of consciousness and through this body the Pashyanti-vaak is manifested.
The Paraa-vaak is manifested through the fourth state of consciousness, known as turiya.
The sacred syllable "Om" is composed of three maatraas, namely "a", "u", and "m".
These three maatraas correspond respectively to bhuh, bhuvah and svah; jaagrat, svapna and sushupti; sukshma, sthula and kaarana; and vaikhari, madhyamaa and pashyanti. Besides these three maatraas, the pranava ("a-u-m") is also composed of a forth constituent, namely the a-maatraa or anaahata-dhvani - the non-syllable or unstruck sound. For our practical understanding, this a-maatraa corresponds to the silent humming sound after one recites the "Om" syllable. The a-maatraa represents the transcendence, the turiya, the Paraa-vaak.
Thus the syllable Om contains all elements of existence. It is the reservoir of all energies of the Supreme Lord, and for this reason Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (8.13):
om ity ekaksharam brahma
"The sacred syllable Om is the supreme combination of letters."
In the Bhagavad-gita (7.8) the Supreme Lord says:
pranava sarva vedeshu
"I am the syllable Om in the Vedic mantras."
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu established the pranava as the mahaa-vaakya (the greatest statement) of the Vedas, for within it exist all Vedic hymns (and shabda). The world itself is a manifestation of this syllable. It is the sound representation of the Absolute Truth.
The vaak is not a manifestation of the material nature, for the Vedanta sutra 2.4.4 states as follows:
tat-purvakatvad vacah
This indicates that the vaak existed before the pradhaana. Pradhaana is the root of the material manifestation - the three qualities non-differentiated in absolute equilibrium. Yet prior to this is the vaak. Thus the vaak is non-material.
For this reason we find in the Vedanta Sutras the following statement:
anaavriti shabdaat
"Liberation by shabda."
Since sound is the non-material source of the material manifestation, it is the key by which we can become free from bondage. It is the thread-like link between the material and spiritual realms.
In describing the four phases of shabda, sometimes the descriptions of one will overlap another, or sometimes an aspect of one will seem to be attributed to another. For example sometimes pashyanti is described as "mental sound", whereas madhyamaa will be described as "intellectual sound". This will require a deeper explanation of the intricacies of these stages of sound and their relationships.
To study these concepts in greater depth one may refer to the Naada-bindu Upanishad, Bhartrihari's Vaakyapadadiya, Prashna Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, Maandukya Upanishad, Maitri Upanishad and Kathaa Upanishad, as well as the concepts of shabda, vaak, maatrikaas, the four states of consciousness, etc., as found throughout the upanishads. One should remember that in Vedic study one will not generally find a book on a particular topic (such as "vaikhari", etc.) One must study from numerous sources and assimilate a number of apparently diverse concepts. These concepts must then be harmonized internally.
** Regarding the Svadhisthana Chakra where we do pashyanti-vaak, I found an interesting reference in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.18 (To read, if you have diacritic fonts installed, you may click here or else click here)
Better and
better,
Avadhut das
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