In this post I would like to show and then explain how the chakras work and what their physiological bases are.

In meditation, we should always try to feel or know in which part of our body is the best energy and whether we can use that energy to function as a chakra. Which means, that we will turn the energy in that part ourself (consciously), instead of allowing it to be and move there on its own accord (unconsciously).

The first chakra that has to be in place is the root chakra, which is at the bottom of the spine, but whose function it is to continuously lead all energy into the spine. If that is functioning properly then, a person attains to the first degree of self-consciousness, or in Buddhist terms, fine material consciousness.

Both terms have advantages and disadvantages. The first term of self-consciousness is meant to express, that the person’s consciousness will be grounded in his own inner personal experience…all the rest builds up on that (meaning that all further experiences, such as wholesome emotions, or perception of outer objects will have as the base the groundedness in one’s own personal experience).

The second term of fine-material consciousness shows, that the consciousness has as a main support, and object finer matter, which means energy.

When this then is functioning well, then the second chakra, called the sacral chakra may be turned. Turning this chakra means distributing one’s life-energy evenly throughout the body, suffusing the body with life-energy, and preventing one’s bodily energy from getting stuck somewhere. To that effect, the consciousness will be both grounded in the spine and in this chakra.

When the whole body is then suffused with life-energy, ideally, joy will arise, but in life things are often enough not ideal. Yet, what is certain, is that the increase in bodily life will bring about an increase also in mental life. That mental life can be manipulated by manipulating the energy in and around the heart. If the mind contains not what we want, we may turn the energy around, preventing it from going (moving) upwards. To that effect we may gradually have to learn to use the muscle of our heart similar to the muscles (and tendons) we have in our hand and fingers.¹ A person who is highly skilled, will be able to manipulate the energy that has its center in the heart, but may extend also beyond the body to form the aura of the body; in a manner similar to an artist drawing a picture. That energy can be extended or contracted, forms can be drawn into it, or it itself may be formed like clay in the hands of an artisan.

But as the heart itself is also susceptible to the movements of the body, for one who can not wield much control over the pulsing of the heart it may at times help to move the finger or hands around a little to stimulate the working of the heart. If that will not be enough, we may just get up and walk up and down, keeping our focus (ideally) on the heart.

And as the bodily energy gets thus formed and manipulated, it becomes also more refined and subtle, making it a suitable fuel for the more delicate machinery of the brain. On its way it also passes the throat, a place which it will be mostly for the orator or Dhamma-speaker type of person to make function as a chakra, while many a meditator may just pass it by.

And to the degree we can see either forms, or the light whose movement depends on the one hand on the pulsing of the heart and the movement of the blood, and on the other, on the movements of the mind, (our inner vision (third eye)) the forepart of our brain begins to function (as a chakra).

This may be trained in various ways.² A first, comparatively simple way of training this area as a chakra is, by moving our attention back and forth between different sense-perceptions. If we can do that, we may try more elaborate or complex means of training. For instance, we could try to see the items that surround us only as geometrical shapes… the windows as rectangles, perhaps we have a fan in our room, which gives us a circle…the ceiling may be a square…or else we might have tiles or patterns on floor. With these geometrical shapes we then try, if we can play with them around a little…just like an artist playing with various colours.
We may try to see if we can create some picture in our mind with these. But, as of course, a stagnant picture will immediately fall apart, eventually we will have to create an ever shifting motion picture.

When our mind then moves more upwards still, and the visual perceptions that we apprehend turn into a true vision of things, which teaches us something about the cosmos or some law of life, then our brain as a whole begins to function as a chakra…

Yet, there are also other ways, in making a start to only gradually train using the brain as a chakra. One means is by reading and listening to stories which on the one hand stimulate the imagination while on the other hand also teaching something about life. In fact it is precisely the function of all the mythologies of the world to do exactly that…aid the imagination, teach something about life and ideally at some point trigger a true vision of the higher life.³

And when that vision has been gained, a person no longer is a worldly person, but is someone who has started making steps on the path of the spirit.

1. Fingers do not actually possess muscles, but some of the muscles in the hand are responsible for finger movements… ↩︎
2. This may be trained in various ways. Primarily by playing around with perceptions. Yet, any back and forth movement between different sense-perceptions will be a more simple task to start with using this area of the brain as a chakra. ↩︎
3. [3]And of course this is also the function of the Abhidhamma, only in a more sophisticated manner. ↩︎