Understanding the seven states and stages of consciousness as described in the Masters' teachings.
The classification of consciousness into streams/stages/levels of consciousness is done based on the following article Moulding is Preceptor’s Business by Pujya Sri K.C. Narayana. References are made, where applicable, to the Game of Life.
It is to be noted that:
- State of consciousness is a fluid, transitory experience during meditations or at other times.
- Stages of consciousness are our enduring state.
Swami Vivekananda stated: “According to the philosophers of our country, every being is a perfect Soul, and the diversity of evolution and manifestation of nature is simply due to the difference in the degree of manifestation of the Soul. The moment the obstacles to the evolution and manifestation of nature are completely removed, the Soul manifests itself perfectly. Whatever may happen in the lower strata of nature’s evolution, in the higher strata at any rate, it is not true that it is only by constantly struggling against obstacles that one has to go beyond them. Rather it is observed that there, the obstacles give way and a greater manifestation of the Soul takes place through education and culture, through concentration and meditation, and above all through SACRIFICE… The attempt to remove evil from the world by killing a thousand evil-doers only adds to the evil in the world. But if the people can be made to desist from evil-doing by means of SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION, there is no more evil in the world.”
He further states: “Man’s struggle is in the mental sphere. A man is greater in proportion as he can control his mind. When the mind’s activities are perfectly at rest, the Atman manifests itself. The struggle which we observe in the animal kingdom for the preservation of the gross body has its use in the human plane of existence for gaining mastery over the mind or for attaining the state of balance.”
Master stated: “Life is the awakening of the state of Being. When we brought in our share of the awakening state, every function of the material existence commenced. In the beginning, it was more in relation with Divinity from which life started. With the progress of life, actions continued having their effect according to their nature.” He says that because actions are very strong since they are connected with life, their misuse produced wrong effects and the whole frame of the body became a human factory with every faculty forming its own centre and started pouring out what has been collected thus far. When the span of life of a particular being ended, a form afresh was assumed with the accumulated grossness and this process continued for several lives. Thus he says we have formed poles according to our actions and they became very strong. Finally all this led to a condition where we remain embraced by the commands we receive from different centres each for the faculties.
Thus we see clearly the Master is referring only to the process of return to the Home Land and we are not talking of evolution proper as understood by Scientists, Philosophers and Psychologists. But the process of return to the Home Land is the process of gradually annihilating the Ego and becoming selfless. Such a selfless person, who has reached a state of Void/Nothingness, naturally is in tune with the power of manifestation and his participation in that process is natural and Divine. The gradual process of becoming that has led to the theory of evolutionism is sought to be explained in this system as a gradual peeling up of samskaras/impressions collected by the individual expressions of the Life energy.
The beauty of the system is that while returning to the Origin/Centre we arrive at a state of pure Divinity and we are exhorted to use this condition to help others find their return path to the Home Land.
Master in his message in May 1970 stated that: “The soul is longing to feel its characteristic which has gone out of sight, and this insignificant being is seeking fellow pilgrims to march on the path of freedom.” The point of great importance here is, Master is not restricting anyone to try this system. According to Hindu tradition human beings can be classified according to the goals they entertain, as Kamarthi (seeker of desires), Artharthi (seeker of wealth), Dharmarthi (seeker of virtuous path) and Moksharthi (seeker after Freedom). That there are several types of people among human beings is unquestionable. Spiritual training under the system advocated by our Master can be given to all.
There are five sheaths covering human beings; these sheaths are well classified as the 5 Kosas in our tradition. In any society there are bound to be individuals at different levels of growth and maturity, not only intellectually but also morally and spiritually. We find very interesting researches done by Psychologists of the present day who are trying to restore Soul to the Science of Soul (Psychology — Psyche = Soul, Logy = Science) which it almost lost a century ago.
It is agreed in the circles of Transpersonal Psychology as well as Integral Psychology that there are streams of consciousness. They have been classified as mainly consisting of certain basic characteristics identified as typical of each stream. That all existence has been understood as a stream of Consciousness is the basic tenet of the great Sage Nagarjuna. His philosophy of Alaya Vijnana is something that swept the scholars of his day. Broadly the streams are classified as 7 or 8 categories. They are relevant for us in as much as we are trying to balance the contradictory forces in our consciousness through the wholesome influx of Pranahuti. Pranasya Pranah is the basic core of any type of consciousness and has therefore the inherent capacity to bridge the gulf between two or more streams of consciousness that are in collision path in us.
It is however necessary to note that these streams of consciousness, which perhaps can be better compared with strands in a rope, never exist totally independent of each other. If we keep in view that wholesome attitude it will be possible to find the following strains/strands/streams of consciousness in society in general and in individuals in particular.
The Seven States of Consciousness
- Ego Centric
- Ethno Centric
- Global
- Cosmic
- Para Cosmic
- Non Dual
- Oneness
Stages of Consciousness
1. Magical
Persons whose thinking pattern accommodates this stream of consciousness think partially in animistic terms — magical spirits, belief in good and bad spirits which either bless or curse and in turn decide the events that occur. There is belief in the spirit of ancestors and an effort to work out lineage with persons who are gone for ever, and a strong bond in the clan or tribe. In many persons we find this type of consciousness co-existing with more advanced features of consciousness, many times including rationality. In the case of persons who share this type of consciousness the Self is not fully developed and is dependent on magical and mystical means. If one set of rites and rituals or magical charms fail, another is resorted to immediately, else their self collapses under the weight of lack of confidence in self.
2. Power Gods
Persons whose thinking pattern accommodates this stream think in terms of settling accounts and through power (muscle or otherwise) controlling and dictating others — their main motivating principle is power and glory. Terrorists and war maniacs belong to this category. This is a streak of the animal instinct that somehow persists in the human. The self development in these cases is dependent on perceived capacity to inflict pain on others and one’s own muscle or money power. The Self is bonded by these, and any failing to the body or its prowess can inflict a stunning blow to the self.
3. The Conformists
Persons who partake in this stream are very decided as to what is right and what is wrong and they know it fully. Violating the code of conduct or rules is abhorred and punished if possible; if not, the culprit is severed of his connections with the family/village/or any other group to which he belongs. Any lapse in following the norms leads to a sense of guilt and severe punishments are given and accepted. These persons who follow the norms, rules, regulations and restrictions that are imposed by an avowed authority — usually a religious figure, book or tradition — generally pass off as saintly persons in society. The self here is under severe bondage but it enjoys the credits that are showered on it by society, and many times is not even aware of its bondage. This is one of the toughest bonds that needs to be broken in the path of freedom of spirit.
4. The Explorers
Persons who partake in this stream are not convinced about the existing strict code of morals and rules governing life; they question everything of religion, every rite and routine. They claim to be having a scientific temper and want equality, fraternity and liberty to be the same for all the human population irrespective of race, religion, gender and such other divisions. They do not accept any hierarchy in the relationship of the ruled and the ruler, between man and woman. They have no moral compunction to utilise the resources available even if it were to be for exploitation through intelligent manoeuvres. They have no difficulty to use the baser instincts in the advertisement and propaganda of their products and give all types of specious logic to defend themselves. This type of consciousness is unfortunately seen in almost all the human beings of the present day. The self in these cases is under delusion and is totally lacking direction in the moral and spiritual plane.
5. The Sensitive Seekers
Persons who partake in this type of consciousness are committed to communication as a means for developing fraternal bonds. They agree that human beings must be freed from greed, avarice, jealousy and believe in developing humane relationships with a symbiotic approach to all problems. While the desire is there to attain harmony and understanding amongst all, they end up seeking and trying all the time to find means through which they can succeed to communicate to others their point of view. They are heavily dependent on the rationality of human beings and think that rationality can itself solve the problem, though it is always frustrated in its attempts and the explorers and power gods have their way. The self in these cases is having a taste of the expansiveness and is ready to come out of its shackles.
6. The Holistic Super Conscious Men
These are very few in the human population who, through their relentless struggle in their inner selves, seek to generate harmony and good will amongst all human beings and enable them to develop true love amongst all sentient beings and devotion to the Supreme Consciousness that rules the Universe. Apart from abiding by Truth and Reality in all its aspects, these persons enjoy a tranquility of the most superior type which bridges the gulf and the possible perceived differences, and live and move in the sphere of harmony, understanding, compassion, co-operation, co-existence of all beings, love, and direct non-interfered oneness which helps them share and makes the word of sacrifice meaningless in as much as it is only a service to one’s own very Being. They experience the inner oneness of all and find there is no disharmony essentially in nature. For these persons there is no individual self and therefore no individual interest. They cross the borders of Egoism and naturally their performance is always marked by a fragrance of natural perfection.
Moulding and Transformation
Moulding or transformation of the stages of consciousness implies first of all change from the existing position or status. Therefore it is incumbent on the part of aspirants that they should be prepared to accept change in their ways of living and behaving as also bring in changes in their attitudes and priorities. It has been our experience that while almost all aspirants want to get ‘Realized’, very few of them ever think of being prepared to change.
While preparing this evaluation tool on the Pind Desh and the level of progress with regards to the Kosas (Sheaths of consciousness), one has to understand that one needs to continuously evaluate on a regular basis so as to understand the levels to which the demolition and modification of our past has taken place.
The demolition of our past has several stages. This has been dealt with in the book Path of Grace. The problem of demolition of our structures is the removal of the influence of layers of consciousness as studied in the nature of the Five Kosas as encountered in our spiritual journey. Here in this evaluation tool we are looking at the same process from the angle of demolition of the illusion of Ego. They are all minor annihilations of the Ego structures we have developed out of nothing.
The Seven Stages of Annihilation of Ego Structures
First stage — First Load Shedding: When we arrive at the first stage, we experience our first load shedding, if we may call it so. We are temporarily lost to our limited individuality and experience bliss. Many confuse this with having realised Self/God and hence get stuck in the first plane. If we keep ourselves free from self-delusion or come to realise that our attainment is but a transitional phase, we advance further on the spiritual path and arrive at the second plane.
Second stage — Annihilation of the False: The merging into the second plane is called the annihilation of the false. The aspirant is now absorbed in bliss and infinite light. Some think that they have attained the goal and get stranded in the second plane, but others who keep themselves free from self-delusion march onward and enter the third plane.
Third stage — Annihilation of the Apparent: The merging into the third plane is called the annihilation of the apparent. Here the aspirant loses all consciousness of his body and his world. In our system we do not go through the coma state at all consciously and the helping hand of the Master keeps us conscious all through. Here our Vairagya gets fulfilled. Here the awareness of the universal presence of the Divine is felt very acutely and the intimacy with it leads to ecstatic states temporarily.
Fourth stage — First encounter with Freedom (Swarajya): The next structure to fall is the individuality and is the first encounter with freedom or swarajya. The aspirant experiences a peculiar state of consciousness that seems to have all the power. Master at this stage protects us totally by making us oblivious of our capacity and thereby avoiding any fall in our state. The aspirant is never spiritually safe, and his reversion is always possible until he has successfully crossed the fourth plane and arrived at the fifth one. There is no way that we can think of in the modern world to demolish these structures without the help of our Master.
Fifth stage — Annihilation of all Desires: The merging into the fifth plane is the state of annihilation of all desires. Here the incessant activity of the lower intellect comes to a standstill. Master tries to explain this by the process of Invertendo and reversal of sides of the higher and lower types of mind. The seeker does not think in the ordinary way, and he is indirectly a source of many inspiring thoughts. He sees, but not with the physical eyes. Mind speaks with the mind, and there is neither worry nor doubt. He is now spiritually safe and beyond the possibility of a downfall. This we know is the stage of the beginning of Brahmand mandal. Here again Master’s Power supports us and does not allow us to delude ourselves to think “I am God” or “Aham Brahmasmi.”
Sixth stage — Annihilation of Self in the Beloved: Master enables us to move on further and we advance into the sixth plane. The merging into the sixth plane is called the annihilation of self (lover) in the beloved. Now the pilgrim sees different things of this world. This is the stage of starting of Prapanna gati where there is a continual perception and enjoyment of God that does not suffer a break even for an instant. Yet the demolition is not complete.
Seventh stage — Mergence in the Master: Master enables us to move on further into the seventh stage of annihilation and helps us demolish our individuality in the Master. Here we become Prapanna Prabhu and henceforth there is no demolition of structures, but progress by way of mergence in the Divine becomes refined and there is no end to such a refinement.