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..:: The Sri Yantra ::..
By
Alan Schneider
(Please Note:
A full size representation of the Sri Yantra can be found on THE
SEARCHLIGHT website at:
http://www.searchlightforyou.com. Select the
“Doors” link, and then the “Sacrifice – Cp5” link. The image will appear
at the top of the page.)
The Sri Yantra is one of
Hinduism’s most abiding spiritual symbols, dating far back into South
Asian antiquity. Nominally dedicated to the Goddess Tripura Sundari, and
considered to be a depiction of one of the many Female aspects of God in
Hinduism, this complex figure is also ascribed to the Goddess Sri, or
Shri in other sectarian interpretations. In all probability, the same
female identity is being referred to here by the preferred titles used
by one sect or another. The generally accepted consensus among the
authorities is that the form of this mantra is principally that of a
mandala, being largely circular (although enclosed in a square structure
around its perimeter) and is considered to be more female than male in
its spiritual implications and symbolism, for the reasons outlined in
this article.
Although the mandala is built around first a sixteen-petaled
Lotus immediately following the square exterior, and then an
eight-petaled Lotus after that (both of which are characterized as
representing a total series of twenty-four God/Goddess aspects), to this
author it is the complex interleaved inner structure of super-imposed
triangles that is of the greatest interest, and the most profound
symbolic significance, in view of his personal spiritual revelations of
the Identity of the Logos. This latter term is perhaps the best
possible one for use in describing the Supreme Consciousness, because it
does not carry a sexually differentiated meaning, as does the term
“God”, which automatically implies the counterpoised term “Goddess”.
The Logos is simply the ultimate expression of the Core of Consciousness
present at the center of Jung’s sphere of the total Psyche. Jung
presumed this focus to be the origin of all conscious expression, and
not necessarily contained within the physical boundaries of the human
body, either. When consciousness is viewed as consciousness – a
field of conscious expression – we find that the Jungian model of
the Psyche provides the most satisfactory explanation of human behavior
and experience. In contrast, the Freudian model is far more limited,
because it assumes that consciousness is confined to the brain, and the
body that houses that brain. For Jung, the brain is more analogous to a
local carrier node in an extended network of manifestation that expands
far beyond the individual human body, although this network can only be
experienced locally through the use of a body as a receiver of the
networked signal, and then only in significantly altered states of
heightened awareness.
As one who has had many extended conscious experiences of
various levels of “heightened awareness” of the type referred to in the
previous paragraph, the question of the gendered quality of the Logos is
both fascinating, and of paramount importance for the very foundation of
spirituality. If the Dao of existence is more essentially female than
male (as I believe it is) the implications for living are staggering.
This implies that the male qualities, all of which come down to
aggression, are not the critical ones at work at the most basic
levels of consciousness, and therefore awareness of the world. We are
confronted with the female qualities, all of which devolve to
nurturance, as the basis of human nature in both men and women. How
can something as abstract and expansive as the Logos demonstrate
gendered nature? There are many explanations that support this
contention, particularly when that gender is presumed to be female.
This consideration flatly conflicts with the Biblical
assertion that the Logos is male in action and orientation. In
all probability, this presumption was the result of the massively
patriarchal structure of most of Western culture in antiquity. Man
literally created God is his image – i.e. masculine – not the
obverse. Eastern traditions, from India onward, tend to postulate a
feminine Logos at the base of the Mind. The Hindu essence of God – the
Brahman – is universally held to be female in aspect and manifestation.
Many other expressions of the Logos in the Orient are also female,
including both the Buddhist Tara and Daoist Quan Yin.
A subtle logic actually underlies this mode of belief. If
the ultimate Essence of the Logos is feminine, then this should be
demonstrated by the qualities of liquids – flowing and
accommodating – not blocking and resisting, as solid objects do.
If we assume a universal field of manifestation that is at once present
in all conditions, but not solely represented by any one expression,
then some kind of universal movement must be occurring throughout the
cosmos, flowing through everything, but not contained in anything. Flow
is the supreme female quality – hopefully gentle, but always
persistent, in its effect as the molder of form. It is this ability to
flow into and through manifestation that enables female nurturance as
the sustaining quality of the universe. Were it not for this condition
of supportive intervention, nothing would persist long enough to sustain
an entity identity – the universe would be an endless explosion of chaos
and disruption. On an individual human level, we all owe our very
existence to maternal nurturance in childhood, however minimal it may
have been in some cases. It is through the manifestation of flow and
flux that all interaction is enabled – both are female
qualities.
The universe itself is presumed to be female by Hindu
tradition in this time of Kali – Her universe, not merely
Her time in an otherwise neutral universe, and this beyond even the
female Brahman. The very environment we live in is Kali Yuga by its
essential nature! Shiva may be the origin of the primal Idea, but that
Idea flows into manifestation through the action of Shakti, the female
principal! So it is that the Sri Yantra is such an important spiritual
symbol of the universal manifestation of form in a predominantly
feminine mode.
This author’s personal spiritual revelations have almost all
had a distinctly female aspect when considered in retrospect. Regardless
of what male energies may have been present during an Ascension process,
the culmination was always experienced as being qualitatively female in
the final stages. In the deep symbolism of the collective unconscious,
it is quite probable that the quality of of of flow augments and
sustains a condition of purity in the manifestation of psychic
experience, by tending to conduct or flush away other, more fragmented
or discordant perceptions as one ascends “Jacob’s Ladder” of
consciousness to the Logos. In the case of my most recent full Ascension
experience, recounted in the Samadhi chapter of Doors In
Disguise, I had the distinct impression of being enveloped in a
cocoon of absolute nurturance, pure Love, and white Light, as the final
expression present. Such a perception purifies the personal
consciousness that attains it, healing all psychic wounds in the
process. The challenge of reaching such an experience lies in the
requirement that one be willing and able to release all other
states of perception, including the awareness of the body, and the
life-long conditioned belief that one cannot live without it – not at
all an easy thing to do, but still possible with prior preparation.
This author has practiced meditation in the Buddhist Mindfulness
tradition for many years, which tends to dispel the illusion of
ego-awareness, simultaneously enabling the perception of the Truth of
the Logos. There are many other equally effective methods of Ascension
(sweat lodges, fasting, austerity, martial arts discipline,
transcendental prayer), but this is the one that has worked most
effectively for me...
The core of the Sri Yantra mandala is composed of nine
interleaved triangles, representing the Hindu Trinity of Brahma (not to
be confused with the Brahman). Vishnu, and Shiva in each case.
Four of the triangles point upward, and represent the male energy of
Shiva, while the remaining five triangles point downward and represent
the female energy of Shakti. At the very center of the structure is a
point, a simple dot, that represents the female essence of the entire
mandala, Tripura Sundari. Another instance of the use of a dot to
represent a fundamental expression is seen in the Supreme Mantra – OM
– where the dot at the top of the structure represents the action of
Brahma, the Creator of Forms. Presumably, the action of creation emerges
from a pre-perceived state that is unmanifest, in the form of a
dimensionless, but still conceivable (and conception equals
perception), point of expression, and then expands from there into
full manifestation as experienced in the senses. A dimensionless, but
still conceivable, point is about as basic as perception gets, yet in
the case of OM, this is represented as a male quality of Brahma,
and in the case of the Sri Yantra as the female quality of
Tripura Sundari. Perhaps the Soul vibration of sound – OM is customarily
chanted as a means of attaining enlightenment – is in some sense less
refined than that of visualization of a mandala. The Sri Yantra, like
all mandalas, is designed to be visualized as a means of attaining
enlightenment. As was previously noted, there are many possible paths to
the Truth of the Logos.
This author has personally used the Sri Yantra mandala to
great effect in visualization meditation. The network of triangles
created by the interleaved structure is indicated in Hindu theory as
representing in each small triangular or diamond shaped facet another
aspect of the Logos, all named and designated by their powers and
supernatural influence, comprising the “Heavenly Host” surrounding the
Logos. I have repeatedly effortlessly envisioned this entire structure
radiating forth from spiritually significant forms apparent to the
senses, including the hump on the backs of Brahma bulls! Apparently,
there must be some perceptual rational for the Hindu belief in the
Sacred Cow and Bull beyond mere superstition. As has been mentioned in
previous editions of of THE SEARCHLIGHT, the cow and bull were the
first recorded instances in prehistoric times of supernatural belief
systems.
Of greater significance from the viewpoint of consciousness
development is the significance of the triangle in geometry. Apart from
the circle, This is the simplest linear geometric form that encloses a
given space, and the most durable from the perspective of construction
techniques. It is no surprise that the Pyramids have lasted for all the
ages of humanity – they are composed of triangular faces resistant to
the passage of time and the action of the elements. In my spiritual
visions, the triangular facets of the Sri Yantra radiated forth in a
three-dimensional expression of the manifestation of primordial form
– the energy of manifestation that eventually assumes concrete
expression in the human sensory perception of the world of physical
objects and processes. I have come to the conclusion that the Triangle
is one of the Primary Archetypal symbols acting in the collective
unconscious as a fundamental building block of perception. Even the
lines composing the facets of the Sri Yantra are numinous (Jung’s
term for something that stands out in subconscious experience) in
character, representing levels of meaning beyond their simple linear
manifestation. I believe that the simple “stick figures” (admittedly an
oversimplification) portrayed in prehistoric art represent the beginning
of all conscious perception, as do the very simplest ancient alphabets –
Sumerian cuneiform in the West, and pre-Aryan Runic characters in the
East. We are seeing the mind and awareness emerge from instinct when we
look at these ciphers from ancient history.
Obviously, the human agencies responsible for the
construction of the Sri Yantra went to great lengths to portray the
female Logos Aspect in as much detail, and with the greatest extent of
thoroughness, possible. It is very probable that this expression of
consciousness passed through several stages of development, as do most
profoundly spiritual processes. The ancients clearly attached great
significance to this structure. What might be the implications for
modern human beings present in this mandala from antiquity? What can it
teach us?
These questions come down to the meaning of the Female
Logos. If “God” is more manifest as “Goddess”, there are certain basic
implications for our human conduct here on the Physical Plane. The first
is that aggression and aggressive behavior and posturing will tend to
result in spiritual devolution, on, not evolution. Yes, we can use
technology, weaponry, and intimidation to take what we find desirable on
the Physical Plane of expression, but we will pay the price in terms of
an increasingly wounded and dysfunctional world, as the downward spiral
of violence destroys us in the name of preserving us. All aggression is
masculine in character, and the hate and fear that psychologically
prompt violence must be recognized and restrained to avoid the global
catastrophe that stands before us.
The partner of aggression is neglect – neglect of the
need for conservation of resources, neglect of each others vital needs
and emotional well-being, neglect of spiritual growth at the expense of
material distraction and amusement. We must become mindful of
the consequences of our thoughts, feelings, and actions in a world
typified by a sensitive causal net of interaction that extends far into
the future, and to every point of the globe in the present. No matter
how insignificant our involvement may appear to be, it is necessary to
perceive that it is still conceivably very important, and can have
extremely unpredictable consequences for the world around us. And the
likelihood of those consequences having a positive outcome is enhanced
by ego-free involvement and action, as opposed to selfish, petty
personal motivation. Nurturance must become the focus of human
motivation, not greed. Somehow, we must transcend our instinctual nature
and practice compassion and higher involvement in the world as our
consistent modes of expression. I personally strive at all times to
teach these qualities by personal example, and encourage my fellow human
beings to do the same. I have learned at this stage of my spiritual
development that I am not alone, but rather am surrounded by the Souls
of the living, the dead, and the unborn, and must live accordingly for
the benefit of us all!
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2007, Alan Schneider)
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