The
Seven Stages of Consciousness
"Your
constant utilization of thought
to give continuity to your separate self is 'you'.
There is nothing there inside you other than that."
U.G. Krishnamurti
The seven stages of human
consciousness have traditionally been known as the "seven bodies." I
would like to describe them as seven stages because I feel the evidence
suggests that "bodies" three through seven are layers of consciousness
in the physical human brain. This is my opinion and traditionalists may
disagree, so be aware that you are reading one man's views of ancient
teaching that are not written in stone. I am trying to bring science
and the ancient Eastern traditions into harmony. That marriage may be a
bit awkward at first as the combination is so new.
All should be aware that an overly serious discussion of the seven
stages can lead to a form of pseudo-spiritual fascism. Fixation with
categorizing different levels of consciousness tarnished the image of
the Theosophical movement in the early 20th century, as it led to a
foolish competition among members. Many Theosophists arrogantly claimed
to be on a higher level of consciousness than the rest of the group, as
if jumping levels were the only criteria for gauging the value of a
human being.
Ultimately, human worth is subjective and rests, like beauty, in the
eye of the beholder. Who is to say that even a Buddha is better than
your wife, son, or daughter? Those you love most are of highest value
to you, not the far away yogi or monk. No real or imagined hierarchy of
beings on higher levels of consciousness are of importance unless you
make them important. Full enlightenment and three dollars will buy you
a cup of coffee and a jelly doughnut at almost any diner in
America.
The traditional Eastern description of the seven stages is derived from
subjective feeling, not objective testing. It is therefore advised that
you take the descriptions of the seven stages as subjective states of
consciousness, not as proven physical science. The human brain contains
approximately 100 billions neurons, all connected by an estimated 50
trillion synapses. This ocean of electrified living cells creates the
holographic like phenomena we know as consciousness. Is there a
consciousness or 'soul' that is separable from the physical body? That
is the important question we must try to find the answer to through
both meditation and scientific research.
How is it possible to know oneself objectively and thus accurately? For
example, subjectively your dog may know your automobile very well. He
may have ridden in your car, smelled it, felt it, and seen it as
clearly as you, but does that mean that your dog really knows what an
automobile is objectively? Likewise, just because you may be able to
feel the different layers of consciousness inside yourself does not
mean that you understand the true nature of consciousness in an
objective, factual way.
Can we trust ancient scriptures from the pre-scientific ages to tell us
the truth? Do the famous and often infamous "enlightened ones" have all
the answers about our inner nature? I do not believe even the words of
enlightened teachers can be trusted on these issues because history
shows us that the enlightened sages make as many mistakes as anyone
else, and are subject to cultural conditioning, just like you and me.
For example, the famous Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese meditation
masters mainly ate meat, as was the custom in their countries. The
Indian mystics, however, are adamantly vegetarian, as is their strict
Hindu and Jain culture.
Societal programming does effect the enlightened and may well attach
false beliefs to their minds, which they may pass on to you as proven
truth. If their culture believes in souls and reincarnation, then they
may believe the same simply out of lifelong conditioning.
Unfortunately, the very real phenomena of enlightenment does not endow
infallible wisdom. It is with these warnings that we enter the
intriguing world of the seven stages of consciousness.
1) The first stage is simple awareness of the physical body, which
medical science continues to map and explore. Those who reside
primarily in the first stage are concerned with the simple basics of
life: food, shelter, and family. They may believe in organized
religions, but they lack deep involvement in anything beyond the mere
physical.
2) The second stage has been called the etheric, energetic, or
emotional body, which is closely communicative with the purely
physical. Acupuncture has some effect on the second energy body which
is barely beyond our flesh and bone. The second layer can be energized
by deep breathing, yoga postures, jogging, and good health in
general.
Most human beings primarily reside in the second level of consciousness
and create the majority of our culture, art, politics, and organized
religion. The second stage is not meditative, but is richly and
complexly emotional. No actor could develop great "emotional range"
unless they were at least a conscious resident of the second
stage.
This ranking of stages implies no overall superiority of human worth. A
person in the first stage may be good hearted and hard working, while a
second stage person may be a decadent drug addict, thief, and murderer.
Imagine the earth viewed from the perspective of deep space, the thin
layer of our "humanity" barely visible as a dulling of the earth's
atmosphere due to the pollution we create. Who can judge any human
worth from the eternal cosmic perspective?
3) The third stage, sometimes called the "astral body," is the first
body of meditation. When you sit in meditation and start to feel bigger
than the purely physical, that is the astral revealing itself. It is
colorful and pleasant, but fairly low in energy. The third and fourth
stages of consciousness are closely associated with the functions of
the brain, just as the second body is closely associated with the
function of the total physical body, including functions of the
peripheral nervous system and internal organs.
When one says that a person is in the third stage of consciousness,
that means that is where he or she resides most of the time.
Consciousness fluctuates up and down, burning brighter or becoming
dimmer when one is tired or less attentive. Those who primarily reside
in the third stage have frequent jaunts into the fourth stage but may
also fall back into the second stage when their awareness is less
activate. Those students who primarily reside in the fourth stage have
frequent excursions into the fifth level of consciousness, which is
called a 'satori.' Even those in the third stage may sometimes jump up
temporarily to the fifth stage for a glimpse of freedom. These glimpses
may be initiated by intense practice or triggered by close proximity to
a teacher who resides in the fifth, sixth, or seventh stage. You can
call this transference, transmission, or simply a "contact
high."
The vast majority of people who practice meditation are in the second
or third stage, but you would be surprised at the number of letters I
receive from novice students who automatically assume they are in the
fifth stage or even higher. Many are in a blind rush to become
enlightened and naively think they can achieve the ultimate after a few
short years of practice. It is a common mistake to believe that
intellectual knowledge about enlightenment is equivalent to
enlightenment itself. The Indian sage Ramana Maharshi once said that
enlightenment was an "unlearning," not a learning. Meditation is a
knack, an energy phenomena of the brain and consciousness. It is not an
accumulation of borrowed wisdom dumped, like a landfill, into the
thinking part of the brain. One must develop tremendous patience in
order to make real progress in meditation.
4) The fourth stage has been called the "mental body" and feels larger
than the third. Subjectively, the fourth feels oceanic and is filled
with more intense energy and light. The fourth is highly projective and
is the instrument of clarity, imagination, and vivid dreams. The
greatest artists of history have been awakened to the fourth stage and
drew inspiration and energy from its depths. Frank Lloyd Wright was an
obvious example of a fourth stage artist and architect. His homes
radiate the mysteries of higher consciousness and celebrate man's
intimate connection with nature. Many people love Frank Lloyd Wright's
homes but cannot comprehend what is so unique about them. The answer
lies in his depth of consciousness, which he gracefully expressed in
wood, stone, and art glass.
Those who reach the fourth stage often imagine they are enlightened and
become even more arrogant and selfish than they were before attaining
it. Most Indian and Tibetan gurus and contemporary Japanese "Zen
masters" are in this fourth stage, and that is why most are not very
helpful to their own students. The potential for ego inflation is
difficult to resist, but can be fought off by remembering that the
fourth stage is relatively easy to attain and there are thousands of
mid-level fourth stage students in the world at any given time. The
fourth stage can be achieved by the use of methodology if a student
makes a sincere effort over a long period of time. While there is
nothing unusual about entering this expanded state of consciousness, it
does take us one step closer to true wakefulness.
5) Going beyond the fourth stage to the fifth level is the truly
difficult task for students of meditation. Those who attain the fifth
stage are said to have reached the first level of enlightenment. To
reach the fifth one must journey upwards, not just outwards, and this
higher plane facilitates a continuous state of superconsciousness. The
fourth can be described as an ocean of light that is highly projective.
The fifth is an absolutely non-projective layer of energy that is just
beyond that ocean of light, beyond the thought process, and beyond the
human mind. Subjectively, the fifth feels like an infinity of warm and
comfortable darkness that softly envelopes the mind ocean. The fifth
stage is the last and final layer of our individual personal being. To
put it in other terms, in the fourth stage you feel like a ball of
consciousness floating in the depth of space. In the fifth stage you
literally feel that you are the depth of space.
The Total Awareness method described in Meditation Handbook is a means
by which students of meditation who are in the fourth stage can gain
reliable glimpses of the fifth. A glimpse of the fifth is called a
satori, a temporary peak at self-realization. Many students confuse the
blissfulness of the third and fourth stages they experience during
meditation sessions with satori, which is a deeper phenomena. Even to
experience an authentic satori is relatively easy. To live in satori,
the fifth stage, is relatively impossible. It is almost like the
difference between visiting Hawaii and actually owning Hawaii.
The fifth stage is the first comfortable level of consciousness where
one truly feels at home. Until the fifth is attained we live as
strangers to ourselves, because we have not yet come home to our own
essential being. Until the fifth we do not know our "original face,"
and thus we suffer.
6) The sixth stage of consciousness has been called the "cosmic body"
and is said to be discovered through a jump from all that is human into
all that is beyond. The sixth is described as the same size as the
physical universe and its realization is beyond the limits of mind.
This is the "uncharted" and "pathless" territory that Jiddu
Krishnamurti spoke about so intensely. Those who attain the sixth stage
attract energy from all sides of the universe and pass that energy
through like a clear lens. Enlightenment is not in our small human
brains, but in the cosmic force that passes through us
untouched.
Claims made by some gurus that the higher levels of consciousness make
one capable of time travel are false. All seven stages and all of life
exists in the here and now. Even a full Buddha is not capable of seeing
into the future in any magical way beyond ordinary reasonable guesses.
Unfortunately, there is much self-promotion in the world of gurus,
which often leads to exaggeration. Likewise, such often claimed powers
as the ability to materialize matter and the attainment of an
all-seeing, infallible wisdom are equally fictitious. Human beings in
the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh stages often do have the
authentic powers of telepathy and direct energy transmission.
7) The seventh stage is said to be beyond size and form, and is the
limitless void from which all is born. The seventh stage is known as
'nirvana' and 'moksha' (example - see Ramana Maharshi).
For my views on this matter see the essay, Do you have a soul?
Christopher Calder
