Five Sheaths or Koshas in Yoga

by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

We humans are like a lamp that has five lampshades over our light. Each of the lampshades is a different color and density. As the light shines through the lampshades, it is progressively changed in color and nature. It is a bitter-sweet coloring. On the one hand, the shades provide the individualized beauty of each lamp. Yet, the la mpshades also obscure the pure light.

The Yoga path of Self-realization is one of progressively moving inward, through each of those lampshades, so as to experience the purity at the eternal center of consciousness, while at the same time allow ing that purity to animate through our individuality. These five levels are called koshas, which literally means sheaths.

Kosha means sheath, like the lampshades covering the light, or like the series of wooden dolls pictured below. Maya means appearance , as if something appears to be one way, but is really another. Advaita Vedanta suggests that you imagine a dark night in which you think you see a man, only to find that it was an old fence post that was hard to see at first; that is maya.

Here, it means that each of the sheaths or koshas is only an appearance . In truth, all of the levels, layers, koshas, or sheaths of our reality is only appearance , or maya (while also very real in the sense of dealing with the external world), and that underneath all of those appearances, we are pure, divine, eternal consciousness, or whatever name you prefer to call it. This is one of the fundamental principles of Advaita Vedanta meditation.

While some view maya as meaning that nothing is real, and turn this into a cold-hearted intellectual practice, others view the illusion of maya as being shakti, the creative force of the universe. In this way, the maya of the koshas is experienced both as unreal and, at the same time, as the beautiful manifestations of t he universal oneness.

Physical - Annamaya kosha Anna means food. All of the physical aspects of life come and go, and are consumed by another aspect of external reality. Thus, the outermost of the koshas is called the sheath of food, or Annamaya kosha. In Vedanta practice, we train this aspect of ourselves, take care of it, nurture it, so that we can both enjoy our external lives and go inward w ithout it being an obstacle during meditation time. In meditation, we become aware of Annamaya kosha, explore it, and then go inward, to and through the other koshas.

Energy - Pranamaya kosha The next of the koshas is Pranamaya kosha. Prana means energy . It is the vital force that produces the subtle vibrations related to breath, and which are the driving force behind the physical aspect of the senses and the operation of the physical body. It allows the invisible indweller, our True Self to be able to animate in the external world. At the same time, however, it allows the eternally still, silent center of consciousness to be mistakenly identif ied as the moving, visible physical body. For both a healthy life and the practice of meditation, Vedanta says that it is very useful, or essential that this level of our being be trained, regulated, and directed, so that it flows smoothly. In meditation, we become aware of Pranamaya kosha, explore it, and then go inward, to and through the other koshas.

Mental - Manamaya kosha The next of the koshas is Manamaya kosha. Mana means mind. It is the level of processing thoughts and emotions. It is in direct control of the operation, through the prana, of the physical body and senses. It is like a supervisor in a factory, in that it gives instructions, but is not supposed to be the manager of the factory of life. Because of this, it naturally has doubts, and created illusions. When it receives clear instructions from the deeper level, it functions quite well. However, when it is clouded over by its illusions, the deeper wisdom is clouded over. After taking care of the physical body and training the energy flow of prana, the most important part to be trained in positive ways is this level of mind. In meditation, we become aware of Manamaya kosha, explore it, and then go inward, to and through the remaining koshas.

Wisdom - Vijnanamaya kosha The next of the koshas is Vijnanamaya kosha. Vijnana means knowing. It is the sheath of wisdom that is underneath the processing, thinking aspect of mind. It knows, decides, judges, and discriminates between this and that, between useful and not useful. It is also the level of ego consciousness, meaning the powerful wave of I-am-ness. This I-am-ness itself is a positive inf luence, but when it gets co-mingled w ith the memories, and is clouded over by the manas, it loses its positive strength. A major part of sadhana (spiritual practice) is gaining ever increasing access to this level of our being. It is the level that has the higher wisdom to seek Truth, to go within, in search of the eternal center of consciousness.

Bliss - Anandamaya kosha Anandamaya kosha is the most interior of the koshas, the first of the koshas surrounding the Atman, the eternal center of consciousness. Ananda means bliss. However, it is not bliss as a mere emotion experienced at the level of the sheath of mind. Ananda is a whole different order of reality from that of the mind. It is peace, joy, and love that is underneath, beyond the mind, independent of any reason or stimulus to cause a happy mental reaction. It is simply being, resting in bliss called ananda. Yet, even this bliss, however wonderful it is, is still a covering, a sheath, a lampshade covering the pure light of consciousness. It is the subtle most of the five koshas. In the silence of deep meditation, this too is let go of, so as to experience the center.

Atman - Self

Atman is the Self , the eternal center of consciousness, which was never born and never dies. In the metaphor of the lamp and the lampshades, At man is the light itself, though to even describe it as that is incomplete and incorrect. The deepest light shines through the koshas, and takes on their colorings. Atman, the Self , has been best desc ribed as indescribable. The realization of that, in direct experience, is the goal of Yoga meditation, Advaita Vedanta, and Tantra practices taught in the Tibet.

JAPA AND AJAPA MANTRA .

A key to stabilizing the mind Many students of meditation and spiritual life complain of a noisy mind, out of control senses, and emotional challenges. One of the most signif icant, single suggestions of the ancient sages is the use of mantra japa, or sacred word to focus the mind. No amount of intellectualizing will convince you of this. It must be practiced for the benefits to be experienced.

Constant remembrance of mantra Regardless of what mantra you use, one of the most important principles is the practice of constant remembrance . By cultivating such a steady awareness many benefits come: One who practices mantra japa in this way will find that the challenges and stressors of daily life are not nearly as disturbing. The mantra gives a place of refuge, an oasis in which the mind can rest. It is not escape, denial, or repression, but a tranquil companion. The objects of the senses begin to lose their control over actions. The incoming streams of negative thoughts, emotions, and desires from the unconscious mind attenuate, or become weaker. The mantra japa gradually becomes a best friend of the mind. Mantra japa leads one in the direction of deeper meditations, and subtle r spiritual experiences.

Japa and Ajapa-Japa Japa means repeating or remembering the mantra, and Ajapa-Japa means constant awareness. The letter A in front of the word Japa means without . Thus, Ajapa-Japa is the practice of Japa without the mental effort normally needed to repeat the mantra. In other words, it has begun to come naturally, turning into a constant awareness. The practice of constant remembrance evolves in stages: At first, you intentionally repeat the syllables of the mantra internally, as if you are talking to yourself in your mind. You allow the inner sound to come at whatever speed feels comfortable to the mind. Sometimes it is very slow, as if the mind were wading through a vat of honey. At other times it is very fast, as if flying through the sky without restraint. With practice, the mantra japa is repeated automatically, like a song that you have heard many times, which just comes on its own. (Some pract itioners consider this automatic repeating to be the meaning of Ajapa-Japa, though there is a subtler meaning, as described below.) Gradually, you merely remember the mantra w ith attention drawn to it. It is more like noticing what is already happening, rather than causing it to happen. It is somewhat like the attention stance of listening rather than speaking, though you might not literally hear the sound. In time, the feeling of the mantra is there, even when the sound or remembering of the syllables is not there. For example, sometimes people will say, "OM, Shanti,

Shanti, Shanti," where the word Shanti means peace or tranquility . During the remembering of the word there may be two things--the word and the feeling of peace or tranquility. When the sylla bles fade away, the feeling may still be there; this is remembrance of the feeling of the mantra. As the practice evolves, there comes a pervasive awareness of the mantra, subtler than both the syllables and any surface level meaning or definition. This c onstant awareness is the meaning of Ajapa-Japa of the mantra.

Choice of mantras There are many mantras, words, or compact prayers that can be used for Japa and Ajapa Japa. Virtually all of the meditation traditions, spiritual lineages, and religions have mantra in one form or another. Some words have specific meaning, while others are seed syllables having only feeling, not literal, word-for-word definitions. Some have religious significance, while others are completely non-sectarian. Some have very subtle effects on energy, while others are more like positive affirmations given to train the conscious mind. Whatever mantra, word, or syllables are used, useful benefits will co me from the practice of Japa and Ajapa-Japa. Here are three mantras described elsewhere in this website