Manas, Ahamkara, Citta and Buddhi are the four concepts that are widely explored in the world of Yoga. They are the four basic contents of the Antahkarana or the inner part of the being. These four subtle aspects are sometimes difficult to understand due to its complexity and subtleness. In this blog post, the four ideas will be explained in detail to help understand the simplistic yet deeper meaning behind.
Manas – Mind
Ahamkara – Ego
Buddhi – Intelligence
Chitta – Consciousness
Citta is consciousness. Consciousness is everywhere. It is the ability to know of one’s presence and acknowledge its duty or part in the universe. Consciousness is being present. It is knowing autonomously or innately what we are supposed to do and what we are supposed to be.
Chitta
Chitta is already aware of the infinite possibilities. Just as Chitta has Buddhi, at an individual level manas has ahamkara, the identity or separate ID. Macrocosm and microcosm. We are universes within the universe at an individual level. Each mirror back to the original in some way, while keeping in mind that the parallel worlds exist.
Ego is the part that is alive like chitta or consciousness.
What is the value of ego?
What is its true role?
All matter has consciousness because all matter is a creation. Creation that stems from Purusha and Prakruti, the consciousness and matter. So when matter combines with consciousness it gains the intelligence to hold itself together in its form. The atom, for example, knows how to hold itself together as an atom. In the same manner, the cells in the human body are conscious of their duty and knows how to hold themselves together to come together as tissues, organs and body to perform the functions to keep going.
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We all have dark and light aspects within ourselves. Identifying the dark aspects and integrating them into the light to heal and transform to a better and higher version of self is the key goal. The healer will provide space to release the past traumas, abuse, emotional baggage, repressed emotions and other shadow aspects. This release is like a clean up that creates space for light and positive aspects to enter your life.
Buddhi or intelligence has knowledge. Knowledge comes from experience and from the divine intelligence that is a part of citta. Everything has already happened in the universe, so Chitta is already aware of existential knowledge. The buddhi aspect can tap into that knowledge that is existing in the universe to utilize it in the present life form it is in.
Buddhi
Buddhi is the ability to decipher and understand the current reality. It is not wisdom (Jnana), higher perception and knowledge. Yet, it has intelligence. All life forms has the intellectual capacity to operate through life. The imprnted learning and knowledge of survival imprinted in the DNA can be categorized as Buddhi.
Buddhi can also come from life experience. Burning your hand on a stove top will give you knowledge that hot surfaces are not the best place to park your hand. Other way is through soul imprints. Past lives lived are stored as memories in the soul.
To elaborate further, we can take the example of a giraffe that is living in the savannahs of Africa. From the time of its birth, it has the knowledge to walk, eat and operate in its full capacity as a giraffe. There are certain things the animal learns from it’s mother but majority of the functions are embedded within the cell memory and soul memory. This is the buddhi.
Another type of buddhi is learned Buddhi that comes from living life to life. This can be the knowledge gained through experience. Both types contribute to the overall intelligence of the being and more advanced knowledge can be acquired as higher levels of life forms are lived.
Manas is the mind. The role of the mind is to help the being assimilate its physical experiences with the soul. It acts as the bridge between the soul and the physical form. When we incarnate, we have to take a form that is tangible and that is made up of the same density as the planet we are incarnating to.
Without that physical body, the soul (which is subtle) cannot experience the world completely. Mind is the middle factor that helps to close the gap between the two. Soul is divine essence and non dualistic. Physical body is limited and a part of a dualistic world. Manas takes in the sensory experiences of the outer world and converts it into a form that the soul understands.
Manas
The world is filled with expressions that are taken in through the five senses. The body is bombarded with such intake of expressions at a conscious level and at a subconscious level. Manas helps to view the different possibilities to understand which possibilities are the most plausible. The intake of information is assessed and selected. Based on the selected experiences, the ones with the strongest effect will be focused on to further create that into manifestation.
Anything that makes a strong impression, whether negative or positive will linger on. That will create thoughts. The thoughts will attract more similar experiences to experience that further through law of attraction. The mind leads manifestations and calls for experiences. It is dualistic in nature and is variable.
Manas is part of Chitta but a lower aspect of it linked solely to the physical human body.
Manas is part of chitta, which can also be called mind but chitta has all aspects of ahamkara, biddhi and manas within it as it is a higher expression of awareness. Manas includes the emotional and mental sheaths. The food for the manas comes through the 5 senses. Every experience we have as a human being goes into the mind and digested. The experiences are sorted and categorized with different emotions based on the experience. Then it is stored as a memory in the mental sheath.
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Chitta is alive and works through knowledge. Ego or Ahamkara works through information mind receives. Ego is based on the data input. That is environmental factors, family, culture, media, school, politics and religion, etc,. They shape the ego or identity in an individual basis. It helps us to connect to the physical reality like an anchor. Without ego, we are too much in the spirit world, ether or in our head.
Ego
Our link to this world is ego. That is how we relate and connect with others, find groups, find activities to do, how soul groups come together, work on divine mission, work on life lessons and merge our reality with others’ reality.
Positive aspect of ego helps to have an experience, thus, adding to Buddhi for the Chitta to expand upon. It reinforces the existing knowledge or cosmic intelligence.
Negative aspect of ego is separation leading to division, where conflict arise. Split of reality. duality arises. Ego must divide to appease. False ego must be created to uphold the façade or to be accepted. False ego brings unexpected realities. They are uncomfortable because they are not in alignment with true ego and soul’s truth.
This is why being your true self is of high importance.
Discrepancies arise, conflicts leading to disease. Separation through false identity creates division. Individuals or all parties involved senses the deception projected by the false ego at a soul level and is repelled away. Only way to fix it is through embracing the true ego and true self. That is the true personality chosen for this particular life. That brings the person to full power and learns all lessons to complete the life purpose.
Manas, Ahamkara, Citta and Buddhi are four subtle aspects that makes up the inner parts of the body or the Antahkarana. Outer body, the Bahyakarana is the physical body and the senses. With both working together, all life forms are able to live and navigate through life with ease.
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Spiritual journey requires some advice to help stay on the path of ascension. Yogic principles and philosophy were created to provide clear guidance on how to approach physical life in a spiritual manner to connect to the unity consciousness and beyond.
Find out how you can make space for spirituality in your life with this session while identifying karmic patterns in order to learn how to overcome them.