The Third Chakra
The third chakra (just below the navel) is an area of rootedness, power and foundation. In traditional Chinese martial arts, it’s referred to as “Ta-Tien” and in Japan it’s known as the “Hara.” In most religious and meditational practices this chakra is overlooked, yet it’s essential in the development of a spiritual life and one’s humanity. Without chi we get swept away in mental and emotional tsunamis that consume our energy. They mire us in chaos and confusion. Building foundation is key to the development of a strong inner life and makes it possible for us to deal with unpleasant situations. Without it, an intense spectrum of chaotic inner experience dominates well-being. People get swept away in a tidal wave of uncontrolled bouts of emotional and mental tension. Developers and architects know that you can’t build a building without foundation and the internal foundation of Rudra meditation practice is the chakra below the navel.
Problems create chaos and confusion because people haven’t enough inner strength to deal with them. They get bewildered by events that don’t manifest according to preconception. If we haven’t the capacity to transform tension into spiritual energy and inner quiet, the mind’s nonstop barrage of conflicted thoughts will consume us day and night. The accumulation of chi in the Hara gives a person strength and converts tension into harmony and balance. Stress that’s normally like a predacious beast, when transformed into chi becomes an organic force that helps build a healthy inner life. It transforms deeply repressed fear and insecurity into energy that’s neither positive nor negative. It rids us of encumbrances that keep us from a connection with spirit.
The chakra below the navel is crucial for developing a strong inner life, transforming tension into harmony and enabling personal growth.
Whether our problems are a result of subjective or objective circumstances, Rudra meditation builds strong chi, internal roots and clarity of mind and focus. Without that depth of concentration, chaos runs rampant inside us, and the external world, a mirror image of our inner state, also runs rampant with bewilderment and confusion. If we don’t find a way to transform tension into chi, a quiet mind and an open heart, we’re destined to remain immature, unhappy, and emotionally upset children in adult bodies. We become middle-aged brats that refuse to let go of our emotional fatuity.
The chakra below the navel is like roots of a giant tree that expand and continue to grow as they consume mulch and rot that penetrate the earth’s surface. The healthier the roots, the larger and more powerful the tree. No wind or storm can cause it to tumble to the ground. Likewise, a person’s inner life provides opportunities often limited by anxiety. It provides creative opportunities that require responsibility shouldered without confusion. Growth is limitless when a meditation practitioner connects to Higher Creative Energy and draws Shakti directly from its source.
Power without love and humility can lead to dictatorial supremacy and dominance over other people. Meditation practice should emphasize the development of the entire chakra system. When one’s mind is focused on the Hara, chit-chat, tension and conflicted thought are transformed into chi, an open heart, and a compassionate human being. The Hara is like the lotus base on which the Buddha sits. It enables one to develop their humanity and tap sources of Creative Energy in the Universe…
(To be continued…)
The Bodhisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the future) – Nepal, Thakuri period, 11th century
