30 Spirituality Studies first cakra, emotional input from the second cakra, previously processed data, and newly associated information. Based on this accumulation, it makes decisions oriented toward functioning of the individual and often the group. The third cakra appropriates survival instinct, sexuality, and the creative power of Kuṇḍalinī without recognizing their origin, identifying instead with the physical body and emotional states. Individual personality structures arise from information stored in the third cakra as mental patterns shaped by identification, association and memory. Most traditional sources describe this cakra as yellow and associated with fire. Prior to my spontaneous Kuṇḍalinī rising, I occasionally experienced intense heat in the solar plexus accompanied by sensations of power, ambition, and a strong drive to succeed. Although a full discussion of cakra colors belongs to the section on the sixth cakra, it should be noted that while Maṇipūra is traditionally associated with yellow or gold, reported colors vary by individual and circumstance and may appear bright red, symbolizing purification, metabolism, and the transformation of prāṇa into energy (Avalon 1919, 14–16). The process of Self-inquiry, essential for a successful Kuṇḍalinī rising, begins in the third cakra through the foundational practice I call “Know Thyself,” while advanced Self-inquiry unfolds further in the sixth and seventh cakras. 2.2 Brain, Mind, Ego, and Pure Intellect Without specifying the differences between these four terms, I would not be able to present the central argument of this article – that the mind is only a small part of human consciousness yet plays a pivotal role in the process leading to Self-realization and spiritual enlightenment. I therefore allow myself a brief comparison and clarification of the meanings I use, to ensure intelligibility. Brain. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (2023), brain is “the central organ of the nervous system, contained within the skull, responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous activity.” This description aligns closely with the first dimension of perception – the material dimension. In my view, although the brain reflects emotional, mental, and intellectual activities, including the production of thoughts, these processes extend beyond what neuroanatomical analysis of the physical organ alone can explain. Mind. Frequently identified with the brain in Western thought, yet within the subtle body framework it is associated with the third cakra. I understand the third cakra as the goal-oriented mind that speculates, organizes, and evaluates acquired information in a linear and logical manner to achieve defined objectives. This view aligns with the Sāṃkhyakārikā (c. 4th century CE) and classical descriptions of manas (Larson 1969; Monier-Williams 1899). The thirdcakra mind is neither intuitive nor visionary; it operates exclusively through linear processing and cannot function outside this mode. Eckhart Tolle similarly observes that a thought is only a small aspect of intelligence, noting that beauty, love, creativity, joy, and inner peace arise from beyond the mind (Tolle 1999, 15). Ego. In Latin, ego simply means “I,” but two millennia later it acquired philosophical and psychological meanings. Husserl defines the ego as the structural pole organizing intentional acts (Husserl 1983), while Sartre views it as a constructed object external to consciousness (Sartre 2004). In psychology, Freud describes ego as a mediator between id and superego (Freud 1962), and Hartmann as an adaptive system (Hartmann 1958). Without recognition of the subtle body, Western thought treats ego as functional and necessary, unlike spiritual perspectives in which it signifies misidentification or ignorance to be transcended – a consequence of Western reliance on the linear logic of the third dimension of perception. In spiritual and mystical traditions, ego refers to the illusory sense of oneself as a separate entity that must be transcended for the true Self to emerge. Long before modern usage, this
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