A term touch (sparsa) has plentiful denotations and connotations within the ambit of Tantra. The Tantric notion of sparsa is also in many respects a fundamental idea of Mudra Reiki. The current paper attemps to shed some light on the spiritual aspect of the touch.
As observed by Furlinger, the touch was an important subject of many Indian philosophical treatises. The classical schools of philosophy (darsana) usually discuss sparsa in the context of epistemology or metaphysics and Sa?khya sees it as one of the principles of reality (tattva).i Sparsa tattva is mentioned among five subtle elements (tanmatra) along with sabda tattva (sound), rupa tattva (form), rasa tattva (taste) and gandha tattva (smell). Within the category of jñanendriya (five cognitive senses) Sa?khya indicates tvak tattva – touching (principle of skin). Also one can find pa?i tattva (grasping) among the five organs of action, the karmendriyas, traditionally ascribed to the gu?a rajas.ii
Various interpretations of sparsa were later elaborated in Tantric texts. For example, in Varivasyarahasya (VR2.74) sparsa is ascribed to a particular letter of the main mantra of Srividya. The mantra is said to be identical with the five elemental substances and it contains letters representing the gu?as of principle elements. Among them the text enumerates tastes, forms, sounds, smell and the touch. This correlation between the elements and the limbs of mantra is known as sampradyayartha – the traditional meaning that indicates the identity of Vidya (mantra of the goddess) and the universe. According to Tantraloka (TA 9.280) there is also a principle called sparsatva (a sensation ) that is immanent in all kinds of touching, in both agent of touching and the substance which is touched. The matter and the touch may be of material, mental or spiritual nature. Utapaladeva uses also a term antare-sparsa which can be rendered as the inner touch. In his Isvarapratyabhijñakarika ( IPK ) the term is employed in the context of intimate sensations and emotions. iii
A Sanskrit verbal root sp?s (from which the term sparsa is derived) has numerous meanings and Monier-Williams Dictionary includes among the most common ones: to touch, to feel, to handle, to perceive, to attain and to bestow. One can easily see from above stated examples that an act of touching has a very basic function of inquiry into the nature of things. To touch means to examine or to make sure that something exists in a very primal sense of this word. A touch is in many ways a meaningful gesture that can be reassuring or disapproving.
Ritualistic function of touch – the nyasa
As elucidated in Tantras, everything in the world is identical with the pure consciousness (samvit) of the Divine.iv Hence, the liberation is attained by those who recognize the ultimate union between individual self and the cosmic one. As stated in Kular?avatantra:
Jiva? siva? sivo jiva? sa jiva? kevala? siva?/ pasabaddha? sm?to jiva? pasamukta? sadasiva?//KT 9.42
In Tantric traditions, the liberation (mok?a) can be achieved by visualization of union between oneself and the deity that embodies the universe. This state is called samavesa or eka-sad-bhava – experience of oneness with the world. The 16th sutra of Pratyabhijñah?dayam states that when a Tantric adept acquires the power of the Consciousness (cit) he merges with it and he becomes jivanmukta – liberated while still alive. Through various Tantric meditative exercises one’s own body becomes the abode of the Highest Soul. Vijñana Bhairava Tantra (VBT) states that if a yogi reflects upon the whole world and his own body as filled with the bliss of self, then by the grace of his own nectar of immortality (svam?tena) he merges with the supreme bliss.
Sarva? jagat sva-deha? va svananda-bharita? smaret/
Yugapat svam?tenaiva paranandamayo bhavet//VBT 65
This technique of visualization, as explained in the commentary of swami Lakshman Joo, belongs to saktopaya (the path of sakti).v
However to attain above mentioned state it is necessary to undergo certain rites of purification. These usually include symbolic destruction of ordinary body, sanitization of primordial elements (bhutasuddhi) and creation of a new, divine self. The Tantras prescribe techniques that facilitate symbolic incineration of physical body and reconstitution of a new self as a celestial body (divya-deha). In this context Kular?avatantra (KT 15.38-39) speaks of dehaso?a?am (drying up the body), dehadahanam (burning the body) and dehaplavana (internal bathing of the body).
An adept should therefore use his ku??alini sakti to burn mentally the limited self-hood and recreate his potent self through nyasa i.e. the imposition of mantras and deities on prescribed places on his body. The process is repeated daily during Tantric observances. Gonda defines the nyasa as an act of fixing chosen mantras on the body with a simultaneous imposition of specific mudras. Also Eliade is right in calling nyasa a ritual projection of divinities into various parts of the body.vi In short one can say that during this act divine powers (or their sonic representations) are to be assigned to the specific limbs of the body. One of the aims of nyasa is to make one’s body a fit receptacle for worship and meditationvii. Kular?avatantra (KT) states that one should chant his mantras in a proper metre (chandas) and cast them down on his body. It will grant him kavaca, a spiritual armour. From a person who practices such rites all the obstacles will run away like elephants that flee upon seeing a lion. On the other hand, if a person chants his mantra but neglects the nyasa he will be harassed by obstacles like a young deer by tigers.
Yo nyasakavacacchandomantram japti ta? priye/
Vighna d???va palayante si?ha? d???va yatha gaja?//
Ak?tva nyasajala? yo mu?hatma prajapen manum/
Badhyate sarvavighnais ca vyaghrair m?gasisur yatha// (KT15.46-47)
But in a way, nyasa is also an act of recognition of one’s true self. Here, to touch means to accept one’s divine nature and to reject false notions of sinful nature of human body. The recognition leads to the attainment of Siva Consciousness which grants a feeling of freedom – freedom from misconceptions (self-projected barriers) and freedom to act according to one’s divine nature (svatantryavada).
Brooks adds that when the nyasa is performed, Tantric adept imposes on himself the macrocosmic deities by calling upon the microcosmic forms that reside dormant within the human body. This elaborate process of nyasa sets the relations between a personal soul and the divine one. viii In this context the nyasa can be rendered as the divine touch removing impurities and barriers. This Tantric practice of nyasa relates to the cardinal principle that the Absolute is to be realized in and through the human body. It is in many respects the ultimate method of purification. According to Vijñana Bhairava Tantra (VBT), the sacred purification is known as absorption into the essential nature of one’s own self. This self, being the real nature of the universe, is also the quintessence of freedom, bliss and all-pervading consciousness.
Svatantrananda-cinmatra-sara? svatma hi sarvata?|
Avesa?a? tat-svarupe svatmana? snanam-iritam ||VBT 52||
In his commentary swami Lakshman Joo explains that the above stated stanza gives the true meaning of purification (snana). The sacred snana (bathing) is verily an immersion of individual soul in the universal one. This process is accompanied by experience of the blissfulness and divine freedom. In Kashmirian Saivism, the theory of freedom is equated with the theory of appearance (abhasavada) as it is believed that Siva expressed himself by appearing in the form of the world. The universe of appearances (jagadabhasa) is also related to free and spontaneous activity of Siva. Freedom is the very nature of Siva who embodies the illuminating knowledge (prakasa). He is also the ultimate purifier (sodhaka) who removes limitations and thoughts that cause them. The matter was summarized in Sivad???i of Somananda. There, the process of sanitization is recapitulated in a poetic stanza saying that Siva, who is present in all beings as the sodhaka, pays obeisance to Siva who embodies the universe. Sivad???i indicates the universal aspect of the divine purification and points out that Siva Himself (immanent in the means of purification – sodhana) removes the illusion of impurity with a help of his Sakti.
Physical, mental and spiritual touch in Mudra Raiki
The practice of nyasa is commonly employed by the practitioners of the spiritual healing system of Dr. Usui. Therefore, all above-stated interpretations of this technique are also valid in case of Reiki sadhana. Likewise, the concept of kavaca is vital for practitioners of Mudra Raiki and it relates to touching as a method of organizing the sacred space of one’s life.
The touch of the divine energy may be felt by a particular person in threefold manner. First of all, the Reiki adept at the beginner of his spiritual quest is enabled (at the time of his first initiation) to channel the energy through his body and to feel its pulsation within himself. Next, one perceives all-pervading flow of Reiki in the whole world and recognizes its various emanations and ways in which it expresses itself . Lastly, it should be remembered that Reiki is ever present in the body of a practitioner and it may be felt as a gentle fluctuation or internalized vibration that animates the chakras of a particular person. The latent energy may at times spontaneously manifest itself in a form a sudden, electrifying flux.
Analyzing above-stated phenomena one is reminded of three concepts of Kashmirian Saivism: samanya spanda, vise?a spanda and ni?spanda. According to Paratrisikavivara?a (I.11-I.21) the world as the manifestation of Siva’s consciousness has the nature of universal pulsation (samanya spanda) which is all-pervading and incessant. However, there is also a particular pulsation (vise?a spanda) that has similar qualities but more specific function. As explained in Paratrisikavivara?a, the vise?a spanda (a creative vibration ascribed to Sakti) can be experienced through a particular form (ekatmam) or as a single stream of pulsating energy. The samanya spanda (also called the universal vimarsa sakti) is of general type and pervades the whole universe. These two concepts are discussed by Abhinavagupta in the contexts of ku??alini yoga and the phases of mantric recitation. In other words, as explained by Jaideva Singh, samanya spanda is the foundational throb of Siva and Sakti. It is the base for activity of the gu?as of prak?ti which causes the vise?a spanda that in turn generates particular psychic experiences.ix While dealing with the nature of mantras, Abhinavagupta speaks also of ni?spanda – the latent, internalized, energy that may to be activated x. Perhaps the parallels between the three types of spanda and the modes of activity of Reiki are worth rethiniking.
The touch of Reiki induces also changes in the mental sphere of an adept. With the grace of Reiki a person is able to reject incorrect notions that pester his/her mind. This is correlated with spiritual growth that in many ways can be a cure for depression and mental traumas. Spandakarika (III.8) says that depression (glani?) depletes the vitality of a person. This happens because of one’s ignorance. Not recognizing his true nature, a depressed person cannot appreciate the enjoyments of human life. On the other hand, someone who is immersed in the divine consciousness may not suffer from any kind of depression as he already attained self-realization.
Isvarapratyabhijñakarika ( IPK I.7.10) explains the physical aspect of sparsa and gives and example of a blind person who strives to understand the world by touching it, identifying its qualities and flavours. One can also say that in a similar way, a child who has a strong inclination to examine the world tries to touch objects that attract his/her attention. Touching an object will not satisfy the thirst for knowledge but once a thing is touched it can be related to the reality (in its very basic sense) and distinguished from a dream or mirage. Physical touch can also have spiritual connotations and one is reminded of usual practice of touching the feet of guru as an act of reverence. At that time, the teacher may also bless his disciple by touching his head. The rite of dik?a and the concept of saktipata (the falling of sakti ) are similar examples of channelling the divine force. During the rite of dik?a, sakti is transferred from a guru to his disciple by a physical or mental touch. In this case a physical contact has its spiritual value as it transmits a subtle, liberating „touch” of the blissful energy. Similarily, the saktipata is called the blessing (anugraha) of Siva, a free manifestation of Siva Consciousness that instantly illuminates a person. It is known as ahetuki kripa – the grace without any motive.xi Saktipata is showered equally upon the humankind. However, only those who are opened up to it can benefit from its touch. Saktipata is mentioned in Tantraloka where it is explained that the descent of Sakti empowers a practitioner and makes the methods of his spiritual endeavor (upaya) fruitful. Without this liberative potency all rituals are in many respects incomplete and may lead only to partial attainment of goals. xii
One can again notice the parallels between the above-stated notions and the Reiki concepts.
Concluding remarks
The feeling of Reiki’s flow may differ from one person to another – it could be an elusive tactile sensation or a strong fluctuation of energy. One can also feel what is called in Tantric scriptures pipilika-sparsa – a touch of ants. It is a crawling sensation moving from the muladhara to the uppermost chakra.
Sarvasroto-nibandhena pra?a-saktyordhvaya sanai?/
pipilika-sparsa-velaya? prathate parama? sukham//VBT 67//
When a Reiki adept employs the symbols and mantras in his daily routine the flow of energy usually becomes more intense and direct. At this level of Reiki practice, one may touch the reality mentally with a help of mantras. The mantras are directly associated with the mind activity and the mental touch. The term mantra is traditionally explained by a phrase mananat trayate – that which protects (saves) if contemplated or mentally chanted.
This inner touch has more subtle qualities than the physical one but it functions on a similar basis – it heals or removes the barriers caused mainly by deficiency of energy or its blockage. The physical, mental or spiritual touch may be employed as a tool for all types of transformative rituals. In the texts of Kashmirian Saivism the mental touch is called vimarsa. The term is derived from a Sanskrit verbal root vim?s – to touch with mind. Vimarsa has also another meaning – it serves as an epithet of Siva – the one who is the pure Self-consciousness of the highest reality. xiii
The third level of Mudra Reiki can be called the stage of the spiritual touch. According to Tantras, the Divine Consciousness (cit) manifests itself in a limited way in the individual mind (citta). There is also a concept of tirodhana sakti – a veiling power of the Siva that conceals the divine nature of an individual soul. Therefore one should aim at immersion in the Divine and it may mean to step beyond the mental constructions (vikalpa). According to the Tantric tradition, vikalpanam means vise?e?a vividhena kalpanam – the differentiating activity of the mind that imposes notions of duality on nondual reality. When this mental activity ceases to exist one can step into the suprarational plane of pure consciousness.
References:
TA – The Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta, Edited by R. D. Dwivedi and N. Rastogi, Delhi 1990
KT – Kularnava Tantra, edited by Arthur Avalon, Delhi 2004.
PTV – Paratrisikavivara?a of Abinvagupta, edited by Jaideva Singh, Delhi 2007
VR – Varivasyarahasya, and its commentary Prakasa by Sri Bhaskararaya Makhin, ed.Pandit S.Subrahmanya Sastri, Chennai 2000.
VB – Vijñana-Bhairava: The practice of Centering Awareness, commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, Varanasi 2002.
Sivad???i of Srisomanandanatha with the v?tti by Utpaladeva
(Muktabodha)- Text copied from the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies Vol. 54, Shrinigar
The Isvarapratyabhijñakarika of Utpaladeva with the Author’s v?tti – edited by Raffaele Torella, Delhi 2002.
Stanzas on Vibration: The Spandakarika with four Commentaries, Mark S.G. Dyczkowski, Varanasi 1994.
Douglas Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of the Three Cities, Chicago 1990.
Mark S.G. Dyczkowski, The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism, Delhi 1989
Mark S.G. Dyczkowski, The Doctrine of Recognition, a translation of Prtatyabhijñah?dayam, New York 1989
The encyclopedia of religion, edited by Mircea Eliade, New York 1987
Gavin Flood, An introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge 1996,
Ernst Furlinger, The touch of Sakti, Delhi 2009.
Jan Gonda, Medieval religious literature in Sanskrit, Wiesbaden 1977.
T.M.P Mahadevan, Philosophy of Advaita, Delhi 1972.
Kamalakar Mishra, Kashmir Saivism the central philosophy of Tantrism, Delhi 2008.
Muller-Ortega, Tarko yoga?gam uttamam: on subtle knowledge and the refinement of thought in Abhinavagupta’s liberative Tantric method , in: Knut A.Jacobsen, Theory and practice of yoga, Delhi 2008.
Andre Padoux, Vac the concept of the Word in the selected Hindu Tantras, Delhi 1990.
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniya swami. Dancing with Siva, Delhi
i Ernst Furlinger, The touch of Sakti, Delhi 2009, p.140
ii Satguru Sivaya Subramuniya swami. Dancing with Siva, Delhi, p. 838
iii Ernst Furlinger, The touch of Sakti,, Delhi 2009, pp.19-20
iv Gavin Flood, An introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge 1996, p.168.
v VB – Vijñana-Bhairava: The practice of Centering Awareness, commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, Varanasi 2002, p. 86.
vi Cf. The encyclopedia of religion, edited by Mircea Eliade, New York 1987
vii Jan Gonda, Medieval religious literature in Sanskrit, Wiesbaden 1977, pp. 74 -75
viii Douglas Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of the Three Cities, Chicago 1990, p. 59.
ix Paratrisikavivara?a of Abinvagupta, edited by Jaideva Singh, Delhi 2007, p.199
x Andre Padoux, Vac the concept of the Word in the selected Hindu Tantras, Delhi 1990, p. 344
xi Kamalakar Mishra, Kashmir Saivism the central philosophy of Tantrism, Delhi 2008, p.332
xii Muller-Ortega, Tarko yoga?gam uttamam: on subtle knowledge and the refinement of thought in Abhinavagupta’s liberative Tantric method , in: Knut A.Jacobsen, Theory and practice of yoga, Delhi 2008, p.185
xiii Cf. Mark S.G. Dyczkowski, The Doctrine of Recognition, a translation of Prtatyabhijñah?dayam, New York 1989, pp.102-103.
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