Third eye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Third eye (disambiguation).
The third eye is a metaphysical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain eastern and western spiritual traditions. In New Age spirituality, the third eye may alternately symbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply-personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often associated with visions, clairvoyance, precognition, and out-of-body experiences, and people who have allegedly developed the capacity to use their third eyes are sometimes known as seers.
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[edit] Symbolism
[edit] In Hinduism and Buddhism
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the third eye is a symbol of enlightenment (see moksha and nirvana). The third eye is the ajna chakra (sixth chakra) also known as brow chakra or brow centre This is commonly denoted in Indian and East Asian iconography with a dot, eye or mark on the forehead of deities or enlightened beings, such as Shiva (God of Destruction), the Buddha, or any number of yogis, sages and bodhisattvas. This symbol is called the "Third Eye" or "Eye of Wisdom", or, in Buddhism, the urna. In Hinduism, it is believed that the opening of Shiva's third eye causes the eventual destruction of the universe.
Many Hindus wear a tilak between the eyebrows to represent the third eye.
[edit] In the Western Wisdom Teachings
According to Max Heindel's Rosicrucian writings, called Western Wisdom Teachings, there are in the brain two small organs called the pituitary body and the pineal gland. This last gland is also called by medical science as "the atrophied third eye"; however, these teachings describe that none of them are atrophying: the pituitary body and the pineal gland at the present time are neither evolving nor degenerating, but are dormant. It is said that in the far past, when man was in touch with the inner worlds, these organs were his means of ingress thereto, and they will again serve that purpose at a later stage. According to this view, they were connected with the involuntary or sympathetic nervous system and to regain contact with the inner worlds (to reawaken the pituitary body and the pineal gland) it is necessary to establish the connection of the pineal gland and the pituitary body with the cerebrospinal nervous system. It is said that when that is accomplished, man will again possess the faculty of perception in the higher worlds (i.e. clairvoyance), but on a grander scale than it was in the distant past, because it will be in connection with the voluntary nervous system and therefore under the control of his will.
[edit] Elsewhere
The third eye is used in many meditation schools and arts, such as in yoga, qigong, many Chinese martial arts, Ch'an Buddhism, and in some Japanese martial arts like Karate and Aikido (both use Zen Buddhism as a philosophy).
[edit] Technique
In Taoism and many traditional Chinese religious sects such as "chan", "third eye training" involves focussing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed in various qigong postures. The goal is at first to be able to fix one's attention while other physiological changes are happening in the body. Eventually, this training is said to allow one to keep one's attention properly on the opponent or opponents in a physical confrontation. Students who undertake such training often report experiencing feelings of pressure, pulsing, tingling and other sensations between the eyebrows and around the forehead area. However, opening third eye can not depend on this focussing only. This only allows one to tune in to the right vision. Generally, opening third eye requires strong energy to explode all clogged channels and supplies constant energy to maintain it.
In theory, the third eye, also called the mind's eye, is situated right between the two eyes, and expands up to the middle of the forehead when opened. It is one of the main energy centres of the body located at the sixth chakra (the third eye is in fact a part of the main meridian, the line separating left and right hemispheres of the body).
Some claim that the chakras can be opened via chakra related gemstones, and that to open the third eye requires an amethyst that has been cleaned under flowing water before use.
Overall, techniques to open third eye can be classified into following categories:
1.Chanting prayers: Some prayers are powerfull enough to boost energy. For example: (a)om ma ni be mi hon (b)se be se dei da ga (c)0091000
2.Hand gestures: This is the way to connect energy of the universe. Many hand gestures can be used to connect some more advanced energy into human body. All of them draw energy into different channels of human body.
3.Graph observation: Some graphs have the ability to produce strong energy (such as a Yantra or a Mandala). If one focuses on connecting with the energy from those graphs, they can be very powerful. A simple example is the Swastika.
4.Imagination: Imagination or visualization is in some way similar to graph observation except that one can visualize an energy source in the mind instead of using some external graphs. The most powerful energy source is the Sun.
In addition, the above four categories may be combined to form a new and more efficient method. The sect which devotes to the practice most is the Buddhist esoteric sect of Vajrayana, for example.
Generally, it will take ten years for a beginner to gain some abilities or to open third eye fully. As a result, it is strongly advised to regard the practice as a way toward englightment instead of gaining abilities. In the beginning phase, one usually sees some light in the forehead. Sometimes characters or numbers appear. All these are promising indicators but they are still very far away from real opening. As the practice goes deeper, one may experience that body has some solid fragments which prevent energy flow. This phase is being on the right path. In time, the solid fragments become flimsy and break up and finally the third eye opens.
The process of opening third eye is very slow. However, some tricks can speed up the process to some degree. Those special tricks are usually taught at more advanced meditation courses offered in each sect. The effect usually depends on the beginner's energy. The more energy the beginner has, the more views the beginner gains. Most people's third eye begins to work with the function of "seeing" a color or colors, that is, the color of energy. However people do differ a lot. Some people see past lives more easily. As time goes by, the functions of the third eye approach perfection.
[edit] Physical basis: the pineal gland?
Some, including Rick Strassman, have suggested that the third eye is in fact the partially dormant pineal gland, which resides between the two hemispheres of the brain. This concept is supported by the pinealocytes, one type of cells within the pineal gland, having a strong resemblance to the photoreceptors of the eye. Additionally, the pineal gland is said to excrete dimethyltryptamine (DMT)[citation needed], which some think induces dreams, near-death experiences, meditation, or hallucinations. Various types of lower vertebrates, such as reptiles and amphibians, can actually sense light via a third parietal eye—a structure associated with the pineal gland—which serves to regulate their circadian rhythms.
There is evidence that the pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin, which has a role in regulating the body's circadian rhythm to the daily light/dark cycle and also assists with the immune system[citation needed]. Because of all the above, the pineal gland has become for some the subject of speculation about its origin as a physical third eye.
- See also: Pineal gland and Melatonin
[edit] In popular culture
The third eye has been displayed in many varieties of fiction, often to denote a transcendent evolution which may also grant the recipient the ability to see through time or be in communication with a spiritual being. An example of its use this way can be found in the videogame killer7, in which a young boy (Emir Parkreiner) shoots himself on the roof of a hotel during a full moon. Instead of dying, however, a third eye opens on his forehead and he is reincarnated as Garcian Smith, who has the power to give life to the dead, and becomes spiritually bound to his deity mentor.
In November 1956 the book The Third Eye by Lobsang Rampa was published in the United Kingdom. The book claims to tell the true story of a Buddhist monk's training in Tibet, and contains a description of a surgical operation in which a third eye is drilled into Rampa's forehead, giving him the ability to read other people's auras. This type of operation is known as trepanation. The Third Eye is a controversial book as it contains New Age and Occult themes that are not part of standard Buddhist teachings. It was also shown that the book was written not by a Tibetan monk, but by a man from Devon called Cyril Hoskin (1910 - 1981) who had never been to Tibet and spoke no Tibetan.
The American progressive rock band Tool also makes reference to "prying open my third eye" in a track from their 1996 release Ænima named "Third Eye". It can be attributed as a facet of the bands psychedelic nature. Some find it to correspond to their numerous references to LSD use, and their use of manufactured DMT.
On the underground hip hop scene, many emcees and rappers (for example, Hieroglyphics, Dilated Peoples, and Blackalicious) use the idea of "transcending" spiritually and having a higher power speak through their rhymes/flows/freestyles. This has led a few artists to start using the term "third eye" in their lyrics as a means to take their verses and their consciousness to a higher level, rather than rap about worldly possessions. The Hieroglyphics crew's first collaborative album was titled 3rd Eye Vision, and the third eye concept is featured prominently in the group's logo.
The third eye is also seen in Japanese animation. One popular example is in the series Dragonball Z through the character of Tien. Tien had trained to unlock his third eye, or the 6th gate to his Chakra, but eventually trained to the point where his third eye became so advanced, it created a physical manifestation so the Third Eye became clearly visible. In another series, 3x3 Eyes the female lead, Pai, is the last Sanjiyan Unkara, a race of triclops that possess the secret to immortality; the third eye possesses its own personality and is the source of the Sanjiyan's power, vanishing completely from view when closed. In Elfen Lied, the female main character, Lucy, is a diclonius: a mutated variant of humans with an overly developed pineal gland that gives them telepathic abilities, as well as the ability to telekineticly manipulate solid matter through the use of, what is known through the anime as, "vectors". Also, Gaara from the Naruto series manipulates sand into the shape of an eyeball, connecting it to his optic nerve, allowing him to open his third eye.
The mythical Antediluvian Saulot, from the game Vampire: The Masquerade, by White Wolf Game Studios is hinted at possessing a third eye that exhibits a plethora of powers, the more widely known of these being the abilities to relieve others of pain, induce sleep, weave healing magics on one's soul, or inflict pain and torture one's soul through malicious use of the Third Eye's mystical properties. This eye also gets passed down to his kin, the Salubri Clan (later Bloodline).
Third Eye Blind is also the name of an alternative rock band from San Francisco.
Chocho Momoo produced "Third Eye" candies in the 1930s.
[edit] How to use third eye
A third eye is a hidden screen in the forehead. It is very much like a modern TV. A person can know what he wants to know through this hidden screen. The process is as follows:
1.Concentrate what you want to see. For example: if you want to see your lover, concentrate on your lover.
2.Wait for the tunnel to show up. A tunnel will gradually open up when you concentrate.
3.Watch the end of the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, a screen will pop up. This screen shows the images you want to see.
Generally, it is very difficult to see all the things. Only people at more advanced meditation level can have profound images. For beginners, it is not expected that all images can show up as one might wish.
[edit] Functionalities
There are many alleged functionalities. A very well developed third eye should include following capabilities :
1.Remote Viewing: It means that a person can see what other people are doing even they are far away.This is an ability that can be achieved only at advanced level of meditation.
2.Pastlife Reading :This means that people can tune into pastlife images.
3.Disease Discovery:This means people can detect diseases withoout using modern medical equipment.
4.Mind Reading: This means people can comprehend other people's thoughts even they have not expressed exlicitly.
5.Ghost Viewing: Spirits can be seen.
[edit] References and books
- Hale, Teresa (1999). The Book of Chakra Healing. [ISBN 0-8069-2097-1]
- Radha, Siviananda (2004). Kundalini Yoga for the West. New York: Shambhala [ISBN 1-932018-04-2]
- Sharp, Dr. Michael (2005). Dossier of the Ascension: A Practical Guide to Chakra Activation and Kundalini Awakening. [ISBN 0-9735379-3-0]
[edit] See also
- The Man With the Third Eye
- Kundalini
- Mental body
- New Thought
- Technique of Opening Third Eye
- The Voice of the Silence
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