The key to perfection is elimination of three root poisons
The Purification of the Three Channels Is the First Step for Emancipation and Enlightenment
I'd like to talk about emancipation and enlightenment in connection with the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Channels. I may also be able to talk about the function of Chakras, though it depends on how this speech develops.
First, our body has three important channels for energy (Kundalini energy and other life forces) to pass through. Tfaey are the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Channels. One of them starts at the right side of the coccyx and finally bleaches the right side of the Ajna Chakra after crossing the two other channels at each Chakra. This is the Pingala Channel. The Ida Channel starts at the left side of the coccyx and goes to the left side of the Ajna Chakra after passing through each Chakra in the same way. The Sushumna Channel goes straight within the spine. As those who have attended this seminar from the first day might know, it is these three channels through which the energies of our sexual stress, stress of anger and stress of ignorance including appetite pass. The Sushumna Channel is the most important of the three. Now, what is the function of the three channels? First, the Pingala Channel carries the energy of our anger. This has never been mentioned by any scripture. Next, the energy of ignorance, which stops our movement and makes us dull, passes through the Ida Channel. Finally, the energy of our adherence, or something our minds cling to, goes through the Sushumna Channel.
Remember, this is consistent with Ton, Jin, and Chi in Buddhism. Ton means greed, that is, adherence and so on. So it's related to the Sushumna Channel; Jin is anger and is related to the Pingala Channel, and Chi, namely ignorance, is related to the Ida Channel. When these energies go through the three channels, the characteristic of each energy manifests itself.
Ignorance: the Ida Channel
Suppose that some part of the Pingala Channel is stuffed and energy of anger does not flow, while energy of ignorance flows through the Ida Channel, you will get caught by ignorance. The physical symptom that appears in this case is that the right nostril is stuffed up and just the left one is clear. Ignorance makes us slow and dull. This is the very symptom of ignorance. It makes us to feel: "I don't feel like doing this, I want to make only the practice of AUM." However, if such person is actually given brilliant conditions for practice, he can't do much, but idles his time away with dull sleep.
This is the nature of the Ida Channel, namely the nature of ignorance. "I don't need to do any more, because I could live on today." "Tomorrow is another day." These thoughts illustrate the nature of the Ida Channel.
Anger: the Pingala Channel
Conversely, what if the left nostril is stuffed and only the right is clear? It means that the Ida Channel of ignorance has something wrong and the Pingala Channel of anger is clear. In this case, your body gets hot and you get angry easily. This is because the nature of the Pingala Channel manifests itself. So you see that if both the Ida and Fingala Channels are clear, both ignorance and anger appear.
Adherence: the Sushumna Channel
The next is the case when the Sushumna Channel is stuffed up somewhere. As I told you, this channel carries adherence. Energy of stress such as adherence to sex and eating goes up through this channel as Kundalini. So unless this channel is cleared, the rise of Kundalini does not take place. What's worse, as scriptures say, a blockage in this channel brings adherence. Conversely speaking, if you want to get rid of adherence, there is no way but to clear up this channel.
Lead Energy towards Sushumna.
If the Sushumna Channel is cleared, your adherence disappears. As for the Ida Channel and the Pingala Channel, the problem is that if they are cleared up, energies of ignorance and anger flow and you suffer both from ignorance and anger. So you might think that it may be best if both channels are stuffed up and energy does not flow. No, that is not right at all. Or rather, it is the worst situation. For it means ignorance or anger of the poorest quality. If energy of anger stops at the Swadhisthana Chakra (the second lowest Chakra situated a little above one's reproductive organ), you have anger related to sexual desire.
Then, what if energy stops at the Manipura Chakra (the third lowest Chakra situated around one's stomach)? You have anger related to learning and talent. Thus, the higher the Chakra where the energy stops is, the higher quality of the anger you have. When the Pingala Channel is completely clear, the anger, which is reaching the Ajna Chakra, is not directed against individuals but against the society. You might say, "If so, whether energy passes through the Ida and Pingala Channel smoothly or not, it is not good for me. I have anger in either case. I don't know what to do."
Listen carefully. As part of the process of the practice, first you should make both channels perfectly clear and make your anger and ignorance highest in quality. After that you should move the energy (of anger and ignorance in Pingala and Ida) to the Sushumna Channel and change it into energy of adherence. That will be the purification of the Ida and Pingala Channels. At this point the energy of stress of adherence comes into being. This energy goes up as Kundalini.
In this way as ignorance and anger are decreased, or rather as the energies of ignorance and anger are moved to Sushumna, adherence arises and increases. So I often say that adherence is the last obstacle to emancipation.
Levels of Adherence
Let's take up a concrete example. Don't you find such people around you who make a lot of opposite sex acquaintance in order to divert themselves from their lonely heart? Some might say, "She's close to emancipation, because she has few fixed ideas." I would say that the reason for this situation is her ignorance. In addition to ignorance, she has sexual adherence of lower grade due to the energy that has just moved from the Ida Channel to the Sushumna Channel. It is just like eating anything at random when getting hungry, isn't it?
On the other hand, there's a person who chases only one without looking at others. He's in the stage of the Anahata Chakra, namely adherence to love.
I think that if you compare the former case with the latter one, you can see which is superior and which is inferior in the process of evolution of a human being.
The Purification of the Channels Is Indispensable
Let's go back to the main point. These three channels, namely the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Channels can be cleared up by the practice of AUM. After completing the purification of Ida and Pingala finally purifies Sushumna.
This is the view of a human being which Buddha Shakyamuni taught. You might say, "Nothing says that the Buddha taught so. No scriptures of Buddhism in Japan says so." However, that is only because some of his teachings were not passed to Japan. The scriptures in India do have it. They say, "Three workings of the mind, namely Ton (greed), Jin (anger), and Chi (ignorance) block the three channels."
Like this, in the process of both emancipation and enlightenment, the purification of these three channels is absolutely necessary. Today I told you its relation with enlightenment. As to the relation to emancipation, you can find it in "Beyond Life and Death". The relation between diseases and the three channels is mentioned in "Secret Curriculum for Psychic Power-Health Edition". If you have particular health problems, it might be helpful to you.
Glossary
1. "Beyond Life and Death" and "Secret Curriculum for Pyvchic Power-Health Edition": another books by Master Asahara. The English version of "Beyond Life and Death" was published in 1988.