Whenever you think, what do you do? Your hand automatically goes at this place – the forehead. When you make a mistake, your hand goes at the head. When you think or deeply ponder over something, or some problem comes then too you keep your hand like this covering your forehead. If you go to any country or any corner of the world, you find that everywhere people think like this. The third eye is present there, between eyebrows at the centre of the forehead. This is the seat of wisdom. It is the peetha (seat) of knowledge. That is why chandan (sandal paste), kumkum or sindoor (vermillion powder) is applied there. It is symbolic.
The ‘Third Eye’ is the sixth chakra (Ajna), and manifests as anger and alertness. Anger, alertness, knowledge, and wisdom are all related to the third eye centre.
Evaporation of Desire
The Story Of Shiva & Third Eye
Shiva, the embodiment of innocence and love was meditating. His meditation was disturbed by an arrow of flowers from the lord of lust. As soon as Shiva woke up, he opened his third eye and the lord of lust, Manmatha (one who churns the mind) was reduced to ashes.
You know the third eye is associated with alertness and awareness. When you are alert, awake, more into knowledge then naturally the energy has moved from the lowest chakra to the highest. The lower things no more interest you.
You know when you are very alert and awake the sexual energy has transformed itself into a different quality of consciousness. The sexual energy is when the back portion of our brain, our head is activated. Alertness, perception and awareness happen when the front portion of the brain is activated; the pituitary and pineal glands are getting activated. In the brain also they are on opposite sides of each other.
So, it is mythologically said when the third eye opens then the gross desires simply evaporate, not that it is bad, but they simply don’t make much sense anymore. That is why the intellectuals and the highly spiritual oriented practitioners always put something on the forehead, some sandalwood paste because they are focusing; doing some yoga and meditation so they put some sandal wood to cool the forehead, to cool it a little bit. When the frontal lobe of the brain becomes more active, more alert, then thinking, intellectual work, creativity, memory they are all enhanced because all of these things are in the frontal lobe of the brain and sensory pleasures are all at the back of the brain.
DID YOU KNOW?
Kashi represents the ajna chakra situated between the eyebrows. Kashi has always been the seat of knowledge. That’s why the ajna chakra is also called gyana chakshu, the third eye. Kashi is the city of pundits and scholars.
Third Eye in the Gut?
Third eye is the gut feeling, it is the intuition; it is not some other eye sitting there! There is something called Gut Feeling. I am sure every one of you experienced a gut feeling. Beyond all your reasons, your head says something, your logic says something, but your gut feeling says something else. You go by that, and it just works.
The 3 Types of Knowledge
There are three types of knowledge or information we get.
One is through the five senses. You see and you get some knowledge, you listen, and you get knowledge, you smell, and you get information, through taste you get information, and through touch. The five senses bring you some knowledge, isn’t it? Most of our knowledge is gained by these five senses.
The second is through the intellect. Like in a beaker of water you keep a pen, what do you see? The pen is bent. That is the perception, but the intellect says no it is not bent it is an optical illusion. This is knowledge through intellect.
Now these two levels of knowledge are much inferior to a third level of knowledge. That is intuitive knowledge. That knowledge is called Ritambhara knowledge. It cannot be verified by the senses or the intellect. Knowledge which comes beyond these two is another level of knowledge. So, life begins when we tap into that level of knowledge.
How to Open the Third Eye?
Our mind is in a constant race. When we are running like that, we are unable to feel our sixth sense, our intuition. The intuitive ability in us, gets covered and shrouded when we are too busy.
When you are content and when you are centered, then the sixth sense in you starts functioning. When silence begins then the knowledge from the third level dawns. That’s why all innovations happen when a person calmed down or started to relax. When you are in great hurry, you cannot do something creative.
1. Spiritual Practices
Quieting the mind gives a sense of intuition, brings the mind to the present moment, brings balance. When the mind relaxes, the intellect becomes sharp. A calm & collective mind is not docile; rather it is a source of creativity & dynamism. All the spiritual practices like pranayama, yoga, Sudarshan KriyaTM and meditation help to silence the always running mind.Meditation plays a big role in enhancing our intuitive ability. When we meditate, we slow down and cool down. Then we are able to perceive, understand and express things better.
Chakra Meditation
Normally, life energy is flowing through these chakras (the energy centers), but if we feel under pressure or disturbed, then knots form in the chakras, obstructing the flow of energy. Bring your attention to these energy centers, observe them and the world of worries and thoughts that trouble your mind will disappear. There will be peace.
For example, if you feel jealous and then meditate with attention on your navel, the jealousy will automatically subside. Due to jealousy, we make mistakes and then try to defend ourselves by justifying what we did. We should know that all that happened was because of impurities in our chakras.
2. Moderation of Sensory Needs
Too much eating, too much sleep, too much activity is counterproductive for the intuitive ability to dawn inside you. Moderation in all these things will help.
3. Let Go
Let go of the knowledge of the senses and the intellect and relax. The moment you let go then what you gain through senses, the cravings and aversions they stop. All of our cravings and aversions are about the five sensory perceptions. It cannot be anything beyond that. Are you with me? For some time, you say, ‘now I don’t want to see anything, I don’t want to hear anything, I don’t want to smell anything, I don’t want to taste anything, I don’t want to touch or know anything; I’m just going to be.’
Then intellectual concepts, judgments, decisions, to all that you say, ‘I don’t even need to know anything, I don’t care for anything.’ Letting go of concepts is the second step. How this should be? How that should not be? Things should be like this, and things should be like that and blah blah blah and blah blah blah… all these intellectual perceptions. Or am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path? Am I on the right track? Should I go on and blah, blah, blah…
All these things you drop it and then silence begins.
When you are confused, just relax. Intuition works in relaxation.
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
4. Manage Doubts
I tell you, doubts usually come to you when you choose the right thing. Doubt is always about something positive. Have you noticed this? We always doubt the honesty of a person; we never doubt the dishonesty of a person. We ask our dear one, ‘Do you really love me?’ If someone tells you, ‘I love you’, you say, ‘Really?’ But if someone says, ‘I am angry at you’, you never say, ‘Really?’ Similarly, we always doubt our capabilities, but we never doubt our incapability. When someone asks you if you are happy, you say, ‘Well, I am not sure.’ But you have never said the same when you are depressed. You are so sure of your depression. You are so sure of negativeness, but you always question the positive things in life. So, doubt also indicates that there must be something good.
Handle With Care
For God’s sake don’t try to open it. Don’t think there is an eye opening physically and something is popping up from your head. You get a bump or a hole in your forehead, no! You know you close your eyes still you feel some light; you may see, or you may feel, it can be both ways. If someone says I am going to open your third eye and this and that, just don’t go into those things. it is simply a hoax because we have seen so many people claiming to open the third eye and nothing happens really, people get a headache, an incurable headache many times and you get into problems. You know many such cases come to us for repair, so if someone says I want to open your third eye tell them, thank you very much, I am happy with two eyes. The deeper you go in meditation your intuitive ability develops.
Everyday Magic With Third Eye Power
The Art of Living Intuition Process is a specially designed program for children between 8 to 18 years of age. This powerful two-day workshop kindles the latent deep and enigmatic faculties inherent in children. Believe it or not these kids (participating in the Intuition Program) have developed a unique ability to see with their eyes closed.
Our Art Excel teachers conducted the Intuition Process for blind children, after which they were able to read, see colors, numbers, and many more things! When we asked the children how did they do it, they said, “We are reading through our mind’s eye”. They were able to read by just touching, and feeling. In the Intuition Process that we are now teaching children, their intuition gets developed and without having to open their eyes, they can feel through the mental faculty. This process could become a revolution.
This is giving hope to go to all the blind schools. They don’t need to go through Braille, this could open up another inner faculty for them to see things.
Insights
There is one level that’s beyond your logic. You go simply one step beyond and recognize something beautiful. This is the area where the entire cosmos works. All the knowledge in the cosmos is present there. Every invention has happened from this area. The initial intuitive invention comes from that. Then intellect plays on it and develops it further. Every one of those great music or poetry has come from that area; every one of them!
