he third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. 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.
Contents
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* 1 Symbolism
o 1.1 In Hinduism and Buddhism
o 1.2 In the Western Wisdom Teachings
o 1.3 Elsewhere
* 2 Technique
* 3 Physical basis: the pineal gland?
* 4 In fiction
* 5 See also
* 6 References
[edit] Symbolism
[edit] In Hinduism and Buddhism
Shiva head with third eye
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In Hinduism and Buddhism, the third eye is a symbol of enlightenment (see moksha and nirvana). In the Indian tradition, it is referred to as the jnana-chaksu, the eye of knowledge, which is the seat of the 'teacher inside' or antar-guru. 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, 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.
In the Upanishads, a human being is likened to a city with ten gates. Nine gates (eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, urethra, anus) lead outside to the sensory world. The third eye is the tenth gate and leads to inner realms housing myriad spaces of consciousness.
Chakra Color Primary Functions Associated Element Location Open or Balance Foods Symbol
Third eye
ājñā, आज्ञा indigo Direct perception, intuition, imagination, visualization, concentration, Self-mastery , Extra Sensory Perception, numismatics time / light Between the eyebrows. Meditation, guided visualization. Dark bluish colored fruits, Liquids, Spices
[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, Zen, and in Japanese martial arts such as Karate and Aikido.
In terms of Kabbalah, the Ajna chakra is attributed to the sphere of Chokmah [1], or Wisdom, although others regard the third eye as corresponding to the non-emanated sephirah of da'ath (knowledge).
[edit] Technique
In Taoism and many traditional Chinese religious sects such as "chan", "third eye training" involves focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed in various qigong postures. The goal of this training is to allow students to have the ability in tuning into right vibration of the universe and gain solid foundation into more advanced meditation levels. 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 focusing only. This only allows one to tune in to the right vision. Generally, opening the 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). In Taoist alchemy the third eye is correlated with the upper dantian. [2] [1]
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.[citation needed]
During the 60's, psychologists experimented with LSD and strobe lights to gain an effect which seemed to correlate with third eye opening experiences.[citation needed]
[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 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.
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 fiction
