The Seven Chords of Jnana Yoga

You use the chords of Jnana Yoga in your every day life when you consult your Conscience to see if you are doing the right thing, or when you reflect upon an idea using your Intellect.

In the Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation and Accelerated Meditation Program, students learn to use the deeper aspects of Jnana Yoga that will permit you to tap into your Soul's intuitive wisdom.

These chords of Jnana Yoga are shown below.

You are fully immersed in Chords One and Two by your culture. This prepares you to assume expected adult roles in the society in which you live.

Chord One comprises the Conscience, your internalized values and standards. Your Conscience is formed both by input from external sources such as your parents, friends, teachers, employers and clergy, and from lessons you have learned in your life experience.

Chord Two consists of the intellectual knowledge you gain through education. You acquire this knowledge by listening to lectures, audio tapes, and videos, and committing the material to memory. You elaborate upon your knowledge by thinking about the subject matter. You expand your knowledge further by reading, studying and researching this subject matter.

As you enter the quest of Aspirant spirituality, you may construct and deconstruct your worldview in Chord Three several times, as you are exposed to different philosophical and cosmological conceptions and alternate spiritual perspectives.

The task of Chord Three is to identify a worldview that fits with the way you experience your inner world.

These internalized statements of your philosophy about the world—what is important, what is real, who and what you are—becomes imbedded in Chord Three.

In this Chord you will ultimately build an ontological map that tells you what is your true nature, where you are on your spiritual journey, what the Universe or the Divine is like, and what is your spiritual purpose.

You explore Chords Four and Five in Mudrashram® Master Course in Meditation and the Accelerated Meditation Program using several techniques.

Chord Four gives you practical guidance for your life.

Chord Five shows you how to reflect deeply upon abstract spiritual ideas and to integrate them. It also teaches you how to dialog with your Soul, and to listen to its wisdom.

You will also look at one aspect of Chord Six in these classes, by contemplating the expression of your Soul's qualities through the Seven Rays.

Chord Six meditations activate the discriminative intelligence of your Soul, which has been called the Illumined Mind or Buddhi. Gaining insight into the nature of your ensouling entity is called viveka.

In the Mudrashram® Advanced Class in Meditation, you learn more about aspects of Chord Six and Chord Seven, as you extend your inner bridge into the higher octaves of being. Ultimately, you will touch the highest state of consciousness, Satchitananda.

In the monograph that follows, we will detail the first three chords of Jnana Yoga. Additional information about the higher chords is available in our classes.

The first chord of Jnana Yoga is the encounter with the Conscience. The Conscience has seven levels, which are described as follows:

1. Perceptual band- views behavior as it occurs, and notes the defenses that arise around it. This band is non-judgmental, but gathers facts.
2. Ethics band - the accretion of moral rules and values that guide behavior. This band judges actions by whether they violate the moral rules or deviate from accepted standards. It labels actions that appear on the perceptual as right or wrong.
3. Exhortation band - attempts to influence others to act and believe in a certain way. Uses argument, comparison with ideal examples, shaming, threats of punishment, and other means to try to change behavior.
4. Decision making band - makes rules and laws to govern behavior, sets standards, and specifies consequences if the rules are broken.
5. Archetypal truths band - contains laws or rules enunciated by a god or goddess. Many religious groups operate on the basis of revelations received by their founders (purportedly from these gods or goddesses) that specify rites and practices that must be carried out, ritual sacrifices that must be performed, prayers that must be said, etc. These religious groups believe that if the gods or goddesses are not appeased by faithful execution of their demands, they may bring ruin to the individuals who are not faithful, or even to the entire tribe or nation.
6. Metaphysical law band - presents truths as universal laws, such as the law of love, the law of prosperity, the law of karma, etc. If a person does not act in accordance with the principles of these laws, negative consequences occur.
7. Prophetic band - utters the inspired word of God. Prophets of sundry faiths receive revelation of the Divine Presence, and commandment from this center at the core of the Conscience.

There are four social expressions of this band of the mind.

The first social expression is that of the psychotherapist, who seeks to clarify the values and standards that delimit behavior and underpin core beliefs. The psychotherapist may assist the client to modify those values and standards when they are harmful to the client and others.

Psychotherapists work on the first two bands of the Conscience. The psychotherapist attempts to maintain the perceptual objectivity afforded by the non-judgmental first band of the Conscience. He or she may help the client explore the implications of carrying out rules and standards in the client's ethical band, and identify those that are unduly punitive or unreasonable. The therapist may also help the client construct new, congruent values when these are needed for healthy functioning.

The second social expression is that of the moral reformer, who teaches values and standards, and holds people accountable for those values and standards. The moral reformer makes the standard explicit, states clearly what behavior is expected, and delivers consequences for breaking the rules. The moral reformers in each society establish the rules, policies, laws and procedural guidelines that govern the society's institutions and system of jurisprudence. Lawmakers and judges act as moral reformers within society. Parents act as moral reformers within the family.

The moral reformers utilize the third and fourth bands of the Conscience. They exhort others to act according to certain rules. They make decisions about the rules by which families, organization, and societies will be governed.

The third social expression is that of the channel or psychic guide. A channel is the mouthpiece of a spiritual teacher or other spiritual entity on the higher Planes of the Superconscious mind. A psychic guide is a teacher seen in meditation, who directs the meditator's attention as it travels on the inner Planes. Channels and guides may bring forward guidance or revelations purportedly from gods or goddesses, or other spiritual entities.

Channels or guides reveal and give voice to the archetypal truths and metaphysical laws of the Superconscious mind. They express band five and six of the Conscience.

The fourth social expression is that of the prophet. A prophet is overshadowed and directed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Prophecy that overshadows the prophet may:

• Declare the karmic sentence and describes the consequences of certain actions for individuals, a group of people, or a nation
• Speak on behalf of the Divine
• Give the prophet a commandment to perform an action
• Grant commission or holy office
• Manifest the blissful Comforter [This three part blissful rhythm of the AUM or AMEN the presence of the Divine within the Soul, Intuitive truths and guidance for the prophet's own life and spiritual growth arise from this blissful rhythm.]
• Reveal the presence of God
• Show the origin or future stages of the spiritual path

A prophet is inspired from the core of the Conscience, from its inmost seventh band.

In many people, the conscience operates outside of conscious awareness. It appears as feelings of guilt, internalized shame, dread or fear of punishment, or even premonitions of doom.

The person experiencing these pangs of conscience may not have a reason for these feelings, but they nevertheless intrude obsessively from the subconscious. Subjectively, this encounter with the conscience in its punitive role is distinctly painful.

In its punitive role, the conscience acts as a brake upon actions that do not meet its standards or values. The conscience demands or requires that you:

1. Stop a behavior that is wrong
2. Do a specific action that "should" be done.

It may also attempt to change your attitudes or beliefs. It:

• Labels you as a bad person for doing a wrong action, or for holding an unacceptable attitude or belief
• Imputes shame on you for doing these wrong actions or having unacceptable attitudes or beliefs
• Threatens you or warns of dire consequences if you fail to change your behavior, beliefs or attitudes
• Withholds or denies objects you desire
• Withholds approval, affirmation or love
• Banishes or excommunicates, e.g., kicks you out of the house, the organization, the neighborhood, or the church, and forbids you to return.
• Issues curses

You have been subjected to these sharp thorns of conscience at the hands of parents, peers, teachers, employers and clergymen. Those who guided you to adulthood have also wounded you. In some ways you may feel inadequate or flawed as a person because of these ongoing critical and shaming messages.

One of the first tasks on the spiritual path is to begin to heal these "wounds of the Soul." You begin to replace these messages that you are not OK with inner affirmation and acceptance. Specific meditation techniques that facilitate this inner healing process and help you develop greater integrity are shown in the table below.

When conscience is perverted or suppressed, an individual becomes capable of great evil. When you do this work of clearing your conscience, it is important to realize your objective is not to rationalize and condone the ego's inappropriate behavior and beliefs, but to hold it to legitimate and appropriate rules or standards you have chosen.

To determine if an inner standard is appropriate, you may wish to examine its impact on the different dimensions of your life and those around you. Here's an example.

"If I adopt and practice this inner standard, what will be the consequences for…?"

1. My self
2. My family and relatives
3. My friends and neighbors
4. The community in which I live
5. The nation in which I live
6. The international community of nations
7. The planet and its kingdoms of life
8. My spiritual essence

You may wish to examine your standard in the light of different criteria to check that you are not deceiving yourself.

Using these select criteria can help you avoid perverting or suppressing your conscience.

The examination, reformation and refining of the conscience is an ongoing, necessary task throughout your life.

1. Children learn essential values expected from their society from parents, teachers and clergymen.
2. Adolescents begin the process of clarification of their values and establishing an integral self-concept.
3. Adults must solidify their values and transmit these values to their children to socialize them.
4. Older adults act as mentors and counselors to adults, adolescents and children, drawing on their wealth of life experiences. They may help others explore the meaning and implications of their beliefs. They may invite and encourage others to make more wholesome and appropriate choices for their values.

The spiritual seeker, too, must begin the process of building the bridge to the illumined mind by reforming the conscience.

While at first this may take the form of adopting and attempting to live up to moral codes such as the Ten Commandments, or the Yama and Niyama of the yogi. Later, this will be supplanted by the realization of innate Dharma, the inner sense of true living.

Both the developmental tasks of personal life and the inner transformation engendered by spiritual life, work on the conscience is necessary. By using techniques like the ones above, the aspirant can navigate this first chord of Jnana Yoga, and thereby bring the behavior of the ego largely under control.

Education seeks to awaken the intellect, the second chord of Jnana Yoga. The intellect comprises four distinct functions:

Verbal-Written – the ability to read and comprehend written language. The ability to communicate information and concepts through writing.

Kinesthetic-Intuitive – the ability to communicate non-verbally through sign and symbol. The ability to understand spatial, mechanical, organizational and interpersonal arrays and to perform analyses and decision making in these domains.

Auditory-Speech – the ability to listen to spoken information and derive meaning from it from one's native and other languages. The ability to communicate information and concepts through speech.

Mathematical-Logical – the ability to reason and solve problems using mathematics and logic.

The intellect operates on information through twelve meta-operations:

1. Input of data through the senses. This includes, for example:
   • observation of other's behavior and events taking place in the environment
   • reading
   • listening to music, conversation or lectures
   • watching television, a movie, a computer screen, or a video/DVD
   • viewing a play, dance, or other performance art
2. Identification of information relevant to current problems or goals. This includes, for example, gathering information about products, collecting facts on a subject you are studying in school
3. Organization of information into categories. This uses spreadsheets, lists, nested arrays of conceptual knowledge, or matrices to organize data. It arranges conceptual knowledge by subject or content area. It assigns order and priority to certain data points. It creates outlines or linear to-do lists.
4. Definition of problems or goals. This formulates problems, identifying their component parts. It defines goals as specific tasks to be accomplished within a time frame.
5. Modeling or representation of data. This presents data as graphs, charts, tables, 3-D images, statistical arrays, schematics, prototypes, and other representations.
6. Active research to answer questions. This begins with the formulation of a hypothesis. The researcher designs an experiment to test the hypothesis. The hypothesis is tested by experiment.
7. Comparison and contrast between options or alternatives. This contrasts theories or approaches, comparing their similarities and differences. It evaluates the pros and cons of alternate options and decides on the best option among those reviewed.
8. Summary of knowledge. This gathers information from a selected subject or category, and synthesizes what is known about it. This gives the ability to extrapolate the key ideas from conceptual data presented through a variety of media.
9. Analysis of the interaction of variables. This explores how different factors influence one another. It analyses multiple interacting factors and entire complex systems.
10. Extrapolation. This uses trend-line analysis, calculus, mathematical projections, and statistical analysis to predict the future behavior of selected phenomena. This can include, for example, future projections of what will take place with a physical object in motion, the behavior of an organism in a particular environment, a target population, sales of a business enterprise, or a complex system like the weather.
11. Using multiple methods of reasoning to solve a mystery. These include:
1. Deductive or logical reasoning
2. Analogical or inferential reasoning
3. Inductive reasoning
4. Dialectical reasoning
5. Mandalic reasoning, e.g., correlation of correspondences to derive meaning from symbols
6. Anagramic or cryptological reasoning, e.g., unraveling coded language
12. Existential inquiry. This relates concepts to lived experience to derive meaning.

When we examine the strata of the intellect, we find there are 52 orders of intellectual operations. These are described in the table below.

Mathematical-logical intellectual ability is highly valued in the physical sciences such as chemistry and physics, and in applied technology fields such as engineering and computer science.

Verbal-written intellectual ability confers the ability to think abstractly and understand abstract concepts, and to write clearly and coherently. It contributes to success in liberal arts and social sciences, and professional careers in medicine, law, and teaching.

Auditory-speaking intellectual ability comprises the ability to communicate ideas verbally to educate and influence others. This is crucial to the careers of politicians, teachers, psychotherapists, and social workers.

Kinesthetic-intuitive ability is essential to the careers of skilled craftsmen, military generals, managers, and leaders of business.

As a result of education and life experience, each of us have mastered some part of these 52 strata for each of the four intellectual capabilities.

These capabilities may not function equally in us, however.

For example, you may be functioning on strata 37 in Mathematics-Logical Ability; 32 in Verbal-Written; 29 in Auditory-Speaking; 28 in Kinesthetic-Intuitive.

While these intellectual capabilities usually develop progressively, because of selective training methods and requirements of family and career, certain skills may be learned and not others.

How well we develop these capabilities is a function of:

• The number of years we have spent in school or time we have spent practicing our trade
• The amount of time we have spent studying specific topics
• The quality of our teachers and the learning materials available to us
• The availability of linked experiences to make the learning more palpable and interesting (e.g., field trips, internships, Internet exploration, etc.)
• Our study habits and ability to learn new information
• Our innate intelligence (IQ) that we are able to actualize given our life circumstances and environmental factors
• Our internal drive and motivation to master certain topics

Provided optimal conditions are met, we would expect that completion of academic curriculum would result in the development of mastery of the intellectual capabilities at the following levels:

Intellectual mastery provides preparation for your chosen career.

In a deeper sense, it provides a foundation for the communication of philosophical, religious, and metaphysical truths when these bands of the Great Continuum of Consciousness are opened within you.

Education should therefore be heartily embraced as one of the keys necessary for your preparation as a disciple, and should not be considered a burden.

Several key attitudes and practices lead to a successful educational experience:

• Respect for your teachers and teaching materials.
• Respect for your fellow classmates by not being disruptive in the classroom, and showing courtesy and politeness.
• Respect for your school environment by keeping it clean.
• Having humility, acknowledging your knowledge is limited, coupled with a willingness to be taught.
• Having gratitude to parents, teachers and society for providing the opportunity to receive an education.
• Practice of self-discipline to set aside sufficient time to master current coursework and to prepare for examinations.
• Mastery of listening to key ideas and taking clear notes.
• Reading required materials supplemented by reading review notes.
• Deep process new material. Think about subject matter newly learned, relate it to material already learned, and reflect upon its application and relevance to your life and career.
• Concentrate your attention on the subject category to gain intuitive grasp of your subject matter and to be optimally receptive to taking in new information.
• Speak new words aloud and rehearse key ideas verbally to help you memorize the material.
• Form study groups to help you master the material. Cooperate in classroom learning projects.
• Learn strategies to take true/false, multiple choice, short answer, essay and oral exams.
• Gain the ability to approach testing with confidence, skill and proficiency, because success in testing has major impact on your future academic selection process and in competing for a job in your career track.
• Review supplementary materials, track down bibliographic references, and utilize other textbooks and learning media to expand your knowledge of the subject matter.

Intellectual mastery is a necessary developmental task needed to optimally function as an adult. Do not resist it or resent it because it is difficult.

Subjects that pose obstacles to your understanding, with proper explanation, will become clear. Intellectual capabilities that are not easy to fathom, with practice and coaching, will open to you.

Push yourself to expand and grow. Be willing to sacrifice some of your time, effort, and energy to continually amplify your knowledge and to master new subjects and skills.

Education does not end with the attainment of your diploma or degree—it is truly a lifelong pursuit. It is time, effort, and energy well spent.

The Third Chord of Jnana Yoga constructs a philosophy to guide decisions, to understand the nature of the world revealed by the senses, and to give language to the inner life shown by intuition.

It is once removed from direct spiritual experience. It imposes a veil of belief and meaning over the metavision of the attentional principle, and the inner felt-sense of the spirit.

It is different than the first two chords of Jnana Yoga.

Conscience speaks the language of precept, what a person should do; and of injunction, what they must do. It guides behavior, checks the impulses of the ego, seeks to bring order to family and society. Its keynote is morality and justice.

Intellect organizes conceptual knowledge, inter-relates ideas, and formulates theories. It tests, refines and expands knowledge using discrete operations of reading, spelling, writing, spoken language, mathematics, logic, and kinesthetic-intuitive representations. It forms the foundation by which a person can work and perform the adult and parent roles in their society. Its keynote is education and conceptual mastery.

Philosophy seeks to understand precepts and injunctions that have been established, and to determine whether they are worthy of being embraced. It examines knowledge gained by intellectual study to see which can be verified as true. It sounds the depths of intuition to find that which can be relied upon as abiding. Its keynotes are goodness, truth, and beauty.

The chord of philosophy is activated after people have received moral training by parents and by secular and religious organizations of society, and has developed the intellectual tools to access and analyze knowledge. The chord of philosophy first emerges as a period in which people question everything that they have been told is correct behavior or taught in school.

Part and parcel of the challenges an adolescent faces in life is the development of independent values, thought and identity. Not surprisingly, it is typically during adolescence that this inner questioning begins.

Examples of questions that may arise include:

• Who am I?
• Why am I alive?
• What is my purpose for being alive?
• What am I meant to do in this unique human life?
• What is the right thing to do [in this situation]?
• How do I make sense of [this behavior] that is not moral or just?
• What do I believe about [this issue]?
• What makes certain people excel, become leaders and accrue wealth and power, while others do not?
• What creates authority and power in society? How is power over others legitimized?
• What is the rationale for the precepts and rules taught to me by my parents and institutions? Are these rules relevant and valid?
• If these rules are not relevant, what can I trust as a dictum to live by?
• What does it mean to be good? What is authentic, genuine virtue? What virtues do I choose to exemplify?
• Is there really a God? If so, how may I know God?

Ethics, which questions what is good, is the foundation of philosophy. Upon this bedrock, the individual examines what can be reliably known (epistemology), what is beautiful (aesthetics), and what is true or abiding (metaphysics).

Philosophy is built upon inner inquiry, listening for an answer from within. The answers received are more deeply probed, ever seeking a deeper truth, a clearer understanding. All beliefs are tested, and subjected to scrutiny, as the individual seeks to know what is authentic.

Exposure to philosophy may come from a variety of means. The individual may study philosophy at school. He or she may begin to read about philosophical ideas in books. He or she may begin to have discussions about philosophical ideas with friends and classmates. All the while he or she is seeking something that resonates with the touchstone of truth within.

As a result of this exposure to a variety of ideas and quest for meaning and truth, the individual begins to construct a system of principles by which he or she can live. Through this framework he or she discerns the parameters of what can be known, what constitutes beauty and harmony, and what is reliable in reason and intuition.

The individual discovers what he or she believes, as opposed to what his or her parents and friends believe. The individual discerns how his or her beliefs differ from others, the rationale for those beliefs, and the touchstones upon which they are founded.

When this examination and winnowing process is completed, the individual knows what values are genuine, knows the nature of self and the cosmology in which he or she dwells.

This realization grants a new maturity and independence, a greater confidence and security, and gives the individual greater confidence in his ability to think independently and seek truth.

The individual no longer has to rely upon what is advocated by others, but has determined what is reliable, and what can be trusted.

Ultimately, the individual may be able to guide others through this questing process to help them arrive at a resonant sense of inner truth and self-knowledge. This is facilitated by the following seven methods:

1. Instilling doubt. "You have always been told this is true. How do you know it is true?" "Just because your minister and parents believe it's true doesn't mean it's true?" "What makes him an expert or authority? What if he is wrong?" "You base your conclusion upon [this premise], what about this [data that is not explained by it]?"
2. Encouraging independent thought. "What do you sense about this?" What do you know about it?' How else could you explain this?"
3. Philosophical inquiry. [Contemplating an idea.] "What is love?" "How do I know what love is?" "Is it just another name for sex?" "Is it acts of caring and kindness?' Is it an essence that transcends human physiology and behavior, or is it anchored in them?" If it does transcend them, what is that essence?" Is it only a result of language, or does it have an existence apart from the metaphors of language?"
4. Comparing and contrasting the ideas of different philosophers. "Nietzsche believed [this], Aristotle [this] and Saint Augustine [this] about the will." "How are these ideas different? How are they similar?" "How are their worldviews different?"
5. Object contemplation. [Looking at an object in silence to see what it evokes. For example, appreciating a work of art, or reflecting upon a tableau of a man silhouetted by a street light.]
6. Critical review and analysis. [This analyses the logic underlying propositions of philosophy to see if they are sound. It subjects belief to scrutiny to see if it is logical, it can be proven, or there are sufficient facts to support holding it].
7. Dialectical reasoning. [This determines the pros and cons of each issue, and finds a synthesis between them. This contrasts figure and ground, and intuits the whole gestalt that they form.]

Philosophy is grounded upon the Abstract Mind Plane of the Planetary Realm of the Great Continuum of Consciousness.

• It builds a bridge from the intellect of the Metaconscious mind to the Superconscious mind.
• It mobilizes conscience, reason, intellect, and intuition in the process of self-examination and in the construction of a coherent worldview, an ontological map.
• It precipitates an inner revolution so that one may find what is genuine and abiding.

Philosophy leads us to the inner door on the stairway of thought. But beyond thought is the direct experience of the mystic way.

All higher chords of Jnana Yoga rely upon the direct experience of the attentional principle, the immediate sensing of the spirit, and the penetrating intuition of the Soul.