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310 SPIRIT AND THE MIND
to activate this center is in the process of leaving art, religion, philosophy and even thought behind. He is preparing for a deep inner vision of the divine.
With the activation of chakra 5, the spiritual aspirant actively restrains consciousness from flowing to the outer world of duality through the senses, desires and ego. Instead, consciousness is redirected inward and purified (as the name of this center indicates) by the act of renunciation, to heighten the attachment to God, now perceived as an alive, vibrant, internal experience. Thus arises a new appreciation of morality—the control of desires, not imposed by outside forces, but now willingly adopted as a means of transcendence.
The Vedas proclaim that immortality (the stage when one is merged in the birthless, deathless, universal entity) is feasible through renunciation and detachment only, and not through rituals, progeny or wealth. When one renounces selfish desires, his love expands into the farthest region of the universe until he becomes aware of cosmic love.
(Sathya Sai Baba)
A word of caution. The overzealous aspirant may mistakenly think renunciation means denying the very existence of the body and the outer world all together. Sai Baba teaches that the body and the outer world are divinely created—in fact, divinity itself. Renunciation is not denying the created universe, and having nothing to do with it—but restraining consciousness from relating to creation through the senses, desires and ego, which crave selfish gratification and hence bind us to duality. Rather, consciousness is directed inward to God through meditation, to strengthen the bond with Him—and outward to mankind and creation through selfless service. In this act of renunciation, man’s love expands, “into the farthest region of the universe until he becomes aware of cosmic love,” giving rise to a new perception of the outer world as the embodiment of God, with every person being divine. Thus creation becomes the vehicle for transcendence.
The sixth and seventh centers, says Leadbeater, stand apart from the rest, coming into action only after a certain amount of spiritual development has taken place. These centers are connected with the pituitary body and the pineal gland respectively. Chakra 6, located


































































































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