Manomayakosha

manomaya kosha (mind-stuff-apparent-sheath) is the mental and emotional sheath which also is included in the sukshma sharira (subtle body).

Manomaya means composed of manas or mind.

The manas (thought, will, wish) along with the five subtle sensory organs is said to constitute the manomaya kosha.

The instinctive-intellectual sheath of ordinary thought, desire and emotion.

It is the seat of the indriyas, sensory and motor organs, respectively called jnanendriyas and karmendriyas.

The manomaya kosha takes form as the physical body develops and is discarded in the inner worlds before rebirth.

It is understood in two layers:

1) the buddhi (odiccausal sheath) and

2) the manas (odic-astral sheath).

The manomaya kosha, is said more truly to approximate to personhood than annamaya kosha and pranamaya kosha.

It is the cause of diversity, of I and mine.

Manomaya Kosha is the third of the five Koshas (sheaths) and is a Sanskrit term meaning “the sheath of the mind”. Mano or Manas, in Sanskrit, means “mind”, Maya means composed of, Kosha means sheath. So, Manomaya Kosha is the sheath that is composed of the mind (or “mind-stuff”).

This “sheath of mental activities” is the receiver of all sense impressions and from these impressions it forms its own ideas, thereby giving rise to the idea of “I” and “mine”, in turn creating avidya (ignorance, delusion).

The organs connected with sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, together with the mind, constitutes this Kosha.

It enables the individual to identify various objects and perceptions and distinguish one from another.

It is subtler than the second Kosha (Pranamaya – the sheath through which vital air, or Prana, circulates throughout the body) and permeates it, so it could be considered the inner self of the Pranamaya Kosha.

Swami Sivananda likens it to “the bladder of a football”, in regard to the Pranamaya Kosha.

Manomaya Kosha (the “inner organ”) is also interactive with and dependant of the former two Koshas (Pranamaya & Annamaya). It governs all the faculties of perception and instinctual consciousness.

It is the mind which can construct and destroy our apparent reality.

It is our sub-consciousness that is formed by both negative and positive experiences and where our self has developed its behavior.

Within this sheath actions happen automatically and it can dominate the other two outer shells. Vivekananda says of this Kosha: “Actions are mighty, thoughts are almighty”.

To activate this Kosha the former two bodies (Pranayama & Annamaya) should be put at “rest” through a deep relaxation technique (i.e. Yoga Nidra). With this practice, the deep sheath of our mind can be penetrated and our negative types of programming can be replaced with positive and constructive ones, but to succeed, this process needs perseverance.

Manomaya Kosha receives all sense impressions and from these impressions it forms its own ideas, thereby giving rise to the idea of ’I’ and ’Mine’, in turn creating avidya (ignorance, delusion).

The organs connected with sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, together with the mind, constitutes this Kosha. It enables the individual to identify various objects and perceptions and distinguish one from another.

Thoughts, emotions, feelings, memories are all a part of this Kosha, and since every thought has a great inherent power; it affects our physiology, moods, physical body, responses, work efficiency, relationships, wisdom and especially our breathing.

The epidemic of stress in these modern days is basically a problem at the level of mind, where a sense of apprehensiveness prompting negative emotions is commonly allowed to build up without any opportunity for release, unless certain measures are taken.

When this sheath receives clear instructions from the deeper levels, it functions naturally and very well.

However, whenever it is clouded over by its own self-constructed illusions, the deeper wisdom is obscured.

After taking care of the food (physical) body and training the energy (vital) body by regulating the flow of prana, the next important part to be trained (in a positive manner) is this level of mind.

Through proper meditation, we may become aware of Manamaya Kosha, exploring it, and then going inward, to and through the remaining two Koshas.

As with the former two Koshas, the Manomaya Kosha is also transitory.

Stay tuned, coming up next will be: The Five Koshas (Part 4 – Vijnanamaya Kosha: wisdom sheath)

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