Non-Physical Beings: Lower Dimensions (Root cause of their existence ?)

Abstract: In many religious traditions, scripts, we often hear about various kinds of non-physical beings. They are from both lower and higher dimensions. Beings from lower dimensions are typically labeled as dark beings who may appear before the bodhisattva as obstacles, to disturb his meditation. Many practitioners nowadays believe that these are just merely stories, mind made and mythical, but to the one who progressed through bodhisattva path, these obstacles have to be faced. In some cases, encountering, channeling them is an integral part of the practice. In fact it is a duty of the bodhisattva to clarify certain spiritual matters to these confused souls, even sharing his healing energy with them. This article brings forth the author's experiential insights on this matter.    

We say that, the bodhisattva's service is both worldly and non-worldly. In non-worldly aspect, the adept has to accept things he does not like, things he did not imagine to exist. Especially the things that go against the rational mindset. When the adept progresses through higher bodhisattva stages, he has to go through two dark night phases; one for his individual progression as mentioned here, and the second one if he is a vessel (nirmanakaya) to an ascended master (i.e. Your favourite old master). Then the adept has to undergo an additional cleansing process.

At a certain point in this stage, the universe opens the adept to confront many non-physical beings in such lower realms. This knowledge is quite vital for him to understand how the lower universal realms work. What is their relation to the adept's (ascended master's) unconscious layer and his meditation practice. What is the root cause of their birth in these realms. What is the ultimate duality of this universe; in fact the great darkness and the great light are inseparable in nature. These beings may test the adept's patience, other qualities. If we try to run away from them, then they tend to stay around the practitioner. They are mainly attracted to the adept's aura and energy. Some of these beings are trickster souls, excellent at manipulating meditators. The first to come are the most powerful ones. After they come to know that someone is steadfast in practice, they even pass the message to other lower realms. Then the beings who get attracted to you are mostly your family line relatives, throughout many lifetimes. They might consider the adept as their redeemer and beg for the adept's meditative or transmission energy. They are of several kinds (i.e. In books, refer to 31 realms of existence) :

1. These miserable beings represent all religious backgrounds, including Buddhist, Christian, Muslim etc and even Atheist and Non-Dualist. But their past actions did not quite fit to their beliefs.  

2. Some beings even scream, crying their eyes out in front of you, not having a physical body to enjoy their life again. They think by absorbing the adept's aura energy while he meditates, they can achieve what they need.

3. Some confused souls want to take revenge against the ones who led them to their current situation. This is the only memory that is left with them, and they suffer recalling it repeatedly. They suffer the most, everyday, every minute scheming to take revenge. Bodhisattva's task is to clear their confusion, showing them truth.

4. Some cannot eat, or see. They want their senses back and they even do not know why they ended up in these realms.  

5. Matured souls are aware of the religious terms such as "Nirvana (Nivana)", "God", "Heaven", so that they want the help from the adept to reach these states. 

How Bodhisattvas Notice Them ?

Sometimes it is through channeling, or though meditative visions. But when you move through stages or bhumis (8th and above), a feature called "yogic antenna", develops around your crown, or few inches beyond the top of your head (This is referred to as infinity center by some other traditions). This opening is quite sensitive to all kind of beings, even negative-positive thoughts and energies emitted from other people in the physical form. 

Examples are as follows:

Fig. 1: The yogic Antenna: How bodhisattvas detect the energies, thoughts and beings

1. When negative beings or energies come closer to you, the left lobe of the antenna becomes sensitive to it. The positive ones such as gods and angles can be sensed in the right lobe.

2. Spiritually advanced beings, higher lamas and enlightened masters are usually sensed at the top, the middle of the antenna. 

3. When people entering into your energy field the adept detects it. i.e. When a person (i.e. a Lama) reads or channels you, their thoughts and emotions, even the vibrations matching to their profile is sensed. 

These observations reveal nothing but one important thing: these non-physical beings, the thoughts and emotions of humans are simply packets of energies. Similar to the non-physical beings from the lower realms, the thought-emotional energies of human beings also affect the atmosphere around us. Even our own thoughts and the thoughts from others.

How Can We Help Non-Physical Beings in Lower Dimensions ?

We call them confused souls, why ? Usually the souls who were born or trapped "energetically" in these realms, have only suffering. The suffering of having their one and only memory of "wrong" or "revenge" associated to their previous human life. Imagine us being in such a situation, how miserable our life could be ? Once we trapped in one of the lower realms, unless this karmic energy is fully dissipated, we cannot really come out of that situation. Either a help from a Buddha or a Bodhisattva is necessary. We've heard how bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara went down into hell realms to bring salvations to those souls lurking in darkness. As spiritual practitioners we can help them in following ways:

1. Helping to eradicate their confusion. Explain the consequences of wrong doings and deliver sermons in a way they understand. For a confused soul from Buddhist background, we may chant the following famous one:

Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ                    Not doing the evil deeds,
Kusalassa upasampadā                       Gathering the wholesome,
Sacittapariyodapanaṃ                        Purifying one's own mind,
Etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ                   That is teaching of the buddhas.

Or this famous chant from Christianity (Reminding 3 kayas: unknowable, holy spirit, son to be the ultimate truth): 

When these beings are receptive to your loving kindness energy (verbally and energetically), they become immensely happy and grateful to you. You feel the blissful energy coming back from them, to your crown chakra.

2. If trying to control in wrathful manner, some beings get terrified. They simply sense the energies emitting from us, in this case a negative or anger towards them. As a result we feel a heated sensation in our left lobe as a reflection of their fear, sadness, and the burning.  

3. For notorious ones, you need to use wrathful forms. This is where Mahakala practice is extremely useful. If the adept practices Mahakala sadhana, chants with intense meditative energies, the adept's golden aura can turn into a wrathful form of Mahakala to repel the notorious ones. Some other practitioners who meditate with this bodhisattva even notice the emblem of Mahakala in his aura. 

Time and Space Awareness of Non-Physical Beings

Many non-physical beings cannot navigate through time and space as they are usually trapped in deep darkness. They either look for a lead from a being of higher dimension to reach out to yogis, bodhisattvas and spiritually advanced souls. Beings from lowest realms cannot even detect the intensity of the energy of enlightened souls. In this way, they even suffer from inability to communicate with advanced enlightened souls, receiving their compassion and kind words. 

A Grave Misunderstanding !

The non-physical beings from lower realms often think that by absorbing energy, they can take the vengeance being reborn as a human. Or achieving the same goal by promoting itself into a godly (form) or brahma (formless) realm. Another misconception is that by merely absorbing energy they can reach nirvana. Recall that, energy alone cannot uplift any non-physical or physical being into enlightenment, to nirvana or even to to a human birth. Achieving enlightenment, nirvana or moksha is only possible for a human mind-body combination. Just increasing energy cannot bring you purification, nor your no-mind state. This can only come into light by our own practice, with our own effort. 

Another misconception is their ignorance of the universal law. The interdependent nature of cause and effect, the energies is not clear to them. They tend to think, promoting themselves to an angelic realm can solve all their problems, including vengeance. Any realm within the 31 levels of existence is under the control of the interdependent universal system, and therefore no escape for anybody. The human life is so precious and therefore its value to realize the truth should not be wasted ! 

Significance of Lower Three Chakras

In almost all spiritual practices, our primary focus is on developing higher or spiritual chakras. This is correct as their contribution to meditative samadhis is significant. However the lower 3 chakras we often forget, have the ability to control other unknown dimensions. This is why in Tantric traditions, we perform various sadhanas such as Tummo, Chakrasamvara to activate or handle the lower three chakras. One might argue that why such rituals are promoted in Tantra which is somewhat against the precepts of Hinayana view. The real reason is to let the bodhisattva to gain the full mastery over his energy system, so that he can be of a great benefit to all beings, both worldly and non-worldly.