You are not just matter, you are energy!🔗

Master, You have said that in death we move from being matter to energy and we move again back to matter when reborn. Does the energy reside in that matter as well? How is it expressed?

Albert Einstein, the great scientist, climbs to the top of Mt. Sinai to get close enough to talk to God.

Looking up, he asks God, ‘God, what does a million years mean to you?’

The Lord replies, ‘Just a minute.’

Einstein asks, ‘Ok, and what would a million dollars mean to you?’

The Lord replies, ‘Just a penny.’

Einstein asks, ‘May I have a penny, my Lord?’

The Lord replies, ‘Sure, in a minute.’

Vedic scriptures say that the entire universe is made of five elemental energies.

These are the energies of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Earth is the grossest form and ether the subtlest of these energies. Everything in this universe, living nor non-living, is made of one or another of these five energies, or a combination. There are no exceptions. The energy form moves from solid to liquid to gaseous to intangible. That is the subtle progression of energy.

When the form is gross, we term that matter; when it becomes subtle and we cannot see the form, we call it energy. There is no distinction between matter and energy; matter is energy and energy is matter.

Scientists were fighting about this for centuries. In the days of Newton, not much was known about energy. It was Einstein who established clearly the link and the conversion. Even then many assumed that it was either matter or energy, not both. Now Quantum Physics has established beyond doubt that it can be matter and energy at the same time.

Sometimes objects appear to be matter or energy or both depending on the viewer! Quantum Physics experiments have established that the behavior of subatomic particles including their appearance, changes depending on who views them!

Matter is material, scientific, logical and self-centered. Energy is spiritual, beyond logic and multi-centric. Energy cannot stay in one place and cannot be bound by boundaries unlike matter, which stays where you left it. Matter needs to be moved by energy. One is form and the other is the formless behind the form.

An idol in a temple is seen by your eyes as matter, but can be seen as energy if your being is open. That is why people steeped in logic have a problem in understanding the nature of idol worship.

All living beings are energy, and humans at the higher end of the evolutionary scale are high-energy beings. The human being is a holographic image of the universal etheric energy. The human being is the microcosmic representation of the macrocosm. There is no distinction in energy; all energies are one and derived from one.

They seem to differ only in the form that they assume.

Within our mind–body system, we have energy pathways. Traditional Chinese and traditional Indian medicine systems, as well as other ancient wellness systems, clearly talk about these energy pathways. Meridians and pressure points are the central concepts of Chinese acupressure and acupuncture treatments and millions of people benefit from these.

In many cases, people turn to these forms of treatment after Western medical treatments have failed to help them. These treatments are based on a clear understanding that our mind–body is an energy field. Many other Chinese practices such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong and so on are also based on energy and are widely practiced.

In the tradition Indian medical system of Ayurveda (knowledge of life), the mind–body system is looked at as a holistic energy field. Energy blocks are diagnosed and related to mind–body states and cures are prescribed. It is not they will treat only the leg if you have a pain in the leg.

Each part of your body is not separate; it is part of an integrated system. You cannot cure an ailment by treating only the affected part or the symptom. One needs to identify the root cause and remove that cause.

Western medical science is on its way to understanding some of these concepts and accepting them. Many professional Western medical doctors have written extensively on holistic medicine based on the traditional concept of energy. It is now far better understood that mind and body are not two separate entities.

There is no such thing as a psychosomatic illness.

If what that term means is that the ailment is caused by the mind, all ailments including cancer and heart attack are psychosomatic. There is no ailment that we suffer from which is either purely body centric or mind centric. All ailments have a combined cause and effect of mind–body together. There are no exceptions.

The Vedic system says that there are 72,000 energy pathways in the body. Not all of them are active. In fact, probably about 14,000 of these paths we use in our lifetime. Then there are energy centers distributed around the mind–body system. The Chinese system talks about some 150 such points and Hindu systems such as kalaripayattu and so on mention 108 such points. Some of these points are critical and when affected can cause paralysis or even death. These points are known as marma or secret points in the Hindu system. Identification and use of these points are an art and a science, and there are still qualified and effective practitioners of these ancient cures.

In the past, when this knowledge was practiced extensively, it became in addition to a healing science a self-defense system as well as a spiritual path. It is in the same mould that karate and such other Eastern martial arts also developed.

There are seven major energy centers in our body. In Sanskrit we call them chakras or wheels. This is because when the sages meditated, there was extraordinary energy flow at these points resembling whirlpools or wheels of energy. The chakras are virtual energy centers. Doctors cannot find these when they cut up the body and so they might discount their existence, but kirlian photography has captured these centers clearly in the energy plane and now these centers are accepted by the world of medicine also. Each chakra is connected to an endocrine gland. Endocrine glands produce hormones that control our physical, mental and emotional wellness.

In the latter day Tantric tradition of Hinduism, which developed with the influence of Buddhist practices, various practices are used to energize the chakras. The objective of most of these techniques is to raise what is called the kundalini energy. This energy rests in the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine and through meditation can be moved upward, toward the sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head.

Though the underlying concepts are true, most of these practices can be quite dangerous to the average person. A person has to be ready to cope with the awakened energy. Even for someone who is prepared, it takes quite a while to become accustomed to the awakened energy. For someone who is not, there can be major damage to the physical and mental faculties and the nervous system.

Many people come to me asking me to help raise their kundalini energy. Others tell me of bad experiences in having tried this either by themselves or through other teachers. These dangers are real; you can become mentally unbalanced; you can go blind. I tell them to stop worrying about the kundalini and practice the completely safe and simple meditations we teach in our initial level programs called LBP.

These meditations help raise your energy; they energize all your chakras in a very safe way. We use the meditation techniques that will clear your emotional blocks in order to settle you into well-being.

Please understand this simple truth. When your energy is good and is flowing right within, you are in good health and at ease. When there is a problem and when your chakras are blocked, they disrupt the energy flow and you are in dis-ease and unwell. Proper flow of energy and energization of your chakras are essential to your well-being.

When your chakras are blocked, they can contract and become as small a button on your shirt. When they are energized, they expand and can be as large as a truck wheel.

You no longer have to believe that chakras exist based on what scriptures say or what a psychic could see by looking at you. Today, there are scientific techniques available that can capture the energy of chakras. Kirlian photography is one such tool and there are others. These techniques capture the energy field in you and around you. Many practitioners are using these techniques for diagnostic and treatment purposes.

There is no longer any doubt that an energy field surrounds us and that the same energy field acts within us as well. These pictures show energy blocks that help identify points of potential discomfort, even before such discomfort is manifested. Of course, one has to use these techniques with awareness and caution. When used appropriately, these can save lives and avoid suffering.

This photograph below was taken as part of a 20-minute time lapse session when the subject was in meditation. The effect of meditation was clearly evident as the session progressed and the photographic evidence was in line with what was explained before the session. The subject is a healer. The predominant green aura represents the healers' aura.

These energy centers are located at various points in the body as shown below in the picture. The corresponding endocrine glands are also shown separately. The accompanying chart explains more details about chakras.