MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly

First, we were introduced to the antaHkarana.
Second, we understood a little more about the ahangkaara.
Third, came a little more on manas.
The fourth post brought you an insight to buddhi.
Today we shall look at:

Chitta: commonly translated for purposes of the antaH-karana as 'memory'. It does include something of memory built through the life being lived, but here is where things get rather more esoteric. It can also be used to mean 'intention'... or, indeed, any of the following:

Take note of that one translation which reads 'ninth mansion'. What has this to do with our mental faculty, you may well ask. Permit me to provide this quote from Vedic texts:

✤ The ninth house is the house of faith, wisdom, and divine. It is considered to be an auspicious house and reflects the fortune that one has accumulated in one's present life as a result of their past actions. ✤

The 'past actions' referred to are those gathered throughout all other lives, in addition to the present one. The life being lived at present is manifested according to our karma and the experiences we require to improve ourselves with the ultimate aim of 'returning to source'.

In short, the chitta portion of our inner equipment is what is generally referred to in Western terms as 'the soul'. It is that part of us which knows it never ages, which can stand separate and observe without the trappings of emotion or even the rigidity of logic. It is the true "I", the universal part of our consciousness of which the majority are ignorant, are in denial of, or fear. The chitta is the conduit used in pure meditation to rise above the material and enter the space of simple 'beingness'. By accessing our chitta, we can reach our sakshi - our 'witness' self which has pure objectivity regarding our mainly subjective nature.

At the functional level, chitta is a 'safeguard', a barrier to keep our feet on the ground, as it were. A customs house to prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by inputs. Depending on our cycle, we may be permitted some access to the stored memories. It is this which may account for experiences such as deja vu, places feeling familiar even when we have not visited them before (in this life), or the sense of knowing something or someone despite never having met them before (in this life). It is also from here that our talents and inherent desires arise. As a general rule, though, in our day-to-day life, we are entirely unaware of the chitta and its influence upon us. Ironically, it is the chitta, the gateway, which 'veils' us from our Universal Self...

"We are One, you and I... are you curious why?"

It is only with the adjustment of the ahangkaara to desire Knowledge beyond its little self, helped by determined manas and clear buddhi, that the barrier of chitta can be penetrated. This is achieved through the practice of saadhana-chatushtaya and consistent meditation.