Ṣaḍaṅga Yoga's Nāḍī Chakra System
The more common and well-known nāḍī chakra system in Vajrayāna Buddhism consists of four chakras - navel (64 nāḍī-petals), chest (8), throat (16) and crown (32). The nāḍī chakra of the Kālacakra Tantra Ṣaḍaṅgayoga is based on six or seven chakras - forehead (16 nāḍī-petals), crown (4), throat (32), chest (8), navel (64), perineum (16) and genitals. This text explains the six chakras, including the three main nāḍīs. The following text is from Butön Rinchen Drup's (1290-1364) Ṣaḍaṅgayoga text. The drawings are from the manuscript attributed to Beri Khyentse Rinpoche (1890-1946), in which he says that he copied these diagrams from the original illustration of the nāḍī system drawn by the 15th Karmapa and Jamgon Lodoe Thaye. However, the drawings are not strictly in the tradition of Kālacakra Tantra.
Three major Nāḍī
The upper tip of the central channel is pierced to the spot between the eyebrows. It goes up to the crown of the head and then goes down to the throat, chest (heart), navel and perineum. After the perineum, it turns to the right, through which the semen flows.
Lalanā (brkyang ma) is on the left and rasanā (ro ma) is on the right. Their upper tips stop at the left and right nostrils respectively.After the perineum they change direction. Rasanā turns to the left, through which the urine flows. Lalanā stays in the middle and the excrement flows through it. These two channels form knots in the centre of each chakras.
Nāḍī Chakras
I. Navel nāḍī-chakra
The navel Nirmāṇa chakra is of earth element, yellow in colour (square in shape).
The navel nāḍī-chakra from the inside to the outside consists of four nāḍī-petals, then eight nāḍī-petals (representing eight parts of the day, Skt.aṣṭapraharāḥ, Tib. thun brgyad), then twelve nāḍī-petals (representing twelve southern and northern suns transiting through twelve zodiac constellations, Skt. dvādaśasaṃkrāntināḍya, Tib. 'pho ba bcu gnyis kyi rtsa), and finally 64 nāḍī-petals (representing 64 daṇḍa units of time, Tib. dbyu gu drug cu rtsa bzhi), consisting of 60 outermost nāḍī-petals and the innermost four channels, known as the four void channels.
The navel-chakra is facing upward. In the centre, there is the bindu in the form of syllable ཧོ, Nāropā calls it syllable ཨཾ.
II. Heart nāḍī-chakra
The heart dharma chakra is of air element and is black in colour (bow shaped).
It has four inner and eight outer nāḍī-petals.
The bindu of Consciousness, the black syllable ཧཱུཾ in the centre, is facing downwards.
III. Throat nāḍī-chakra
The throat Saṃbhoga chakra is of fire element and is red in colour (triangular shaped).
The throat chakra from the inside to the outside - there are four nāḍī-petals, then eight and finally thirty-two nāḍī-petals at the outermost (four of which are the void channel).
At the centre of the throat chakra, there is a red bindu ཨ facing upward.
IV. Forehead nāḍī-chakra
The forehead Mahāsukha chakra is of water element and is white in colour (spherical shaped).
The forehead chakra from the inside to the outside - there are four nāḍī-petals, then eight and finally sixteen nāḍī-petals, two of them are void channel.
In the centre of the nāḍī-chakra, there is white bindu ཨོཾ facing downward.
V. Crown nāḍī-chakra
The crown chakra is of sky element and is green in colour.
It has four nāḍī-petals.
In the centre of the chakra, there is green bindu ཧཾ facing downward.
VI. Perineum nāḍī-chakra
Perineum jñāna chakra is of knowledge element and is blue in colour.
The perineum chakra from the inside to the outside - there are six nāḍī-petals, then ten and finally sixteen nāḍī-petals.
In the centre of the chakra, there is blue bindu ཀྵ facing upward.
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