What is the Hara | How Does Hara Connects to Other Spiritual Ideas
What is the Hara (tanden) and How Does the Hara Connect to Other Spiritual Ideas.
This article is about the Hara and aims to clear up a few misconceptions surrounding what the Hara is and now it connects to other spiritual ideas.
The first misconception is that the concept of the Hara (腹) which translates as abdomen is related to the stomach or is confused with the related organs in the abdomen. In Japanese, Hara has a much more board meaning in both the Japanese medical tradition and in Japanese Martial Arts and Zen traditions.
The word Hara is used as both a technical term for a specific area such as the abdomen, and also to mean mind or courage. It is resented by yin yang in a spiral swirl, and this spiral is considered to be a power center that generates Ki, and is also where vital Ki is stored. In both Japanese and Chinese culture the hara is thought of as the seat of vitality and power and in both Martial Arts and Qigong the emphasis is on "moving from the Hara"
If you’re not familiar with the word Ki (key) this is also pronounced as chee (Qi or chi) , which is the transliterated Chinese pronunciation and ki is the transliterated Japanese version. They are both the same thing. The other closest equivalent in yoga and Ayurvedic medicine of India is Prana,
At a deeper level the word Hara, means one’s true nature; or your spirit. So it is not just a physical center in the body but also the center of one’s being, much like the concept of the soul.
This is where we experience the paradox of the Hara, “It can be felt, but cannot be touched. It can be realized but cannot be known”. Yet through the practice of no mind, the practitioner can become a living breathe in the deepest sense of the word—the whole being is harmonized, uplifted, integrated, made One-all-consuming living movement.
This is awareness of the Hara, and since concepts such as consciousness, soul and even mind can only be defined on an intellectual level, and cannot be grasped, or comprehended, the metaphysical idea of the Hara can only remain an elusive and abstract concept.
And this brings us to a commonly held approach to spirituality that exists today where it is believed that to follow the spiritual path one must develop the energy centers or chakras, and a common confusion of mixing the Hara and the Sacral Chakra as being the same.
One of the main reasons for this is the modern craving to understand spirituality from an intellectual perspective rather than through first-hand experience.
Hara, Atman and Awareness
In the yogic tradition the Hara equivalent is actually the Atman and the relationship with the Chakras is limited to the enteric nervous system in the same way that the Nadis or Meridians are Enteric channels.
The other confusion is that the Hara can be activated, this idea is probably again connected with the idea of activating chakras, it would be more accurate to say that one enters into a heightened state of awareness, this makes more sense since the Hara is entering into the spirit of your action, your intent or courage, since you don’t active courage, but enter into a state of courage.
The word Hara, in Japanese is also deeply interlinked with the word, Tanden (Chinese – lower Dantian). Tanden translates as “cinnabar field”, “elixir field” or the "Sea of Qi" and has three locations in the body. The abdomen, the heart, and the brain, and play a major role in the understanding of Ki and its relationship to breath, Meditation, and Taoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan) practices.
Knowing the Hara
The physical space where the Hara or Tanden is located is directly behind the navel, inside the body, closer to the spine than the navel. There is a little confusion, about the precise location and this is again probably related to some people mistakenly connecting the Hara and the Sacral Chakra.
When you’re trying to feel or sense the Hara, the precise details of the Hara’s location is not so important, since your only focusing on trying to feel your center and settling into this center, think in terms of the Hara as a three dimensional area of varying size inside the abdomen, and not as a point on the abdomen.
In practical terms you should think of settling your energy down into the Tanden or finding your center and focusing your breathing into this center. So that the Tanden becomes the focus point in the belly while the Hara is our true nature or a state of heighten awareness.
For this reason at a beginner’s level ones Zazen meditation practice guides the mind to focus on the Tanden – helping it not to wander. This practice aids you in gaining a fuller understanding of the Tanden as you become more mindful and less distracted.
After what can take many years of practice for some, but this is depending on the level of effort you give to your meditation practice. You will begin to experience that the Tanden actually becomes Hara or to express it differently you will enter into Heightened Awareness.
This transference of awareness is interlinked with your own deeper humility of understanding who you are, you may have noticed that I used the word transference as opposed to saying growth, this is an important point, since your mind or intellect cannot grow into a higher state or enlightenment, and instead awareness is transferred to the Hara.
This transfer of awareness to the Hara is what the yogi would call Atman consciousness, or Heightened Awareness, and which is also why entering into the Hara is most often first experienced during meditation, but can also be experienced by the Martial Artist or Qigong Master when practicing form, since an impeccably performed action can also transfer awareness to the Hara.
A perfect example of this can be found in the tale of the Samurai and the Tea Master . Follow the link.
At the point of Hara, the mind has no place to stay still for it is everywhere, completely in union with the universe, no beginning and no end. It is open and at ease. This is Hara, in other words, you have realized your True Nature. Mind when placed in the Hara never hesitates or stops; it is like water, when encountering a rock, it simply flows around obstacles.
So that’s the Hara.
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Related posts:
How to Become Enlightened and the Human Agreement | Primordial Sound Meditation: Ah Mantra Meditation | Atman is the Real Essence of Existence: Mind is not Atman | 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Focus & Relaxation | What is Rational Thinking: Rational Side of Awareness | How to Become Self-Realized in a World Full of Phonies | What is Zen Meditation: Story of The Samurai and The Tea Master
References
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