The Four States of Being

“For the past has been left behind, and the future has not been reached. Instead with insight let him see, each presently arisen state”
-Bhaddekaratta Sutta

The intention behind this article is to bring awareness of what are commonly referred to as ‘The Four States of Being’, to help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves through meditating on these states of conscious awareness. It’s not uncommon to hear of struggles from early meditators claiming they are unable to silence their mind, or that they do not even know where to begin when it comes to meditation. This article will create a simple guideline to help illustrate how to observe ourselves in a way that may help us take a step outside of our mind and into the great cosmic unknown!

This information is based off of the 10 Planes of Consciousness as described by Mahajrya, an organization that take concepts primarily from the Hebrew Kabbalah, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity to help spiritual seekers find the connecting truth between the various belief systems without the dogma or claiming any one specific path, except that of personal growth. If you wish to learn more about Mahajrya visit Mahajrya.org.

In this practice, they describe the 10 Planes of Consciousness in a way that can be expressed similarly to our basic understanding of the dimensions. There is consciousness, and this consciousness exists in different densities or levels, the highest of which would be source consciousness, or God if you will, and then expands outward to encompass the realms of our soul right down to that of our human experience. The top three planes are therefore often referred to as “The God Planes” while the three planes below that are called “The Soul Planes”. This leaves four levels remaining, “The Human Planes” and the meditation to work your way through these planes is know as “The Four States of Being”.

First State: Breathe
The root of all sentient life as we know it is the breath. Regarding the essential ingredients for life, we can go weeks without food, days without water, but try going even an hour without breathing. Our breath is the first action we take as we are born into this world and is the last action we make as we leave it. So at the very root of the human experience, the bottom of the human planes, is our breath.

Many practices including the common western yoga techniques have placed tremendous importance in the value of deep and wholesome breathing. The understanding is simply that as our breath is so essential to our life, by becoming aware of exactly how we are breathing we will create a deeper connection to the higher planes, grounding us in the present moment, and help establish a state of internal peace.

One of our common expressions is “breath check!” meaning to take a moment right now to check how deep is your breath. Drunvalo Melchizedek in his book “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life, Volume 2” goes through the steps of the Merkaba meditation, and in this practice your inhales and exhales must be a minimum of 5-7 seconds per direction, for a total of 10-14 seconds for one full breath cycle. Is your breath this deep? Try taking a few really deep breaths and time your inhales and exhales. Being mindful to keep the inhales and exhales the same length.

As we breath in this manner we can observe the fact that we are now focusing our thoughts on our breath, and knowing that as we breath deeply there is more than just air flowing in and out of our bodies, but etheric energy too! As you breath deeply, picture the breath starting at the crown of your head as you inhale and pouring energy into you. Try feel as though you are breathing with your pineal gland, not just your lungs. As you do this you may feel your ears pop, this is normal and a great sign that you are maintaining the pranic breath! Once you are grounded in your ability to observe yourself breathing you can move on to the next plane.

Second State: Inhabit
As you feel your breath on each inhale and on each exhale, take a moment to observe your physical body. Inhabiting yourself in this moment. Observe your body moving as you breathe, if you feel comfort or discomfort, observe the sensations and breathe into them. Try for a moment to exist as a single cell within your body, and look at all the life that surrounds you. Our blood is composed of countless cells, all of which are conscious of the role they play within our bodies, as is every organ or every tissue within us. Take a moment to observe yourself at this physical level.

This body is your container. The vessel in which you exist and are able to reach out and interact with the world. This plane of consciousness is very dense and meticulously structured, which is a good thing as it builds the very fabric of the reality we can see, feel, taste, smell and touch. While meditating on inhabiting your body, you can keep your eyes open and reflect on what you see around you, what you can smell, the tastes in your mouth. Observe yourself, and observe the sensations of your deep breath within you.

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