Avadhūtī
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Diagram showing the three main channels (nadi) of the subtle body, along with five chakras (energetic centers).
avadhūtī (T. rtsa dbu ma; C. afudi; 阿嚩底). Literally, “channel,” “vein,” or “canal.”[1][2]
In Buddhist tantra, the avadhūtī refers to the "central channel" of the subtle body, which extends from the muladhara chakra (at the base of the spine) up to the crown of the head. The central channel is flanked on either side by two other major channels (nadi), called the rasanā (right channel) and lalanā (left channel).[3]
Ian Baker states:
- Tantric texts describe the central channel as originating in the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine and ascending the body's central axis to the crown of the head. The central channel may be energetically related to the embryonic notochord, a flexible mesodermal structure that develops during human gestation and is later replaced by the vertebral column. All forms of Tantric yoga involve drawing vital energies into the central channel at the core of the human body.[4]
Tantric systems also identify "energetic centers", called chakra (literally "wheels"), along the course of the central channel. The chakra are nodes where smaller channels intersect with or branch out from the central channel.
Notes
- ↑ Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. avadhūtī.
- ↑
rtsa dbu ma, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
- ↑ Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. nāḍī.
- ↑ Baker 2019, p. 88.
Sources
Baker, Ian (2019), Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices, Inner Traditions
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University
External links
rtsa, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
Central channel, Rigpa Shedra Wiki- The Ultimate Guide to the Chakra System, Steve Gooch