The Evolutionary Process and Kundalini

The purpose of ICR is to encourage awareness, interest and scientific research into Kundalini. The term Kundalini is found in the ancient esoteric systems of India, but the concept has also been known, to a greater or lesser extent, in the mystical traditions of most faiths.

According to these traditions, Kundalini is a psycho-physiological mechanism in the human body which, when activated, can bring about heightened states of mental functioning such as genius, creativity, inspiration, revelation, mystical experience, and paranormal faculties of mind. It may also, in cases where the process does not proceed in a healthy way due to various hereditary and environmental factors be accompanied by certain forms of mental illness.

The goal of the Kundalini mechanism, when it proceeds in a healthy fashion,  is to accelerate the process of evolution in the brain and nervous system of the individual towards the development of a new faculty of perception – what has sometimes been referred to as ‘cosmic consciousness’ or enlightenment.

The Kundalini process is said to be controlled by a subtle, super-intelligent organizing principle called prana in the Indian tradition. Prana is thought to permeate every cell in all forms of organic life, and to coordinate and control all aspects of growth and organic function.

The existence of a super-intelligent principle such as this has major implications for our understanding of evolution. It would imply that rather than being a purely random process, as is postulated in Darwin’s theory, evolution has a predetermined goal, i.e. the new perceptive faculty of enlightenment.

In the past the faculty of enlightenment has generally been confined to mystics and the founders of the various faiths, but eventually it will become a feature of the mental faculties of the race as a whole.

The intellect apprehends reality through the five physical senses, and processes this information via logic, inference and reasoning. Over the ages, the mind has developed various mental constructs, such as mythology, religious precepts, and scientific theory, in order to understand reality as it is presented by the sense impressions.

Enlightenment, on the other hand, is a new mental faculty, functioning independently of the intellect, which allows one to perceive reality directly as pure consciousness, from which the phenomenal world appears to be ‘projected’.

Although this view of consciousness as the fundamental reality is in direct contradiction to the currently accepted scientific paradigm, which views it as simply a product of brain function, it has been verified countless times over the ages, through direct experience, by the great mystics and founders of the major faiths.

The activity of the Kundalini mechanism is affected by numerous hereditary, environmental and lifestyle factors, and can be accelerated by various spiritual practices and disciplines. It may also become active spontaneously in certain individuals who have a hereditary predisposition to the process.

If the lifestyle of the individual is not healthy, and does not facilitate this process, various physical and psychological difficulties may result. In order to help those individuals facilitate the process, it is imperative that we understand in detail the physiological factors that affect it.

The possibility that the evolution of our species has a predetermined goal, rather than being totally random, has enormous implications for our future progress. As our collective lifestyles have the ability to either facilitate or hinder this process, it is essential that we understand the consequences if evolution becomes blocked or frustrated. At our current level of technological development, the very survival of our species may well depend on this knowledge.

We believe that the scientific validation of the Kundalini process is possible through research and experimentation, and will require the involvement of the public, as well as scientists and researchers.
The results of this research will have major implications for our political, economic, social and educational systems, as all of these must work towards furthering our evolution, so that the human race can continue to evolve in a healthy and progressive way.