The Antahkarana is the communication bus, the energy of the Holy Spirit, which connects between heaven through our seven chakras into the center of the Earth.
These three represent the Trinity. The Father, the Earth Mother and the Holy Spirit or Sat Chid Ananda. We ourselves, our seven chakras, represent the Son.
The Antahkarana in terms of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus is that which communicates between the Sun and the Earth. It has these physical representations from antiquity…
o The Obelisk is the physical, artistic, objective art, representation of the Antahkarana or the tower which connects all the chakras together. The Egyptian Obelisk like Cleopatras Needle in London, from thousands of years of Antiquity.
o The Tower. The Tower struck by Lightning of the Tarot. The Rainbow Bridge which connects all the infinity of chakras from the center of the earth chakra through the seven chakras of the body and up through the infinity of chakras above the head.
o Spire, inspire, aspire – Every brick aspires to become a Cathedral
o The Sufi Inspired Minaret of the Blue Mosque in Turkey even has the representation of the chakras above the head built up the towers. But only three. Now we need to go higher.
o Buddhist Stupa showing the representation of the Jhanas, or Chakras above the head.
o The Native American Indian Totem Pole has many chakras, gods, blockages on the way up the Antahkarana to the Eagle.
In the story below the horse whip is the “finger pointing at the moon” it is the antahkarana. We do not use it because it is higher than the intellect. We are apart from it and yet it is part of ourselves. And when we do not use it or get in its way we are then the witness of its use by our higher selves. Then the flowers shower. The energy of the higher self rains down upon our crown chakras, and we are deafened by the lightning bolt of energy which energizes us from on high. Commentary, Satchidanand.
When Hyakujo first arrived at Chiang-si to pay his respects to Ma Tzu, Ma Tzu inquired, “from where have you come?”
“From the great cloud monastery at Yueh Chou,” answered Hyakujo.
“and what do you hope to gain by coming here?” asked Ma Tzu.
Hyakujo replied, “I have come seeking the Buddha-dharma.”
To this Ma Tzu replied, “instead of looking to the treasure house which is your very own, you have left home and gone wandering far away. What for? I have absolutely nothing here at all. (Nothing, or anatta, nirvana, is the higher self, so really he is saying, “Here I have God!!” commentary Satchidanand) what is this Buddha-dharma that you seek?”
Whereupon Hyakujo prostrated himself and asked, “please tell me to what you alluded when you spoke of a treasure house of my very own.”
Ma Tzu replied, “that which asked the question is your treasure house. It contains absolutely everything you need and lacks nothing at all. It is there for you to use freely, so why this vain search for something outside yourself?”
No sooner were these words spoken than Hyakujo received a great illumination and recognized his own no-mind. Beside himself with joy, he bowed in deep gratitude.
(the treasure house is the higher self, the soul, the monad, the logos and higher, commentary by Satchidanand)
Hyakujo spent the next six years in attendance upon Ma Tzu. But as Tao-Chih, his first teacher, was growing old, he wanted to return to look after him.
Before Hyakujo left Ma Tzu, he went to pay his final tribute to him.
Seeing him coming, Ma Tzu raised his horse whisk straight up. Hyakujo asked, “are you in the use of it, or apart from the use?”
Ma Tzu hung the horse whisk on the corner of his chair. After a minute or so, he asked Hyakujo, “hence forward, how do you open those two leaves of your mouth to work for others?”
At this, Hyakujo took the horse whisk and raised it straight up.
Ma Tzu said, “are you in the use of it, or apart from it?”
Hyakujo hung the horse whisk on the corner of the chair.
Just at that moment, a great roar, like hundreds of thunderbolts falling, rained on Hyakujo’s head. Ma Tzu had given a shout which, it is said, deafened Hyakujo for three days.