VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA (INTELLIGENCE SHEATH)
Vijnanamaya means composed of vijñāna, or intelligence, the faculty which wills, discriminates and determines. Since this sheath is already within close range of the atman, it is endowed with a reflection of pure consciousness.
ANANDAMAYA KOSHA (BLISS SHEATH)
Anandamaya means composed of ānanda, or Supreme bliss. The bliss sheath normally has its fullest play during deep sleep, when the mind and senses cease functioning. Being the innermost sheath, the ānandamaya kosha is the purest reflection of the atman, which is bliss absolute. The anandamaya kosha is proof that bliss is our true nature.
According to the Taittiriya Upanishad, the individual consciousness or atman (Self) is 'encased' in five koshas or energy sheaths.
They are known as annamaya kosha (food sheath or physical layer), pranamaya kosha (vital energy sheath or breath layer), manomaya kosha (mind sheath or mental layer), vijnanamaya kosha (knowledge sheath or intelligence layer) and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath or bliss layer).
The koshas are present in concentric layers around the atman.
Each kosha is interior to, and subtler than, the previous kosha. The annamaya kosha or physical body is the outermost and grossest layer, and the anandamaya kosha or bliss layer is the innermost and sublest layer.
These five layers are not watertight compartments, but are actually gradients of conscious energy, from the grossest to the subtlest.
Understand, every layer of 'you' is a gradation of consciousness! Your physical layer or physical body is the most visible and grossest expression of consciousness.
Your breath layer is a more subtle expression of consciousness – a bridge between the gross body and the subtle mind.
Your thoughts and emotions form the mental layer, which is a still more subtle vibration of consciousness.
In the intelligence layer, the same consciousness is expressed as the ability for visualization and discrimination.
The bliss-consciousness layer is experienced by you only in deep sleep (though you are unaware of it), or rarely, in deep meditation.
These five layers are not physical sheaths, but rather different layers of subjective experience. They function as one holistic system. Each layer flows into the next layer, and is intimately connected to the layers it touches on either side. That is why you will see that many of the meditation techniques combine techniques for two or more layers.
One more thing: Each of these layers is a vibration of Consciousness, whether gross or subtle. Each layer is linked to the core Consciousness.
So in meditation, we can either work along the spiral of Consciousness, moving slowly inwards - or we can directly jump from any layer to the superconscious state. Understand, you don't have to work along the spiral. You can take a quantum jump from anywhere along the spiral into the core Consciousness!
The traditional methods work along the spiral. That is why they first prescribe techniques to cleanse and energize the body, then they proceed to work with breath, then the thoughts and emotions and so on.
But there is another path, where you can take the leap from anywhere into your inner space. It all depends on the person, on his state of readiness.
Since every layer of 'you' is an expression of consciousness, anything can become a door to enter into that pure inner space.
That is why you will find, in the Vedic Tradition We've spared no effort to turn anything into a meditation! Your very body movements can be used to infuse awareness into your life.
Your breath, your emotions, your thoughts can all become techniques to help you enter that inner space. The Vedic Traditionhas thrown open all the doors!
YOU ARE THE SOURCE! Experiencing yourself as the play of pure consciousness