What is the scientific basis for chakras in Hindu philosophy?

[imiyakawa]

From a qigong perspective, these are energy centres in the body in which chi is said to be stored and flow through. e.g. in the head, solar plexus, naval and some others. So yeah, they're claimed to be energy centres.

With qigong practice, you learn to move the chi around your body (it's always said to be moving, but you can feel it). It starts off feeling like a warm current flowing around your body then is said to feel like fire moving outside the body by more advanced practitioners.

You can gather this chi inside your naval (a 'chakra') and make a gumbling sound.

Here's a video;

But i can't talk about 'chakras' from an Hindu perspective.. don't know anything about that.

 

[Pythagorean]

If you can provide a source, we can explore the issue. You cannot make unsupported scientific claims and then reference a "psychic".

Well, he did provide a quote from a biolgoical scientist. Here's the reference:

Evolution of the Vertibrate Epididymis
R.C. Jones
Dept of Biological Sciences
University of Newcastle

And here's a whole slew of journal articles on the Leydig gland from google scholar:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?h...Y3&q="Leydig gland"&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

I'm not saying anything about chakras, just pointing out that the Leydig gland seems to exist in biology literature. People who only found it on mystic sites were biasing their search with assumptions. Mystics draw off of real science plenty, it shouldn't discredit the fundamental scientific idea just because a mystic used it on their web page.

 

[Evo]

Well, he did provide a quote from a biolgoical scientist. Here's the reference:

Evolution of the Vertibrate Epididymis
R.C. Jones
Dept of Biological Sciences
University of Newcastle

And here's a whole slew of journal articles on the Leydig gland from google scholar:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?h...Y3&q="Leydig gland"&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

I'm not saying anything about chakras, just pointing out that the Leydig gland seems to exist in biology literature. People who only found it on mystic sites were biasing their search with assumptions. Mystics draw off of real science plenty, it shouldn't discredit the fundamental scientific idea just because a mystic used it on their web page.

Uhm, did you notice that those are references to marine animals, not humans? Moonbear is correct, they don't exist in humans.

 

[Pythagorean]

Uhm, did you notice that those are references to marine animals, not humans? Moonbear is correct, they don't exist in humans.

To be fair, you've only just now added the qualifier "in humans" as far as I can tell in this thread. I'm nitpicking at the fact that the Leydig gland does exist, despite being on a mystic site. I don't care where it exists.

I'm not sure what's keeping this thread going; I hope we're not still holding out for evidence proving the existence of chakras...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, he did provide a quote from a biolgoical scientist. Here's the reference:

What you can't see is what I deleted.

 

[Mk]

Now, I'm not an expert on chakras, but it seems to me that to really understand what they are we'd have to have a review of the philosophy of the region. It sounds like chakras are how people hold the various types of suffering. The types of suffering are distinguished from each other based on their causes.

There are three types of suffering in the philosophy that I am familiar with, dukkha-dukkha, viparinama dukkha, and sankhara dukkha. Pain, illness, old age, death, unmet expectations, and the realization that happy moments will not last. To eliminate this suffering humans must seek to eliminate desire, and seek to eliminate the illusory idea of "self."

Is not the idea of a "chakra" closely related to this? I have rarely heard of "chakras" from people claiming to be physicians, or referred to existing in a realm any other than spiritual metaphysics. If so, I think this thread would better be deserving of the philosophy or general discussion forum.

Also Dave, that was hilarious. I was quietly laughing for several minutes.