Kundalini and Tantra: Tibetan Buddhist Theory of Chakras

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Within every living body, although on the subtle rather than the gross or physical level, there are said to be a series of energy fields or centres of consciousness, which in traditional Tantric teachings are called chakras ("wheels") or padmas ("lotuses").  They are said to be located either along, or just in front of, the backbone, even though they may express themselves externally at points along the front of the body (navel, heart, throat, etc).  Associated with the chakras is a latent subtle energy, called kundalini in Shaktism, and tumo in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra.

Speculations and teachings concerning the chakras have occured independently in the religious, spiritual, yogic, and occult traditions of India, China, and the West.  Although having certain basic points in common, these also differ in many details.  So we have a number of different chakra-doctrines that have developed in different esoteric traditions to greater or lesser completeness.

Tantric Buddhism (or Vajrayana) broke off from the Indian Tantric one at a very early stage.  Hence they developed a rather different version of the chakras.  Tibetan Buddhism acknowledges four (navel, heart, throat, and head), five, seven, or even ten chakras or "channel wheels"; each with a different number of "spokes" to its Indian Tantric counterpart.  The navel chakra for example has sixty-four spokes, the heart chakra eight, the throat sixteen (the only one to agree with the Hindu scheme), and the head or crown chakra thirty-two.  There is also, as in Laya-yoga, an elaborate system of correspondences.  Note that in this system it is the head-centre, and not, as in many Western interpretations of Hindu Tantra, the Perineal or the base, that is associated with the body and physical consciousness.  The throat centre represents a more subtle state of consciousness, the dream state; and the heart centre the refined of all, deep meditation, dreamless sleep, the peaceful deities and the Clear Light.

Instead of Kundalini, reference is made to the red and white subtle "drops" in the navel and head chakras respectively, although sometimes other drops are mentioned as well.  Through the dissolution of these drops, and of the various subtle winds, in the central channel, one attains transcendent awareness.  This happens not only during advanced yoga, but also at the time of death; and constitutes the phenomenon known as the "Clear Light".

from: http://www.kheper.net/topics/chakras/chakras-Tib.htm

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