Om! The Bliss sheath or Causal body (Anandamaya Kosha) - Atman Nityananda

 
The Bliss sheath or Causal body (Anandamaya Kosha)

 The bliss sheath (or vehicle of the Self) is considered to be the primordial ignorance and, although originally sattvic in nature, is tainted by the gunas rajas and tamas. It is also called the causal body and is the substratum of all other sheaths (physical sheath, pranic sheath, mental sheath and intellectual sheath) and contains in seed form all tendencies and desires of any nature (sattvic, rajasic and tamasic).

The Anandamaya Kosha (bliss sheath) has three modes of expression. First is the joy we feel on seeing the desired object (this joy is called Priya in Sanskrit). The joy we experience by possessing the desired object (this joy is called Moda) and the joy or happiness we experience through the actual enjoyment of the desired object (this joy is called Pramoda). 

This Anandamaya Kosha in the dream and waking states is partially expressed in the vision of pleasant objects and when we do well or succeed in something, and is fully expressed during deep sleep. We also experience spontaneously the happiness of the Anandamaya kosha when our virtuous deeds of the past come to fruition.

The Anandamaya sheath, as well as all other sheaths, are not the Self (Consciousness), but temporary vehicles of Consciousness to experience itself and express all its potentialities.

The sheath of joy, when impure, veils our true Self and prevents us from experiencing the peace and joy of our Soul (Atman, Consciousness). When it is purified of rajas and tamas and freed from the seeds of selfish tendencies and desires, then it clearly reflects the bliss of our divine Self.

We identify with the ignorance, joy, happiness and contentment of the Anandamaya sheath and also with the other sheaths (The physical body, prana, mind and intellect), because of ignorance and non-discrimination, that is, because we are not aware of our true Self which is beyond and distinct from the Anandamaya and all other sheaths and we do not have the ability to discern between, our true Self, the eternal Sat-Chit-Ananda Consciousness (Atman) and the five sheaths.

We are aware of the joy of the Anandamaya sheath, as well as of bodily and energetic sensations, mental, emotional and intellectual expressions, thanks to the light of Consciousness that illuminates them. Just as the light of the sun is distinct from the objects it illuminates, Consciousness is distinct from the five sheaths of which we can be aware thanks to that light of Consciousness.

Given that Consciousness is experienced mixed with the five sheaths, in order to recognize and be fully aware of our true Self, we must, through one-pointed discriminative enquiry, discern the silent presence of Consciousness from the five sheaths, i.e., the body, vital energy, thoughts, emotions, reasoning and the joy, and also meditate on it (the silent presence of Consciousness) until all identifications with the five sheaths cease completely. The complete cessation of identifications involves the elimination of the egoic self with all its tendencies and desires.