Akasha

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For other uses, see Akasha (disambiguation).

Akasha (or Akash, Aakaashá, Ākāśa, आकाश) is the Sanskrit word meaning "aether" in both its elemental and mythological senses.

Meaning in different philosophies

Hinduism

In Hinduism Akasha means the basis and essence of all things in the material world; the smallest material element created from the astral world. It is one of the Panchamahabhuta, or "five great elements"; its main characteristic is Shabda (sound). In Hindi and Gujarati, the meaning of Akasha is sky.¹

The Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools of Hindu philosophy state that Akasha or ether is the fifth physical substance, which is the substratum of the quality of sound. It is the One, Eternal, and All Pervading physical substance, which is imperceptible.²

According to the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, Akasha is one of the five Mahābhūtas (grand physical elements) having the specific property of sound.³

Jainism

Akasha is space in the Jain conception of the cosmos. It falls into the Ajiva category, divided into two parts: Loakasa (the part occupied by the material world) and Aloakasa (the space beyond it which is absolutely void and empty). In Loakasa the universe forms only a part. Akasha is that which gives space and makes room for the existence of all extended substances.⁴

Buddhism

In Buddhist phenomenology Akasha is divided into Skandha, Desa, and Pradesa.⁵

The Vaibhashika, an early school of Buddhist philosophy, hold Akasha's existence to be real.⁶

Cārvākism

Adherents of the heterodox Cārvāka or Lokāyata philosophy of India hold that this world is made of four elements only. They exclude the fifth element, Akasha, because its existence cannot be perceived.⁷

Theosophy

Main article: Akashic records

The Western religious philosophy called Theosophy has popularized the word Akasha as an adjective, through the use of the term "Akashic records" or "Akashic library", referring to an ethereal compendium of all knowledge and history.

Modern Paganism

It is believed by many modern Pagans that the Akasha, Spirit, is the Fifth Element. Scott Cunningham describes the Akasha as the spiritual force that Earth, Air, Fire, and Water descend from. Some also believe that the combination of the four elements make up that which is Akasha, and that Akasha exists in every living creature in existence; without Akasha, there is no spirit, no soul, no magic.

The Five Elements are worked with to create positive changes on earth. This is done through meditation to bring about beneficial changes in one’s life. Akashan spirituality is holistic.

Practitioners learn to maintain mental and physical health through meditation, exercise, ritual and diet. They are expected to have a profound commitment to their life path.

The upward point of the pentacle, the pentagram or five pointed star within a circle, represents Akasha. The others represent Fire, Earth, Air and Water. While Earth is considered "north"; Fire is "south"; air is "east"; Water is "west", while Akasha is "center".⁸

In popular culture

Literature

Anne Rice used the word "Akasha" as the name of the first vampire in the novel The Queen of the Damned.
In the Black Library novel Mechanicum the Theosophic idea of Akashic records is referenced, in this case as an underlying universal substrate which contains the secrets behind all possible forms of technology. Adept Koriel Zeth attempts to build a device called an Akashic Reader to access this information.

Music

The word has been taken as its name by an alternative metal band from Costa Rica.
The word has been taken as its name by a music industry label in the United States, Akashic Records.⁹
A little known progressive rock band from Finnsnes, Norway also derived their name from this concept.

TV

In the anime series Code Geass, the Emperor of the Britannian Empire built a shrine-like building called the Sword of Akasha, which was described as a weapon to defeat god.
The "Akasha field" is used in the television series Eureka. It is believed to be a field of universal knowledge and is some how connected to the terrestrial artifact in the Global Dynamics labs.
In Kara no Kyoukai anime, Akasha is the Root, and is directly connected to Ryougi Shiki's Chokushi no Magan.

Games

In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for the Wii, there are certain places hidden in Santa Destroy called Akashic Points which are said to lead to other planes of existence.
Akasha is used in the main title of Akasha Seal, a RPG Maker XP Episodic Series (RMXP Episode for short) by ScriptKitty. The series was left unfinished at episode 4, where the connection of the title and the story is still a mystery.
In the Super Robot Wars series of strategy video games, Akashic Buster is one of the many attacks in the repertoire of the mecha Cybuster.
In the Mage: The Ascension role-playing game, a group of mages calls itself the "Akashic Brotherhood", after a character called Akasha.
In the Nephilim role-playing game, an Akasha is some kind of alternate reality bubble, whose existence and content are based on the thoughts and dreams of the humans.
In the Legend of the Five Rings role-playing game, the Akasha is the group consciousness of the Naga race.
In popular Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Akasha is the name of a female hero with the ability to create waves of sound that damage multiple units, perhaps as a reference to the NPC of Blizzard's Diablo II.
Akasha is the name of the female Necris High Inquisitor in the Unreal Tournament 3 single player campaign.
In the PlayStation 2 (PS2) game, Persona 3, the 12th Shadow (boss enemy) performs an attack called "Akasha Arts".
In Tsukihime and Fate/stay night visual novels, Akasha is the Root, the source and the end of everything in the universe. The place where all phenomena originates.

References

^ Dictionary of World Philosophy by A. Pablo Iannone, Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 30. ISBN 0415179955
^ Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology by Karl H. Potter, Usharbudh Arya, Motilal Banarsidass Publications, 1977, p. 71. ISBN 8120803094
^ Six Systems of Indian Philosophy; Samkhya and Yoga; Naya and Vaiseshika by F. Max Muller, Kessinger Publishing, 2003, p. 40. ISBN 0766142965
^ Encyclopaedia of Jainism by Narendra Singh, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2001, p. 1623. ISBN 8126106913
^ Buddhist Dictionary by Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Publication Society, 1998, pp. 9–10. ISBN 9552400198
^ Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy By Oliver Leaman, Contributor Oliver Leaman, Taylor & Francis, 2001, ISBN 0415172810, pg. 476
^ The Tale of Carvaka by Manga Randreas, Mangalakshmi Ravindram, iUniverse, 2005, ISBN 0595349552, pg, 270
^ Earth, Air, Fire & Water, Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1995)
^ http://www.akashicrec.com

[0] Dictionary of World Philosophy by A. Pablo Iannone, Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 30. ISBN 0415179955

[1] Indian Metaphysics and Epistemology by Karl H. Potter, Usharbudh Arya, Motilal Banarsidass Publications, 1977, p. 71. ISBN 8120803094

[2] Six Systems of Indian Philosophy; Samkhya and Yoga; Naya and Vaiseshika by F. Max Muller, Kessinger Publishing, 2003, p. 40. ISBN 0766142965

[3] Encyclopaedia of Jainism by Narendra Singh, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2001, p. 1623. ISBN 8126106913

[4] Buddhist Dictionary by Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Publication Society, 1998, pp. 9–10. ISBN 9552400198

[5] Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy By Oliver Leaman, Contributor Oliver Leaman, Taylor & Francis, 2001, ISBN 0415172810, pg. 476

[6] The Tale of Carvaka by Manga Randreas, Mangalakshmi Ravindram, iUniverse, 2005, ISBN 0595349552, pg, 270

[7] Earth, Air, Fire & Water, Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1995)

[8] ttp://www.akashicrec.com

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