sama even , smooth , flat , plain , level , parallel
samAdhi: state of consciousness that is beyond opposites
The instant of merging was very incredible. I thought this is what Samadhi might feel like
As one gets deep into the vibration, one is the vibration, and vibration is the only way of knowing the vibration. This is the meaning of Samadhi.
Overcome with tears I broke out of Samadhi. Brahman is over-awing, overwhelming. I sense him as if he is behind a screen. His vibrations are tremendous. His effulgence that I glimpse from behind this screen promises to be overwhelming. I am not even sure I can take it. He is awe-inspiring. I feel humbled. That is why I broke out into this proclamation of his greatness.
Fantastic Samadhi experience last night. The switching to sitting in a chair is helping.
At night, went to sleep at 10pm. Shakti started her play. The vibration was strong and fantastic as in the early days. This time I could keep the breath even as I felt at the point of losing breath. Lots of fantastic vibrations in the head and Sahasrara. Finally, I prayed to all my Gurus (Adinatha Shiva, Maharishi Patanjali, Swatmarama, Swami Rama, and SwamiJ) said goodbye to my family members since I felt the breath was leaving. Then, however I didn’t of course die, but I had the distinct feeling that “Devi is at home” now. The whole being was vibrating with the strength of Devi. This is Samadhi. But there was still awareness of external sound of the fan. So, it is not Turiya. It was really fantastic.
sAnanda, sasmitA!
I finally understand more deeply what Swatmarama means by absorbing the mind into the breath, and then when the mind becomes still,
the breath also comes to a standstill (very nearly at least!). There was some fear of paralysis as one views the body so completely detached and at rest for a couple of hours, but the blissful feeling of unity was wonderful to glimpse.
this great insight that Consciousness has the attribute of taking on the essential properties of whatever it enters (as it were). This is how I understand Avarana Shakti. So by covering itself in this way, it deludes, or is hidden from view. A key point to understand is that because we are so used to understanding things with the mind (intellection), we also want to try and “understand” Consciousness through the mind. This is a great stumbling block. The first step in deep meditation is to understand that there are ways of knowing that do not require mentation or intellection. Only if the mind is stilled with the breath, and the senses are withdrawn from the sense organs, can the body also be stilled, and then is Consciousness allowed to come forth. Consciousness is like this very shy person who is easy to miss in the hubbub of mental activity inside the body. But when all else is still, and a person can tune in to this understanding or awareness, then Consciousness reveals itself in its power and glory.
There is also an interesting symmetry to Samadhi and the Avarana Shakti of Consciousness. In Samadhi one attains a “one-ness” with whatever object of perception, as a route to understanding Consciousness. This makes sense because on account of Consciousness’s Avarana Shakti property it is not capable of being directly apprehended by the mind. So by learning to attain Samadhi we can remove the Avarana on the object and see Consciousness for what it is.
Samadhi as a different way of knowing. How mentation, or thinking with the mind is not the only way of knowing. So first cultivating an openness to other ways of knowing.
realize that these fears are themselves products of the mind and exist along the way, but when one reaches the Amanaska state (no mind) and goes beyond, these no longer exist there. That is a fearless state. For true fearlessness I feel exists only in Samadhi.
meditation insight into nature of samAdhi and today’s Yoga Nidra experience. In samAdhi, the knower, the means of knowing and the known (or object of gnosis) converge or collapse. Now the mind is the instrument of knowledge. So if we ask the question, what is the true nature of things in external reality (this true nature being eternal and not transient), then this nature has to be beyond the senses and mind, because those are by nature transient. But the only thing that exists beyond the mind in the amanaska state is pure consciousness. So if we take as a specific example a concrete object such as a sugar dispenser and perform samyama on it, then what we find is that the sugar dispenser has a name (shabda) associated with, it has a true nature or artha (that we are yet to decide on), and the name ‘sugar dispenser’ evokes a set of memories and associations in our mental library or chitta (this is jnana). Now of these three characteristics, the shabda and jnana depend on language and cultural context, and so are not eternal. At the end of the day it seems that the pratyaya or concept of ‘sugar dispenser’ exists in the mind field, and when the mind as instrument of knowing is fixed one-pointedly on it, it reveals that consciousness is reflecting back on itself. So it seems that with respect to the external world, there is a circularity argument going on. Consciousness is reflecting back on itself through the mind field. Now the meaning of YS 2.21 “The essence or nature of the knowable objects exists only to serve as the objective field for pure consciousness” is clear. Objects exist to serve the purpose of observation through the mind. So this would then imply that all existence (in external reality) is also consciousness. So Sat=cit.
While the visions and insights in samAdhi are the same, the embodied mind has to write down. So we get different versions of the path. You have to pick the one that makes sense to you. Don’t denigrate any other path because in the end you will see they could all be valid, being constructs of the mind.
12. SamAdhi is now blissful. I also understand the true meaning of the word.
7. samAdhi: state of consciousness that is beyond opposites.
What bliss, this is incomparable. In bliss Ananda, every cell is in sheer ecstasy and you know this is right, and this is what you were born for. This is the difference from pleasure.
There are different levels of samAdhi
Other references: SwAmiJ, Kip Mazuy, Chinmayananda or Chinmoy (check)?, Ramana MahaRshi.