sandeyeThe Theory: the Eight Limbs of Yoga: 6 Samadhi
May 28th 2008 16:33
The first time I experienced Samadhi, I was around ten years old. I was skipping home from school at lunch hour, as I did on every other school day, in order to eat a meal at home whilst watching a TV show I enjoyed. Suddenly, I was aware that I had collapsed onto the ground, not why, how, or when, just that I was crumpled in a heap. I felt nothing, thought nothing, sensed nothing, I simply and purely knew. Five or maybe ten minutes later, I gathered my minds back together again, realized I had a great pain in my cut knee, that blood was soaking my winter stockings, and that I had been sitting on the sidewalk for a while. The experience meant little more to me until around a year ago, although it has come to my mind on a few other occasions. Recently, I learned what must have happened.
Samadhi can be explained as a superconscious status, a non-duality, the deepest level of consciousness, a joining with the universal divinity, dwelling in the soul depths, a connection and oneness with God, a departure from thought and body activity leaving one free to experience the true mind, or the merging with inner divinity. Once again, it all depends on your brand of Yoga and your personal belief. Taking Raja Yoga as an example, Samadhi refers to the transcendence of body and mind, where one becomes one with either God or oneself.
The conscious 'think-mind' level silences, stills, falls away, or falls into the deeper 'know-mind' level. The body rests as if asleep. When used in relation to meditation on a specific object, you become conscious and aware of the object of meditation, without thought. You know the object as it is, you do not think of it or have emotions in relation to it. Whereas some forms of Yoga aim at Samadhi for the purpose of developing the skill of reaching this inner central core and the peace from sitting in this state, others direct Samadhi at union with their God for a religious reason. The Yoga Sutra refers to Samadhi by suggesting you progress step by step, first practicing Asana & Pranayama, and then progressing to Dharana, Dhyana and finally to Samadhi.
The pain of certain events that occurred to me during 2007 drove me out of my heart, or want-mind and think-mind with ease, making it easy for me to attain experience of Samadhi for the purpose of peace and equanimity. In some Buddhist traditions, fear or pain has been utilized to bring about a state of Samadhi. Yoga tends to use a somewhat more gentle method, bringing us slowly through our practice to experience this blissful wonder. Looking back at my original childhood experience after having developed the ability to voluntarily practice Samadhi last year, I realize that one of two things must have occurred. Either, akin to the Buddhist teaching method, I had so great a pain from tripping over and cutting my knee open that I escaped this pain by pushing away my outer minds and centering below, otherwise something happened somewhere else on the planet at that precise moment that would affect me in my future, and my future connection was shown by the automatic merging with this moment.
Samadhi can be explained as a superconscious status, a non-duality, the deepest level of consciousness, a joining with the universal divinity, dwelling in the soul depths, a connection and oneness with God, a departure from thought and body activity leaving one free to experience the true mind, or the merging with inner divinity. Once again, it all depends on your brand of Yoga and your personal belief. Taking Raja Yoga as an example, Samadhi refers to the transcendence of body and mind, where one becomes one with either God or oneself.
The conscious 'think-mind' level silences, stills, falls away, or falls into the deeper 'know-mind' level. The body rests as if asleep. When used in relation to meditation on a specific object, you become conscious and aware of the object of meditation, without thought. You know the object as it is, you do not think of it or have emotions in relation to it. Whereas some forms of Yoga aim at Samadhi for the purpose of developing the skill of reaching this inner central core and the peace from sitting in this state, others direct Samadhi at union with their God for a religious reason. The Yoga Sutra refers to Samadhi by suggesting you progress step by step, first practicing Asana & Pranayama, and then progressing to Dharana, Dhyana and finally to Samadhi.
The pain of certain events that occurred to me during 2007 drove me out of my heart, or want-mind and think-mind with ease, making it easy for me to attain experience of Samadhi for the purpose of peace and equanimity. In some Buddhist traditions, fear or pain has been utilized to bring about a state of Samadhi. Yoga tends to use a somewhat more gentle method, bringing us slowly through our practice to experience this blissful wonder. Looking back at my original childhood experience after having developed the ability to voluntarily practice Samadhi last year, I realize that one of two things must have occurred. Either, akin to the Buddhist teaching method, I had so great a pain from tripping over and cutting my knee open that I escaped this pain by pushing away my outer minds and centering below, otherwise something happened somewhere else on the planet at that precise moment that would affect me in my future, and my future connection was shown by the automatic merging with this moment.
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