Samadhi

 

Samadhi, or contemplation, is transcending the physical body. This is a state of non-duality, of becoming one with everything & everyone, realizing the knowledge of the Absolute and moving through different stages of Samadhi. Patanjali talks about different stages of Samadhi:

1. Sabija or Savikalpa or Sampragyanata Samadhi. This is samadhi with a ‘seed’, where the practitioner has an object of meditation in the mind. The object of meditation is called ‘pratyaya‘; it is associated with deliberation, reflection, bliss, and I-am-ness.  Sanskaras are not destroyed. Here, the Yogi is absorbed in ‘pratyaya‘ at a particular level of consciousness – it can occur at each of the four main levels of consciousness, progressing from the surface to the innermost depth of consciousness. Savitarka is gross samadhi. Savichara is subtle samadhi. Sananda is deep subtle samadhi. Asmita is still deeper subtle samadhi. These stages are:
   1. Sarvitarka Samadhi: This is consciousness of particulars. Here the mind is totally focused on the gross aspect of a physical object. This is described as examination or learning the inner secrets of the object. In this stage, every aspect of the object is understood and you gain full knowledge of the physical object. The mind, chitta, is concentrated upon a gross object with a manifest appearance that is perceptible to our senses, e.g., a flame, the tip of the nose, or the image of a deity. Vikalpa, or conceptualization, still takes place, in the form of perception, the word and the knowledge of the object of meditation. 
   2. Savichara Samadhi: This is consciousness of archetypes. The mind moves beyond the outer layers of the object and the tanmatras, or the subtle aspects of objects, are discerned. This is reflective – the chitta is concentrated upon a subtle object of meditation which is not perceptible to the senses, but arrived at through inference, such as the senses, the cognition, the mind, the I-am-ness, the chakras, the inner-breath (prana), the nadis, the intellect (buddhi) etc. The abstract qualities of the object, e.g., aesthetics, color, beauty, sound quality etc., begin to be understood.
   3. Sananda Samadhi or Ananda: This is consciousness of patterns amongst the archetypes where the pattern becomes the focus instead of archetypes. The mind is devoid of the objective world and you move beyond the intellect. There is no reasoning or reflection, just the tranquility of the settled mind. The sattwic mind is only aware of its own joy. The focus is on the inner powers of perception and within the mind itself. It’s filled with joyful peace.
   4. Sa-Asmita Samadhi or Asmita: This is consciousness of wholeness. It is a state of witnessing of the material world and you become aware of the divinity within yourself. There are no divisions in awareness. You are omniscient but it is still nothing as compared to Kaivalya. The bliss has gone and you are just there. Only the sattwic ego, the I-ness, remains. There is simple awareness of individuality – no fear, no desire. In the Shankara Tradition this is known as Cosmic Consciousness. The mind becomes fully awake. 
2. Nirbija or Nirvikalpa or Asampragyanata Samadhi. This is samadhi without a ‘seed’. There is no pratyaya. This is a transition state between levels of consciousness. It has four transition states:
   1. 1. Nirvitarka Samadhi. When the deliberation of the object ends in Savitarka Samadhi, it is called nirvitaka samadhi.
      2. Nirvichara Samadhi. The stilling of reflection in Savichara Samadhi is called Nirvichara Samadhi.
      3. Ananda to Asmita
      4. Asmita to Nirbija Samadhi
3. Sahaja Samadhi. Some Yogis place this stage between Nirbija Samadhi and Dharma Megha Samadhi. Yogis say that the state of sahaj samadhi arises naturally and spontaneously, bringing peace, energy, expanded awareness and connection with the higher Self. Sahaj samadhi is beneficial for spiritual development, clear thinking, increased energy levels, improved physical health, stronger relationships and calmness. 
4. Dharma Megha Samadhi: This is the highest state of Samadhi – all desires have dissolved. All that affects the mind, the causes of suffering, and the bondage of action disappears. Patanjali says that this stage contains and encompasses all that can be known, just as a cloud fills the sky, and just as rain quenches the thirsting earth, so this cloud pours down the rain of the Dharma and exstinguishes the raging fire of all kinds of instability. It is the transition state to Kaivalya. The borderline between the dharma-megha-samadhi and the kaivalya of Yoga is virtually imperceptible. The klesha and karma of the Yogi are eradicated, his knowledge is infinitely enlarged, his kaivalya is secured. 

5. Kaivalya: Kaivalya means ‘absolute freedom, liberation’. It is synonymous with moksha. This term is used by Patanjali and others in the yoga tradition to name the goal and fulfillment of yoga, the state of complete detachment, the state of complete liberation. Kaivalya is the perfectly transcendental state, the highest condition resulting from the ultimate realization. Kaivalya is not an escape from any thing; one simply abides in the ‘uncolored’ state without striving.

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