samadhi

[Guest guest]

Hari bol.

This is Paul, LesIie's husband.

It sounds like you think you're liberated. Congratulations O wonderful

person! I don't know a great deal about OBE's in the way people say about

hovering around over one's body and looking down, though it seems to me that

that floating would be very similar to a partially lucid dream taking place

in one's bodily environment. However, I do know something about samadhi,

having been through it. The test of genuine samadhi is whether one resumes

active engagement in devotional service to the Lord. If samadhi is so easy,

why is this planet populated with a million bhogis to every yogi? God is

not cheap. This is kali-yuga, the time when mundane desires prevail.

Someone may have written about so many ways to liberation, but when was

that? From satya-yuga to kali-yuga, the ways and means become fewer. Harer

naama harer naama harer naamaiva kevalam, kalau naasty eva naasty eva naasty

eva gatir anyathaa. [srii caitanya-caritamrta, aadi-liilaa 7:76]. "In this

age of Kali there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no

alternative for spiritual progress than the holy name, the holy name, the

holy name of the Lord." I would therefore expect one who has attained

samadhi to be engaged in propagating the Lord's holy name, so that others

may hear and chant along. One who is advanced in samadhi engages all their

senses in the Lord's service constantly, not only the tongue. Samadhi

begins with hearing the Lord's name, Hare Krishna, then chanting Hare

Krishna, remembering the Lord, serving Him, worshiping Him, praying to Him,

obeying Him, maintaining friendship with Him and surrendering everything to

Him. That does not mean talking about God in abstract terms, or thinking of

samadhi or kundalini experiences as goals. I don't think of samadhi any

more as a goal, but more like a doorway between the mundane and the

spiritual planets. To enter the spiritual world, everyone must be

qualified, which means they must be completely free from sin. The only way

to do that in kali-yuga is to chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

 

Hari bol

Paul

 

p.s. It seems like people might not talk much about savikalpa samadhi (in

fact I have never heard the term before tonight, must be different sanga)

because it indicates that the person doubted some aspect of the samadhi.

 

 

 

 

 

Satsang Kaur [satsang]

Sunday, July 15, 2001 7:02 PM

Kundaliniyoga

Re: Vibration and cold

 

Dear friends,

 

> I have to say that my first instinct on this one was out-of-body

experience

> too. When one is doing a lot of meditation without a lot of physical

> grounding yoga one can get very spaced out. It can become difficult to

> function in society.

 

I am curious to see what yoga scriptures mention OBEs as opposed to a light

samadhi state... I personally haven't found the expression "out-of-body

experience" in any such resources, except some Western books. To my

knowledge, samadhi has different degrees, just like Shaktipat and Kundalini

awakening. What we call OBEs can be such a "light" samadhi state. Feelings

of vastness and deep peace are not simple out-of-body experiences.

 

> Samadhi is very advanced state. It requires a lot of prerequisites.

 

Hmmmm... There is a yoga scripture I love very much called Vijnana Bhairava

(Divine Consciousness). It has no less than 112 short techniques for

attaining nirvikalpa samadhi and liberation. It says, in fact, that it is

very very easy... God dwells within you, and you are already liberated. How

much does it take you to realize the truth that is already within you? The

prerequisites (ie, the grace of God) are already there, loved ones. You have

everything you need to be liberated RIGHT NOW.

 

> My

> feeling is that you can have experiences relating to our higher chakras

> without them being samadhi. We can feel great peace and connection, etc.

> Personally I really don't think about attaining samadhi. That could be a

> distraction, too. My understanding of samadhi from my husband's

> experiences is that one experiences extreme bliss, and the mind is

withdrawn

> from the senses, thus one wouldn't be having bodily sensations. He also

> experienced the sensation of his heart stopping.

 

Again, samadhi has different degrees. Your husband could be experiencing

nirvikalpa samadhi, which is a deeper state then savikalpa. Most people when

talking about samadhi mean nirvikalpa samadhi because for some reason this

has been more written and talked about.

 

One other thing. Samadhi, or turiya, is a natural state, just like dreaming,

the waking state or deep sleep. These are known as "the four states". There

is nothing at all that prevents anyone from entering the fourth state. What

it takes is not to disturb yourself, really, but we are so very used to

disturbing ourselves all the time that we can't just be quiet! Why shouldn't

you want to experience samadhi? It is right there, it is yours, it is

natural. You have a right to it. Don't go thinking you have to practice

austerities in a cave for twenty years before you can qualify for samadhi!

You are already qualified.

 

Blessings,

Satsang Kaur