Fwd: A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi, #10

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ThePowerOfSilence , " viorica " <viorica@z...>

wrote:

 

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Yet even supposing one has got rid of most of one's Vasanas, how

does attainment actually occur? On this question of attaining Self-

realization Bhagavan told me that in the early stages a person who

was regularly meditating would usually at first go into a trance

which would probably last for some thirty minutes, and if he

continued with his Tapas properly such Samadhi would become more

frequent. So carried away by it would he be that he would be able to

think of nothing but slipping away to some quiet corner to meditate

undisturbed. He would lose all interest in everything else until

that time when he became established in the Self and no more

meditation was necessary. He had then attained Sahaja Samadhi or his

natural state. But there were no fixed rules. Some might attain this

state quietly and unrecognised, without even the necessity of the

process of meditation. However, Bhagavan explained, although there

were no actual stages in Self-realization, there was a deepening of

one's Sadhana as explained above.

 

In the Indian spiritual vocabulary you find the terms Manolaya,

Savikalpa Samadhi, NirvikalpaSamadhi and Sahaja Samadhi, and these

are apt to cause some confusion to those not familiar with the

terminology.

 

Manolaya is just a blank mind. Advaitins are often accused of

trying to achieve this, which is quite absurd though I have at times

met those who told me that this was their aim, and they would be

most happy to achieve it. I would point out to them that this could

be attained by them every night in sleep so what was the use of

undergoing all sorts of austerities, spending hours in meditation to

obtain a thing that could be got by just lying down on their bed?

With regard to this Bhagavan used to tell the story of the Yogi who

was practicing Tapas on the bank of the Ganges. He told his disciple

to go and fetch him some water and in the meantime went into a state

of Manolaya. After a thousand years he awoke, the first thing he did

was to demand his water, but the disciple had become skeleton at his

side, the Ganges had changed its course and the whole country was

different. What good had the long trance done? It had just been a

blank when time stood still.

 

Savikalpa Samadhi is the state of deep meditation when one is sunk

in peace but still retains the consciousness of one's identity. One

knows that one is meditating and can still consciously continue

one's Sadhana.

 

In Nirvikalpa Samadhi one has attained to a state where the

identity has been lost and sunk entirely in the highest Self.

However long it may last it is only temporary, one must return

eventually to one's normal state of consciousness. One is unable to

function in this state and so long as it lasts one is in a state of

trance. It is usually preliminary to the final state. But Bhagavan

attained Sahaja Samadhi directly without any intermediate state.

Many people consider that Nirvikalpa Samadhi is final, and once

having attained it seek to progress no further.

 

Sahaja Samadhi is the final and most blessed state, the goal of all

Yogis. In this state the individual has become completely merged in

the Supreme Self. His identity which became lost in Nirvikalpa

Samadhi has become enlarged and is now the Supreme Self and knows

itself as such. Trances are no longer necessary, a person can still

carry on with the ordinary day to day business but he no longer

identifies himself with the activities, but watches them like a

dreamer watching a dream. There is no more to do, and no more to be

attained. This is the Supreme State of Absolute Bliss. But in the

simple words of Bhagavan, it is the Self and it can be realized by

one and all by Self-enquiry.

 

 

......................

---

A Saddhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi

By Saddhu Arunachala (A.W. Chadwick)

(pp. 53-54)

 

 

 

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