Part II of Buhrman's article - meditation in the ashtanga yoga tradition

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Meditation Experiences According the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition:

Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra by Sarasvati Buhrman PhD.

This article is Part II from The Yoga International Magazine, Jan/00.

 

Sometime after 350 B.C. a great yogi sage wrote the " Yoga Sutra " . This

brief translation should wet your appetite. This describes the

transformation of mind that will unfold over a course of sadhana

(spiritual practice), focusing on the relationship between the mind

and the object of meditation.

 

In (Part I) we discussed mediation experiences as they are described

from from the perspectives of bhakti yoga, hatha yoga, and tantra.

Here we will examine meditation experiences from the perspectives of

ashtanga (raja) yoga, but it is necessary to understand that the

Patanjali system does not actually describe mediation experiences

directly. Rather, it describes the transformations of mind that unfold

over the course of what for most of us is years of sadhana (spiritual

practice), and it does so by focusing on the relationship between the

mind and the object of meditation.

 

Meditation experiences can be attributed to specific stages of samadhi

when, and only when, they seem to meet all the criteria for that

stage. The gap between mind and experiences by providing what are

appropriate examples of meditation experiences.

 

There are three basic points , first that samadhi is not something

that only celibate yogis living in caves in India can experience. In

my 20 years of teaching yoga I have often been struck by the number of

people in North America who practice their asanas's diligently, but do

not practice pranayama and meditation because they believe that they

cannot progress in meditation while living a householder's life. But

the Upanishads, the Puranas, and the Yoga vasishtha all contain

stories of great yogis and yoginis who were householders and parents.

Other yoga practitioners, and even many asana teachers, do not

meditate because they do not understand the value in doing so or

because they have not taken the deeper teaching of yoga to heart. Some

also erroneously believe that they cannot begin pranayama and

meditation until they have perfected asana practice, a fatal

misconception which can indefinitely delay starting one of life's most

important activities.

 

Actually the first level of samadhi, savitarka, is simply a deepening

of dhyana. According to my teacher, Baba Hari Dass, most meditators

who practice regularly for an hour or two every day attain this stage

within a few years if they are given proper instruction. Attaining

samadhi (higher consciousness) may not be easy, but it is certainly

possible.

 

Second, it is important to understand that when we say that a person

achieves samadhi during meditation practice we do not necessarily mean

that the mind always goes into that state and maintains it

uninterruptedly for a long period. While this can happen, often

meditators experience samadhi for a short period of time, and then

their mind goes outward again and drops to a lower level of

consciousness. This outward flowing of the mind is called vyutthana,

and it happens when thoughts, attachments, desires and memories about

the outside world (which are temporarily suppressed in samadhi) become

active again. If the mind is able to regain the same depth of

concentration, we may be able to reenter samadhi. In this way we may

go into and out of samadhi several times in one meditation session.

Through the process of samadhi and vyutthana the mind makes a

comparison between the two states and feels the greater subtlety and

peacefulness of the samadhi state. This encourages the meditator to

try again to attain the higher state.

 

Third, samadhi is not a single state, but rather a series of stages

that unfold in a progression. Every stage of samadhi invariably yields

two kinds of fruit: some type of directly experienced " knowledge " and

some degree of non-attachment. As the yogi advances on the path of

sadhana the knowledge gained is increasingly profound, and the

non-attachment has a more deep and lasting effect on the mind. Each

stage may take months or years to achieve and even more time to

stabilize. How long this will take can vary enormously, depending on

the intensity of the meditator's desire for liberation, the intensity

and regularity of the practice, and one's samskaras (mental

impressions) from meditation practice performed in past lives. And, as

Patanjali reminds us, samadhi is also achieved through surrender to

God.In each stage of samadhi the aspirant must first fully experience

what that stage can reveal, and then lose attraction for it before he

or she can advance to the next stage. Progression through the stages

of samadhi is also a process of purification. Each stage purifies the

mind, making it subtler and thus capable of penetrating deeper into

the levels of cosmic existence in order for the next stage to be achieved.

 

Preparing the Mind

 

It is sometimes said that the first stages of the meditation process

are the most difficult, but each of the prior limbs of ashtanga yoga

contributes to the attainment of samadhi. The yamas and niyamas purify

the mind: asana makes it possible to sit comfortably for long periods

of time; pranayama provides energy to drive concentration deeper. But

Patanjali actually defines yoga as the cessation of the thought-waves

in the mind, (1:2)and the first steps toward this goal (2:54) and 3:1)

are to learn to withdraw one's attention from externals

(pratyahara)and to control the expression of the thought-waves by

concentration the mind on an object (dharana). The term " object " does

not refer exclusively to a physical object--it can be anything which

is spiritually meaningful to the meditator, like a particular chakra,

an image of a deity, the breath, the image of an enlightened being,

inner light, inner sound, mantra, etc. Ultimately it is the

concentration itself which produces samadhi, not the object.And the

source of all objects,which appears spontaneously in the mind when

higher stages are attained, is the same. But it is a hard austerity to

teach the mind to concentrate on one principle exclusively, and we can

make it easier for ourselves by choosing an object of meditation for

which we feel a personal affinity.

 

Dharana (the repeated effort to return the mind to one's meditation

object during meditation practice) eventually develops into dhyana

(the comparatively effortless flow of awareness from the mind to the

object), and dhyana in time develops into samadhi. When dhyana is

repeatedly attained, the peaceful or euphoric feelings produced begin

to balance the mind's resentment toward the discipline of

concentration.These experiences can fascinate the mind and encourage

the meditator to continue. Samadhi starts when the relationship

between mind and object deepens to the point at which the mind's

awareness of its concentration diminishes, and awareness of the object

dominates the mind.

 

Stages of Samprajnata Samadhi

 

In book 1 of the Yoga Sutra, " Samadhi Pada, " Patanjali introduces the

concept of samadhi and its stages in verses 17-23, and defines it more

completely in sutras 42-51. Patanjali defines two broad categories of

samadhi: samprajnata samadhi, or samadhi with higher knowledge, which

occurs through the absorption of the mind into an object; and

asamprajnata samadhi, " beyond higher knowledge, " a very high stage in

which there is no object of concentration; rather, the yogi's

consciousness is merged into absolute consciousness, Purusha Because

only asamprajnata samadhi destroys the seeds of all samskaras

remaining in the chitta (the mind field) and thus gives ultimate

freedom, or kaivalya, it is the only state that brings about an

alternation of consciousness which is completely permanent.

Asamprajnata samadhi is extremely difficult to attain because of the

high degree of mental purity, desirelessness, and non-attachment which

is required to achieve it.

 

Because it is non-dual in nature - and thus there is no sense of an

experiencer and an object of experience in asamprajnata samadhi -

" meditation experiences " cannot be properly discussed in relation to

this samadhi. Thus, experiences that we read about or hear described

reflect states of dhyana or different stages of samprajnata samadhi.

These stages of samprajnata samadhi unfold gradually, and repeated

samadhi experiences act to purify the mind. Over the long term the

everyday mind also exhibits a general progression toward greater

clarity, understanding, peace, and non-attachment because the positive

samskaras which are laid down in the chitta as the result of samadhi

help to overpower our negative samskaras. However, as the Buddha

pointed out, samprajnata samadhi states are impermanent, and thus ego,

attachment, desires, fears, etc, can all reappear in the waking state.

So it is wise to remember that the stages of samprajnata samadhi

constitute important way stations whose realizations profoundly shape

the way we view the universe, but they are not the final goal of practice.

 

In sutra 1:17 Patanjali tells us that samprajnata samadhi comprises

four stages: " Complete high consciousness(samprajnata samadhi) is that

which is accompanied by vitarka (reasoning), vichara (reflection),

sananda (ecstasy), and sasmita (a sense of 'I'-ness). " In sutras

1:42-44 vitarka is subdivided into savitarka and nirvitarka, and

vichara into savichara and nirvichara; thus, in this understanding of

the division, there are six stages within the category of samprajnata

samadhi.

 

" Savitarka, " according to Baba Hari Dass, means " thought

transformation on an object with the help of words. " Perhaps it is

because so much of the everyday mind's processes, including words,

remain intact in this level of samadhi that many meditators do not

recognize that they have in fact experienced samadhi. In ordinary

consciousness the mind goes outward and thinks about many things,

shifting from one object/idea to another with great rapidity and

fluidity. In dharana and dhyana the thought-waves are slowed down and

directed in a continuous flow toward a single object rather than

toward many objects. In savitarka( reasoning with words) the ordinary

mental functions still go on, but identification with the object

deepens so that the mind is less aware! The mind is glued to the

meditation object and cannot think about any other object until the

samadhi is broken.

 

" Knowledge " , in yogic terms, always carries a sense of distinguishing

the real from the unreal. When we see or remember objects in the

external world our perception triggers a combined cognition of artha,

the physical form or its recalled image; shabda, the sound or name

with which we communicate the object's identity to others; and jnana,

personal or cultural information about th e nature, purpose or

function of that object. For example, we all instantly know the

meaning of the sound " cat " when we hear it in English, but when

speaking another language we would use a different sound to identify a

member of the same species. Similarly, when we think about the

function of a domestic cat we might think of cats' historical roles as

mouse-catchers in human habitations, or as companions, or as predators

with a particular role in the food chain. Wile all of these are

correct associations and represent correct knowledge, they are also

human projections - they tell us little about the true essence of what

it is to live and experience " catness, " to experience an overwhelming

compulsion to chase moving objects, for example, or to lick the snow

off your paws in winter. Thus shabda and jnana are considered less

real that artha.

 

In savitarka samadhi all three of these components are part of the

process of contemplating the object of meditation, just as they are

part of our cognition of any object we choose to pay close attention

to in ordinary consciousness. Words are used as a support for

concentrating on and obtaining knowledge about our meditation object.

Thoughts about the object seem to flow spontaneously into the mind;

sometimes these thoughts represent correct and newly revealed

knowledge about the nature of the object that was not previously known

to the meditator; sometimes they are products of what was already

known or thought about in everyday awareness. For example, one of my

guru sisters once commented that when she meditated on the sound of OM

thoughts would spontaneously arise about the nature of OM, and that

these thoughts seemed to deepen her meditation rather than to distract

her. Another person, describing an experience of this same stage, lost

awareness of body and breath while meditating on a specific mantra.

while the awareness of the mantra repeating itself remained in the

mind (shabda), as did her understanding of the mantra's purposes for

healing and liberation (jnana), she experienced the artha, or essence

of the mantra, as the healing energies of light and peace permeating

different subtle body centers.

 

Through repeated experiences of savitarka samadhi the mind becomes

capable of understanding the mahabhutas (the five states of matter in

Sankhya philosophy) and their functioning in the physical universe.

Baba Hari Dass wrote: " With the attainment of vitarka, or reasoning

samadhi, the aspirant realizes the bhutas to be the ultimate basis for

all visible phenomena. All gross knowables are directly understood to

be nothing but combinations of the five elements. " Bodies of knowledge

that could be inferred to have arisen from the vitarka levels of human

consciousness are those that relate physical, mental, physiological,

and emotional expressions and tendencies of individual beings to

universal energy patterns of the physical cosmos (such as Ayurvedic

medicine, astrology, the practice of yoga asanas, and the relationship

of sacred language to form and object). Repeated experiences of

savitarka samadhi prepare the mind for the next stage, nirvitarka samadhi.

 

Nir means " without " : niritarka samadhi refers to the state in which

mental alternations of shabda, artha, and jnana are suspended. The

less-real components, shabda and jnana, fall away completely, while

the mind is absorbed in only artha, or form, and loses its awareness

of being the knower. Thus the memory of personal and cultural

projections about the nature of the object of concentration (its

identifying sound or word in the meditator's language, and the

accumulated cultural knowledge and personal insights derived from this

knowledge) are temporarily transcended during nirvitarka samadhi. the

mind becomes immersed in artha alone, which is actually not only the

image of the physical form but also the feeling, function, and essence

of it, revealed through the mind's one-pointed absorption in its form.

As the mind goes deeper into the artha of the object the gross form is

transcended and the subtle underlay of the object is revealed.

 

As one yogini recounted: " When I did my sitting practice just now, it

seemed too noisy outside to do my usual practice of nada yoga

(concentration on the inner sound), so I meditated on the guru

instead. first I felt Babaji's energy and his lovingness helping my

meditation so that my brain became charged with energy. Then I felt as

if my body were his body: My legs are his legs; I see inside his body

and it is his body, and I can feel the shakti of his body in my body.

It is so blissful. Then the guru turned into light; there was nothing

but light. "

 

If we look at what happened in this experience, we can see that this

yogini's mind first merged into the physical form of the object of

meditation (the subtle for of the teacher), and then the resulting

subtle for (light) was revealed as her mind went deeper. The kind of

knowledge obtained in this experience is an example of pratyaksha

(direct experience), one of the means to pramana (right knowledge).

The example also illustrates the way in which nirvitarka saadhi acts

as a bridge between the physical and subtle universes.

 

Vichara samadhi (savichara and nirvichara) is described by Patanjali

in sutras 1:44 and 45: " Savichara and nirvichara samadhis, in which

the object is subtle, are also explained by the foregoing (two sutras

on savitarka and nirvitarka), " and " The state of samadhi concerned

with subtle objects extends up to Prakriti, the source of all

manifestation. " In the nirvitarka example (meditation on the guru),

the yogini's mind penetrated to the subtle or tanmatric level of her

object of meditation. But when the mind begins to more fully explore

that subtle object (as in the nada yoga example), this is savichara

samadhi.

 

Notice, however, that the verbal thinking process (our main tool for

cognition in both ordinary consciousness and in savitarka samadhi) was

suppressed at the nirvitarka level. Therefore only a subtle and

largely non-verbal perceptual process is possible in savichara. The

words the yogi uses to describe the experience in these samadhis come

later, when the yogi recollects the experience. Nor is the object of

meditation still perceptible in its original form at this more refined

level of consciousness. Now the mind (buddhi) experiences and explores

the subtler level of the object through an alternation of awareness

between its spatial, temporal, and causal aspects.

 

As Baba Hari Dass explained: " In desh (space), kal (time), nimita

(cause) there is no way to think. The object is subtle, but it takes

place by itself. The more the concentration deepens, the more the mind

gets sharp and penetrates. " Because of the experiential knowledge

gained in this samadhi, the yogi practicing at this level comes to

view the universe as one of subtle energies and subtle forms.

Nirvitarka and savichara samadhis can also make the mind more

receptive to various tanmatric experiences, such as the darshan

(sight) of deities or other subtle entities, the inner sounds (nada),

the divine taste, the divine smell, or the inner feeling of divine

touch (see commentaries to sutra 1.35). Because of the fascinating

nature of this stage it can create strong attachment; therefore some

meditators find it difficult to go beyond savichara to attain the next

stage, nirvichara, which requires relinquishing all subtle

differentiation.

 

As savichara samadhi deepens, the yogi may begin to develop an

understanding of the true nature of time and space and may also gain

knowledge of certain aspects of the mahat, or cosmic mind (objects up

to Prakriti). In the words of one practitioner: " [it is like] seeing

in the light-field the origin of thoughts, of form, of different

energies, and of how it manifests outward in the waves of prana

emanating from one undifferentiated source and ending with condensed

differentiated objects. "

 

In nirvichara samadhi sattva guna alone is active. Tamas guna is

suppressed, resulting in the inactivation of memory and any cognition

of'subtle form; and rajas guna is also suppressed, which stops the

fluctuations in the mind's cognitive process. For the first time true

one-pointed concentration, the sattvic state of ekagara chitta,

becomes possible. Even subtle thoughts do not occur. The perceptual

limitations of time and space are transcended; the mind ceases to

fluctuate between time, space, and causality, and becomes situated in

the causality of the tanmatric energies in mind and subtle objects,

the undifferentiated energy in the mahat and the principle of

individuation (ahankara) and tamas guna which cause the five tanmatras

(subtle element/energies) to be formed. So the realization of this

samadhi, which transcends any sort of differentiation, is explained

variously as the origin of thought itself, the unreality of

objectification, or the ahankara.

 

As one of Tasha Abelar's teachers explained to her, holding up a leaf:

" Perhaps this leaf will help clarify things...Its texture is dry and

brittle; its shape is flat and round, its color is brown with a touch

of crimson. We can recognize it as a leaf because of our senses, our

instruments of perception, and our thought that gives things names.

Without them, the leaf is abstract, pure undifferentiated energy. The

same unreal, ethereal energy that flows through this leaf flows

through and sustains everything. We, like everything else, are real on

the one hand, and only appearances on the other. "

 

Here are two examples, which my guru brothers and sisters were kind

enough to share with me. In both cases their descriptions begin with

savichara, and then progress to nirvichara: " There was the usual

cognition of inner light and inner sound, but the most important parts

of the sadhana are the parts I can't describe, where breath and mind

just stop. " " The kriyas felt very deep this morning and just after I

finished, I saw the brahmarandhra; it was beautiful, made of light,

and there was this incredible feeling of sweetness. Then, after some

time, it was almost as if my mind vanished. I was aware, but there

were no thoughts, only this deep silence. It felt very profound. "

 

The next two stages of samprajnata samadhi-sananda and sasmita - are

also considered nirvichara, in that they also are without reflection,

but they represent a more advanced development of the nirvichara

process. Babaji once explained that when people feel blissful

sensations during sadhana, on a gross level the breath is equal in

both nostrils, and on the subtle level pranic flow in ida and pingala

nadis is balanced. This is called the sushumna breath because the

residual prana of the sushuma, the kundalini, flows in sushumna nadi,

causing sattva guna to dominate. " It creates a feeling of peace. That

peace is ananda. " In sananda samadhi the experience of that ananda,

that sattvic flow, is untainted by any other vrittis, or thoughts,

save the awareness of the pleasure of receiving that bliss. Sananda

means " with ecstasy. "

 

In nirvichara samadhi the mind's awareness of, and involvement with,

the world of objects (both gross and subtle) and their tanmatric

origins is cut off. The ahankara, the sense of individuality or

" l-am, " stops creating its world; it turns inward, and the happiness

which flows from the experience of non-identification is felt. Thus

the most immediate cause of our pleasure and pain - the identification

of the ahankara with the external universe, and with the mind's

thoughts about it is stopped. In sananda samadhi the yogi experiences

a state of rapture or ecstasy, and the only thought in the mind is the

wordless awareness of the feeling of " I am in pleasure, I am happy. " A

close friend told of her experience with her guru:

 

" My deepest states actually happened a few years ago, not now, when I

would meditate for eight hours at a time with no awareness of time

passing. The focus of my meditation is self-surrender to this greater

consciousness which I access through the person of my guru. My mind is

only a tiny speck within that immensity, and I try to surrender my

small 'I' into that immensity. When I go as deep as I can my thoughts

stop, my mind goes away. What I see is effulgence; there is ecstasy:

what I am, my whole being, is ecstasy. "

 

Sasmita Samadhi

 

When the yogi becomes established in the one-pointed state of

consciousness achieved in sananda samadhi the mind becomes even more

purified, and is able to penetrate deeper. Even the ahankara, or

ego-sense-despite its power, its pervasive nature, and its seeming

solidity - is only a vritti, a single thought of individualized

existence. This vritti too can be suppressed, and when this happens

the yogi can directly perceive the source of the ahankara: the mahat,

or the cosmic mind, and the asmita veitti, the pure " I-sense " which

shines within it. This pure " I-ness " of the cosmic mind is universal,

the same in all beings. From a bhakti yoga perspective we would say

that the individual ego merges into the cosmic ego, and the person now

worships God in everything. The feeling of this samadhi is one of deep

and pure peace, free from thoughts and any awareness of individuality.

The ecstasy experienced in the previous samadhi becomes subtler, and

now clearly seems to emanate from within rather than from some

external source.

 

When the meditator reaches this stage of samadhi the object of

meditation automatically becomes the luminous reflection of the Divine

Self pervading the cosmic mind, shining in the yogi's heart. This

asmita, or cosmic " I-sense " , is the only vritti present. Here is a

" first-glimpse " account:

 

" I never believed in the instant illumination of the Vedas. I knew

that sadhana practice worked, I could get samadhi, but I was trapped.

I could never be free of my individual identity even for an instant.

It was like continually throwing myself against a wall and bouncing

back. This went on for years. One day we were studying the Gita and I

was contemplating with my eyes closed on the words of the commentaries

as they were being read. Somehow when I heard the words " the Self is

actionless, my mind accepted it, and there was this immense ocean of

light in the heart and simultaneously I felt the sense of

individuality as a mere thought-form, saw it suppressed as though it

fell into that vast light and disappeared. It had no reality, no

existence. And there was nothing but an infinite peace and this great

light unlike anything I had ever experienced. I saw that everything

was external to the Self. I was in this ocean of light for some

minutes. I came back to ordinary awareness entirely changed-I knew

with absolute certainty that the Self exists, and that it is within,

and that that very same light radiates inside all beings. "

 

The purified mind takes on the qualities of the object on which it

meditates, and when this sasmita samadhi becomes stabilized and is

further developed, the mind of the yogi who attains it begins to take

on some of the omniscient and omnipotent qualities of the cosmic

mahat, though it does not happen in the same way for all yogis.

Siddhis, or latent special abilities of mind such as those described

by Patanjali in book3 of the Yoga Sutra, may become active as this

stage develops; they can become a serious obstacle to further

spiritual growth if the yogi becomes attached to them or if he or she

has not worked hard to strengthen the yamas and niyamas.

 

The three gunas, necessary for the creation of the universe, are

active in the cosmic mind, and they are not transcended at this level

of samadhi, nor have the remaining samskaras in the yogi's chitta been

destroyed. Nor is the " Self " which is perceived at this stage the

true, ultimate, non-dual Self, but its light is seen. For the yogi who

is able to navigate this stage, eventually attaining discriminative

wisdom and perfect purity of mind and surrendering all attachments,

the potential is there to attain the stage which leads to

asamprajfiata samadhi, and finally to kaivalya: complete, final, and

eternal union with the real, eternal Purusha.

 

According to Patanjali human life has two purposes: bhoga (experience)

and apavarga (liberation). The human vehicle, with its relatively

sophisticated neurophysiological design and cognitive capacities,

provides for a seemingly endless tapestry of experiences. And yet,

after so many lives of experiencing the external world-so many lives

of developing so many different capacities of body and intellect, so

many lives of exploring the endless complexity and drama of human

relationships-the feeling, often unconscious, arises inside of us that

we have already been there, done that. The feeling of seeking for

something beyond propels us onto the spiritual path in order to

achieve the fulfillment of human life: liberation. The caterpillar, so

attached to his caterpillar-ness, must nevertheless some day become a

butterfly, because that is the design plan of the universe. Patanjali,

who was undoubtedly a butterfly, left careful instructions for us

caterpillars so that we might some day join him.

 

I am indebted to my guru, Baba Hari Dass, for many of the ideas

presented in this article and to my guru brothers and sisters for

their invaluable contributions.

---

 

Sarasvati Buhrman, Ph.D. is a yogic nun in the Vairagi order and a

student of the yoga master Baba Hari Dass. She is co-director of the

Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda in Boulder Colorado,

where she practices Ayurveda and teaches pranayama, meditation, and

yoga philosophy. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology at the

University of Colorado. (see Support Services if you wish to contact her.)

 

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