| |
 |
Samadhi (pronounced some-ah-dhi) is Sanskrit for
"complete meditation." According to Vyasa, "yoga
is samadhi" deciphered as complete control (samadhana) over the
functions of consciousness. The exact meaning and usage of the term varies
among the Indian religious traditions (such as
Hinduism
and Buddhism)
but its meaning is from 'sam', with, together + 'a' towards + 'dha' to
bring. The result is various degrees of veridical coalescent acquisition of
truth (samapatti).
Samadhi is the state of being aware of one’s Existence
without thinking, in a state of undifferentiated “Beingness”. Three
intensities( depths) of Samadhi Are usually understood 1. Sa-vikalpa
Samadhi, 2. Nir-vikalpa Samadhi, and 3. Sahaja Nir-vikalpa Samadhi.
Savikalpa Samadhi refers to the initial (beginning) state
of Samadhi. Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the end result.
In Sa-vikalpa Samadhi we get the taste of Bliss and
Beingness but are still attached fast to our erroneous identification with
the body as well as to our numerous worldly attractions.
Entering Samadhi in the beginning takes effort. Holding on
to a state of Samadhi takes even more effort. The beginning stages of
Samadhi are only temporary.
Upon entering Nir-vikalpa Samadhi the differences we saw
before have faded and only one and the same Substance is seen with which we
then gladly identify. In this condition nothing but pure Awareness remains
and nothing is missing to take away from Wholeness and Perfection.
Samadhi is the only stable unchanging Reality. All else is
ever changing and does not bring everlasting peace or happiness.
Staying in Nirvikalpa Samadhi is effortless but even from
this condition one must eventually return to ego-consciousness. However, it
is entirely possible to stay in Nirvikalpa Samadhi and yet be fully
functional in this world. This condition is known as Sahaja Nirvikalpa
Samadhi.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is achieved through the advanced and
prolonged practice of Yoga and is the state of oneness with the
Atman - the Soul.
In
Nirvikalpa Samadhi, all attachment to the material world and all
karma
is dissolved. All awareness is withdrawn step by step from the physical,
astral and causal bodies until self-realization or oneness with the soul is
achieved. During this process, breathing ceases, the heart stops beating.
Aware and fully conscious oneness with soul is then achieved in a most
loving way and all cells of physical body are flooded with the Ocean of
Divine Love and Divine Bliss for any
period of duration - hours, days, weeks until the individual shifts his
awareness from the soul back to the physical body.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is a preparatory step to Maha Samadhi
and serves as extreme uplifting of all body vibration and leads to complete
healing of karmic wounds to the open doors to God
and divine love for further progress on your way to God.
Samadhi is the main subject of the first part of
Yoga Sutras called Samadhi-pada.
Samadhi is also the Hindi word for a structure
commemorating the dead (tomb).
Maha Samadhi (literally great samadhi) is
the Hindi word for a realized yogi's conscious departure from the physical
body at death.
Maha Samadhi is the final conscious abandoning of the
physical body. Every infinitesimal piece of attachment or karma is
completely surrendered unto God and dissolved into the Divine Ocean of Love.
The individual transcends to worlds beyond karma and returns to God to merge
into God.
- "In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna speaks about Samadhi and
about principal stages of Nirvana: Nirvana in Brahman (the Holy Spirit)
and Nirvana in Ishvara (the Creator).
But
in India the term “Nirvana” became widely used by Buddhists at some point
in time and later on this term along with Buddhism, was “forced out” from
India by Hindus. Instead of using the term “Nirvana” Hindu schools started
to expand the meaning of the term “Samadhi” by adding to it various
prefixes. Various schools used these composite words and because of this
the term “Samadhi” got “diffused” and lost its unambiguity. This is why it
makes sense to get back to accurate terminology that God introduced into
spiritual culture through Krishna." [ReligiousBook.net]
Samadhi in Bhakti The Vaishnava Bhakti Schools of
Yoga define Samadhi as
'compelete absorbtion in the object of one's love (i.e.
Krishna,
etc.)'. Rather than thinking of 'nothing', true samadhi is said to be
achieved only when one has pure, unmotivated love of God. Thus even while
performing daily activities a practitioner can strive for full samadhi
within their heart.
Samadhi, or concentration of the mind, is the
second of the three parts of the Buddha's teaching: sila or conduct, samadhi
or samatha (concentration), and vipassana (insight or wisdom). It has been
taught by the Buddha using 40 different objects of
meditation, such as mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati). Upon
development of samadhi, one's mind becomes purified of defilements,
calm, tranquil, and luminous. Once the meditator achieves a strong and
powerful concentration, one's mind is ready to penetrate and see into the
ultimate nature of reality, eventually obtaining release from all
suffering.
In the language of the eight-fold path, samatha is "right
concentration".
Important components of samatha meditation, frequently discussed (1, 2) by
the Buddha, are the meditative states known as the jhanas. The Buddhist
suttas mention that samadhi practitioners may develop "supranormal" powers
(and list several that the Buddha developed), but warn that these should not
be allowed to distract the practitioner from the larger goal of complete
freedom from
suffering.
People
from other parts of the world also call Samadhi, the “Satori”,
“Dhawq”, “Tao”,
“Enlightenment”, “Mystical Union”, “Gnosis”, “Sat-chit-ananda”,
“Beingness-Awareness, Bliss”, “Holy Union”, “Holy Communion”, etc...
Adapted
with permission from
wikipedia. |