The disciples of Rama Krishna (19th century Indian Saint) often asked him to describe the indescribable.
''God-Consciousness cannot be explained through words. Only experience, not phrases, can reveal to you the full magnitude of the Infinite'' The Master would reply.
Despite his reluctance to describe God-consciousness many of his disciples would press him to describe his own personal experiences of Samadhi. Rama krishna once answered, '' I cannot see why I should explain it to you whom I have trained and helped to attain that experience. If it can be put into words why do you not do it?''
''But, my Lord,'' the disciples said, ''we cannot live in it as long as you can. You who have stayed in Samadhi for six or seven days at a time are the one to explain it. In the presence of Silence how dare we speak?''
But Rama Krishna only smiled at their bare-faced compliment.
There is a story that at one time some friends of Rama Krishna urged him to explain Samadhi. They said: ''If you say something about it you prove everything. Give us a definition of Samadhi, and that will give us a definition og God.''
But the wary Master replied, ''And if I give you a definition of God, what will you do with it? Oh, I know what you will eventually do; you will make a creed of it in order to found a new religion in my name. I did not come to Earth to start another cult. Oh, no!''
Another time, when pressed into describing the Indescribable state of God-Realization Rama Krishna instantly passed into Samadhi.
His breathing stopped.
His heart ceased working.
And his pulse beat no more.
Were it not for the even temperature of his body there was no way of distinguishing him from a corpse.
Of course there was nothing alarming about it; his disciples had seen him in that state very often, days at a time!
At last when he came out of Samadhi he resumed his discourse:
''Oh, my sons, I try to explain it to you. But the experience is so great words cannot render it. You must plunge yourself into the waters of that experience. For there is no other way of fathoming it. Your mind and intellect, swift though they are, cannot overtake the lightning-steed of God-Consciousness. Those two only raise the dust of words in which they get lost.''
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Describing the Indescribable !
Monday, 28 January 2008
What is Samadhi ?
In WikiAnswers.Com I have tried to answer certain questions of a deep metaphysical nature. Based on my own years of experience and research I hope other people will be able to gain a better understanding of the deeper aspects of the yoga and lifes greater mysteries.
Among the questions posed was 'What is Samadhi ?'
I offer this as my answer:
Samadhi is the Sanskrit word for Meditation.
Among the least understood words in the English language is Meditation.
True Meditation is a state of consciousness which is above the Sub-conscious and Conscious states of mind. It is a state of God-realization which is contacted almost always in the immobile trance state of Sabikalpa Samadhi or Conscious Death!
In the initial stages of God-Communion or God-realization the yogi's conscious mind becomes transmuted, by certain scientific yoga methods, into a higher, more expansive state of Super-consciousness.
In this Super-conscious state the yogi's life force has withdrawn from the body into the higher psychic centres or chakras and thereby inducing a state somewhat similar to death.
The heart is virtually imperceptable or some cases has actually stopped working and the blood circulation is induced to a semi-suspended state, but rigor mortis will not set in because always in Meditation or Samadhi there is a thin band of head around the forehead and certain energies maintained in the higher centres which stops rigor mortis setting in.
In the initial stages of Meditation, known as Sabikalpa Samadhi, this Super-conscious state is cannot be maintained except in the immobile trance state.
Later, by continous Meditation and advancement to higher spiritual levels the yogi is able to progress to the truly deep states of Meditation known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is a state of Meditation without bodily fixation and the yogi experiences his or her state of Super-consciousness in the normal waking state of consciousness - that is without the need to go into the immobile trance state.
