Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini (20 page)

Holding has also another aspect. During holding, there is a union between the consciousness and the object. If consciousness remains united with the object, the object is restrained from escaping from consciousness. At the point of superconcentration this union is complete. To denote this, the term sangyoga, meaning super-union, has been used.

Now let us study the Waidika form of samadhi. About the accomplishment of superconcentration it has been said: ‘By controlling the senses (through sensory control), by controlling the outwardly directed tendency of the mind (by-concentration), by controlling the desires of the mind, and by ascesis, a yog; will be in samadhi. In samadhi all love is directed to the Supreme Spirit, and one is fully attached to him, fully absorbed in him and experiences all bliss in him. From samadhi arises divine knowledge by which God, whose power-in-word-form is pranawa, is revealed and the yogi is in him’ (—Nrisinghatapinyupanishad, 2.6.4).

Samprajñata samadhi (superconscious concentration) has been defined as: ‘The continuous flow of consciousness in the form of Brahman—God in which the I-ness has been dissolved is samprajñata samadhi. It is attained by prolonged practice of dhyana’ (—Muktikopanishad, 2.53). Samadhi is of two forms: Samprajñata. and asamprajñata. When the term samadhi is used, it usually refers to the samprajñata type. In samprajñata samadhi mental concentration has been developed to its highest point and, consequently, through such concentration consciousness is only in the God-form and nothing else, and this form of consciousness flows normally, uninterruptedly and continually, and even the I-ness is not a part of consciousness. The I-ness, illuminated, godly consciousness, in a state of concentration at its highest degree, is the superconscious concentration.

It has been said: ‘The mind operating at the sensory level is the root-cause of all the wordly knowledge. If the mind is dissolved, there will be no wordly knowledge. Therefore, keep the consciousness fixed on the Supreme Being in deepest concentration’ (—Adhyatmopanishad, 26). In superconcentration, God is held by concentration, and consciousness becomes godly. The form of consciousness attained in superconcentration has been described as: ‘Samadhi is that state in which consciousness is only in the nature of the object concentrated on, and is still like the flame of a lamp in a windless place, and from which gradually the feeling of the action of concentration and I-ness has disappeared’ (—Adhyatmopanishad, 35). That is, consciousness in superconcentration assumes the form of an object concentrated on, and is without I-ness, and does not change but continues to be in that form only.

The nature of superconscious concentration has been more clearly stated here: ‘That state in which consciousness is in concentration and is illuminated by the divine light, and without any desire—that superconscious state is samadhi’ (—Annapurnopanishad, 1.48). It is further stated: ‘That state in which the mind is devoid of restlessness, I-ness is absent, mind is unconcerned with worldly pleasures and pains, and consciousness is absolutely motionless like a rock, in deepest concentration, is samadhi. That state in which all desires have been completely eliminated, there is no liking or disliking, and consciousness is free from waves, and absolutely tranquil, that is samadhi’ (Annapurnopanishad, 1. 49–50).

The form of consciousness developed in superconcentration, is not void or nothing, though it is object-less and I-nessless, but there is that bliss which is beyond any worldly pleasure, and is full of power. So it is asserted: ‘That state of consciousness in which there are no objects, no passion or aversion, but there is supreme happiness and superior power, is samadhi’ (—Mahopanishad, 4. 62).

The process of transforming the multiform consciousness into a uniform state is superconcentration. It is said: ‘When consciousness reaches a state in which it becomes uniform, it is samadhi’ (—Amritanadopanishad, 16). About the consciousness in superconcentration, Dattatreya said: ‘Samadhi is that in which consciousness is in deepest concentration associated with the knowledge of the union between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit’ (—Darshanopanishad, 10.1). Dattatreya further said: ‘That concentrative consciousness in which arises the knowledge of being only in Supreme Consciousness is samadhi’ (—Darshanopanishad, 10.5). When consciousness is in the deepest concentration, there is the realization of only Supreme Being in which there is no feeling of the body, no perception, no intellection, and this is superconcentration.

Now with the Tantrika form of samadhi. Shiwa has defined samadhi as: ‘According to all Tantras, samadhi is that concentration in which the sameness (samata) of the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit is revealed’ (—Wishwasaratantra, ch. 2, p. 11). Here, the word ‘bhawana’ has been used to indicate deepest concentration. Shiwa has also explained the nature of the sameness. He says: ‘Samadhi is that in which arises the consciousness of oneness (ekata) between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit’ (—Gandharwatantra, ch. 5, p. 26). This means that in superconcentration, consciousness is in the deepest concentration and is fully illuminated by the divine light in which the realization of the oneness between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit occurs.

We have already stated that samadhi consists of two forms: samprajñata and asamprajñata (non-mens concentration). When superconscious concentration develops to its highest point, non-mens concentration is achieved. It is said: ‘As salt thrown into water becomes the same as water, so the state in which the oneness between consciousness and the Supreme Spirit occurs is called samadhi’ (—Soubhagyalakshmyupanishad, 2.14). This means, that, when all the writtis (objective images) disappear and, consequently, consciousness is in the form of the Supreme Being in concentration and nothing else, this is the state of samadhi. This samadhi is superconscious concentration. Because consciousness in the concentrative form still exists, (though highly purified and illuminated by divine light. Again it is said: ‘When the vital activities are under full control and the mind is in deep concentration, consciousness becomes uniform; this is samadhi’ ;—Soubhagyalakshmyupanishad, 2.15). This is also superconscious concentration.

About the non-mens concentration it has been said: ‘When all desires and thoughts disappear and the sameness between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit occurs, it is samadhi. When the senses and the intellective mind and even the concentrative mind are absorbed, and, consequently, the entire mind undergoes a phase of negativity, (and, therefore, the whole existence is only the beingness of Brahman, and that Brahman is without mind and matter), this is samadhi’ (—Soubhagyalakshmyupanishad, 2.16–17). In this samadhi, there are no desires, no sense action, no intellection and no thought, and even the highly spiritualized concentrative consciousness has been completely absorbed; in this grand ‘non-entity’ there remains only Brahman—Brahman in its supreme state which is without mind and matter, and consequently in this state the embodied spirit, as an individualized being, is nonexistent; the embodiment has been completely dissolved and the spirit has been united with the Supreme Spirit and has become one and the same. This is asamprajñata samadhi—non-mens concentration, in which, at the highest point of concentration, the concentrative consciousness, which is merely in the form of divine knowledge-light, is transmuted completely into Supreme Consciousness. By this highest concentration a state is reached in which everything else has been absorbed, and only Supreme Consciousness shines in its supreme aspect. This is supreme concentration—asamprajñata samadhi.

Wishnu has also said: ‘Samadhi is the sameness between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit’ (—Yogatattwopanishad, 107). Atharwana has said: ‘Samadhi is that state in which the oneness (aikya) between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit occurs. It is without I-ness, without objects and without the knowledge of objects; it is a state full of bliss and in it there remains only Supreme Consciousness’ (—Shandilyopanishad, 1.11.1). So the words ‘samata’ (sameness) and ‘aikya’ (oneness) indicate the same thing. It is a state of oneness between the embodied spirit and the Supreme Spirit. Moreover, the non-mens concentration is not the insensate, gloomy metamorphosis of the human mind, it is not a state of being dead-alive, but a borderland of human development, the highest possibility of man in his spiritual endeavour; it is a state of becoming Supreme Spirit, with supreme bliss and supreme power; it is to be free from the bondage of the body and mind, to become liberated-alive. This has been pointed out by Atharwana.

Narayana said: ‘When concentrative consciousness is lost, it is (mind-transcendent) samadhi’(—Mandalabrahmanopanishad, 1.1.10). When the penetration of the objective world into consciousness is prevented by sensory control, then the Supreme Spirit in its divine form is held in consciousness in concentration. At the beginning, concentration does not go very deep, so it breaks and the one-pointedness of the consciousness is interrupted. But concentration quickly regains its power. This is holding-concentration. When concentration grows deeper, and interruption does not occur, it continues; consciousness is now only in the divine form which is continually being held. This single-pointedness of consciousness is deep concentration. When the deep concentration becomes deepest, I-ness is lost, the whole world is lost, what remains is only the spiritually illuminated consciousness of divine form, it is the state of superconscious concentration. When the light-like concentrative consciousness is absorbed into Supreme Consciousness in supreme concentration, there remains solely the Supreme Spirit, and nothing else. This is non-mens concentration.

Ribhu said: ‘When the uniform concentrative consciousness is dissolved by the most intensified concentration, there remains only the being of Supreme Consciousness’ (—Annapurnopanishad, 1.23). In other words, through the deepest concentration the final form of consciousness disappears and only Supreme Consciousness as a whole remains. This is the state of non-mens concentration. Now we come to yoga.

Yoga Defined and Explained

From a linguistic point of view, the word ‘yoga’ has been derived form the root ‘yuja’, denoting: (1) sangyama, that is, control developed to its highest degree—supercontrol; (2) samadhi, that is, concentration developed to its deepest form—superconcentration; (3) sangyoga, that is, union in its complete form—superunion.

We have already considered the control factor. Yama (control) is the basic form of yoga. It (yama) develops through eight stages. At the eighth stage yama develops into its highest form and this is called sangyama, that is, super-control. The yama power, as we have noted, is intrinsically associated with the process of holding, that is, concentration. The control is in the nature of concentration. So, as yama develops stage by stage, concentration also develops along with the control. At the eighth stage, control reaches its highest point of development and becomes supercontrol, and concentration also reaches its highest degree of intensity and becomes superconcentration. Unless the mind is at the state of supercontrol, it is not possible to attain superconcentration. So it is said: ‘It is impossible to attain samadhi when the mind is attached to worldly objects; but it is easy to attain samadhi for the mind undergoing sangyama’ (—Gandharwatantra, ch. 5, p. 26). That samadhi is intimately related to sangyama has been disclosed here.

Yoga has been defined as: ‘A non-oscillatory state of the senses, sense-mind and sense-consciousness, developed by dharana, that is, deep concentration, is termed yoga’ (—Kathopanishad, 2.3.11). Dharana is the process of holding in deepest concentration the mono-form consciousness which, in other words, is superconscious concentration; and this is yoga. So it appears that yoga here is defined as superconscious concentration.

Yoga has also been defined as: “The state of real absorption of consciousness, which is beyond all knowledge, is termed yoga’ (—Akshyupanishad, 2.3). Here the non-mens concentration has been defined as yoga. It has been said: ‘When the deepest concentration on Supreme Brahman (attained at the final phase of superconscious concentration; also disappears by itself within, there arises nirwikalpa samadhi in which all latent impressions of feeling are eliminated’ (—Annapurnopanishad, 4. 62). Nirwikalpa samadhi and asamprajñata samadhi are synonyms, i.e. for non-mens concentration. Here it is said that superconscious concentration ultimately leads to non-mens concentration.

That both forms of samadhi are the stages of yoga has been stated here: ‘By yoga (that is non-mens concentration) yoga (that is superconscious concentration) should be controlled, and the multiformed consciousness by the one-pointed consciousness in which God is held; thus being in Supreme Consciousness, which is beyond all knowledge, the yogi becomes that’ (—Soubhagyalakshmyupanishad, 2.12). That yoga is non-mens concentration has been stated by Sadashiwa. He says: ‘That which is merely being, changeless, beyond mind and speech, and the only truth in the transitory worlds of mind-power-matter, is Brahman in its real nature; that Brahman is realized directly in yoga in the form of nirwikalpa samadhi (non-mens concentration) by those who have developed the equanimity of the mind, who are beyond all contraries of the world and without the feeling of my-ness about the body’ (—Mahanirwanatantra, 3. 7–8).

That yoga is also superconscious concentration has been said by Shiwa in the Wishwasaratantra. So it is clear that superconcentration is yoga. We are, therefore, justified in concluding that both superconcentration and non-mens concentration are yoga.

So far we have considered the concentration aspect of yoga. But yoga has also the control aspect, as concentration is intrinsically related to control, Atharwana said: ‘Yoga is the control of the writtis (mentimultiformity)’ (—Shandilyopanishad, 1.7.24). Here the control aspect of yoga has been clearly stated. Consciousness may become free from the writtis by the control of the perceptive, intellective, volitive and affective aspects of the mind, and becomes monoform and single-pointed, in which only the Supreme Being is held in concentration. This is the state of writtiless superconcentration. It has been said: ‘When the constantly changing consciousness is free from writtis, it becomes non-oscillatory and concentrated, in which is revealed the infinite and whole Supreme Spirit’ (Annapurnopanishad, 1.55). This is adhyatma-yoga—spiritual yoga. It is said: ‘That Supreme Spirit which is unknowable, invisible and eternal, lying in all beings, and hidden, but shines forth in consciousness, is attainable by spiritual yoga’ (—Kathopanishad, 1.2.12).