Samadhi is about focusing on the quality of an attentive and wakeful mind. It refers to the internal dialogue and the thinking mind calculating its life role and mode. Most modern meditators who practice the art for long periods feel a positive touch, an imagined Samadhi, but they do not experience the absolute Samadhi that manifests itself as falling away from all thought, impressions, and feelings. The emptiness is as peaceful as being back at the home of the perpetual origin. Any intent to define the state of the experience or of the abstracted consideration of the universal reality through language or concept will never work.
It is impossible to approach the Samadhi experiences through routine practice using learned skills or techniques because Samadhi is a spontaneous moment of wisdom and mindfulness without word nor intention. An attentive mind immersed in the wholesomeness of humility with mind and body will not experience the magic of touching the deep consciousness internally. The spaciousness and peace should concurrently play with a balance or harmony of heart, mind, and will.
Samadhi is a word that intends to explain a state of consciousness that really cannot be described. Or we can say that there is nothing to explain at all. Samadhi is more than a state of consciousness; it is the self-realization of being without a doubt. All you have to do is say nothing and do nothing when you come to the actual realization. That is why I told you to forget what I said immediately after reading my notes.
Some people ask me about the relationship between Yoga practice and Samadhi. I am not a Yoga expert, but I can still share with you what I know through my soul-searching journey. Yoga is about penetrating each sheath, beginning with the physical, the physiological, then the mental, and also the intellectual. Upon arrival at the causal memory level awareness to the deep consciousness, few yoga-practitioners can feel active Samadhi's emptiness. They fall short of experiencing the absolute one. Some silent yoga practitioners might experience a Samadhi-like self-realization at their deep state of stillness and extreme emptiness.
Every time you are in a deep sleep, you might be in the state of Samadhi, but it would not help you awaken because you are not experiencing the realization consciously. I met a gentleman last year who spent twenty-seven years at a meditation center near the Himalayas with thirty-two other meditators from all over the world. He had to leave the center because it was closed due to Covid-19. During our conversation, he was so anxious because he could not keep his mind still for more than ten minutes. I told him Samadhi or total awakening has nothing to do with how long you practice or how hard you have tried to stay still with inner peace. Sadly, he could not live an everyday and present life anymore. He constantly searches for a new place in which to meditate in, and he will likely do so for the rest of his life.
A long-time friend called me a few months ago and shared with me his spiritual experience. He spent more than ten years in India searching for enlightenment in the 90s, but he returned to Los Angeles a few years ago with a clear direction and an awareness about life and purpose. He works hard, like all human beings, but he meditates whenever he has the time to sit and be quiet. Last week, he quit his current financial advisor job and went to Africa with the HOPE group as a volunteer. "I experienced my first Samadhi last night that was the most intoxicating moment, but I cannot find the words to describe it. I must do something that I have not done yet in this life to celebrate my first day of awakening," he said, in the most peaceful tone.
My thoughts resonate with this friend. The three-dimensional world's human pleasures are tasteless compared to just one experience of Samadhi.
I hope all of you succeed on your spiritual awakening journey.
To Be Continued.
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