The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Sutra I. 46 ta eva sa-bijah samadhih
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| Sutra I. 46 ta eva sa-bijah samadhih
All these previous attainments lead us to samadhi, but with seeds (sa-bijah samadhi) for falling back into karmic entanglements. Commentary: These practices indeed brings one to the wide open gate of a temporary satori (grand view) but we normally fall back propelled by samskaras (past conditioning/programming such as embedded psychic imprints which are the results of karmic residues). Sabija samadhi (samadhi with seed) is a temporary alignment, approximation, and glimpse of our everlasting true nature, but still the mind is propelled backward by karmic residues belonging to past negative conditioning. These prior samapattis (minor stages of communions) still have a dualistic seed which are mostly destroyed in nirvicara (beyond being subtle) and alinga (free from separate or solid designators) realizations. But even in nirvicara and alinga realizations devoid of the even the most subtle cognitive state of taking any limited form whatsoever, they are still less than samadhi. "Sa" means, with and "bija" means, seed. Savicara extends up to even the most subtle objects of cognition i.e., the modality of consciousness that still ascribes to an "I-it", dualistic or relative world consisting of manmade (artificial and conditioned) cognitions and designators, but not including the direct interconnected integration or union/fusion of siva/shakti (purusha/prakriti, etc.). Nirvicara however is direct spiritual non-dual realization beyond any process of individual ideation or cognition. The barriers of the mind (citta-vrtti) have been lifted and thus one's mind has taken on the non-dual form of what-is-as-it-is as swarupa-sunyam. All the previous attainments (samapattis) before the nirvicara stage contain seeds because their vision is still occluded and limited by the false identification of separate objects. They are dependent upon them still. In such dualistic dependence for support, universal Clear Heart Consciousness is still not liberated. One remains unstable in non-dual realization eventually falling back into dependency. As long as one identifies as a separate object with a separate object, one is still afflicted in mundane fragmented relationships. When that separateness is rarified through the realization and application of sunya, then one has arrived -- abiding in union -- the unitive stage of All Our Relations. In nirvicara a samadhi is obtained as genuine insight, but is discontinuous, temporary, and incomplete. The sadhak continues to fall back at other times into the dualism of savicara or savitarka. Even if all all false notions of separation is relinquished, the union can still become rended until the final residual programming (samskaras) are deconstructed and dissolved. Samadhi is our innate natural state, but it has become covered over and discolored by avidya and citta-vrtti. "As such, samadhi is only one, but it has two stages: the first is called samprajnata, savikalpa, sabija, or cetana samadhi; the other is asamprajnata, nirvikalpa, nirbija, or acetana samadhi. The difference between these two stages is very clear. The mind exists in the first samadhi, but not in the second. The second stage can also be called atimanasa (super-mind). Bija (the seed) of all desires is the mind. Since the mind exists in the first or the lower samadhi, it is called sabija (with seed) samadhi. This state is also known as samprajnata samadhi since in it, one attains doubtless and true knowledge about the object of concentration. It is also called prasantavahita since the prana and apana vayus, moving upward through the passage of susumna, stabilize the external organs and generate concentration of mind. Moreover, this state is also known as savikalpa samadhi or cetana samadhi, because sankalpa (volition) and smrti (memory) do not exist in it. Since the susumna passage of the seeker who has reached savikalpa samadhi is purified, the feeble and upward-flowing prana and apana produce physical and mental stability, further resulting in deep concentration. In common concentration, one has to make a decision, and therefore, many favorable as well as contradicting thoughts occur. But in the state of perfect concentration or samadhi a decision is reached naturally, and there are no contradicting thoughts. Meditation devoid of conflicting thoughts is called savikalpa samadhi, and meditation without either favorable or contradicting thoughts is called nirvikalpa samadhi. Since the mind exists in savikalpa samadhi, ‘I’ exists until the end. Because of the existence of ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘they’ remain also. Thus duality prevails until the end of savikalpa samadhi. This means that as long as the seeker is in the stage of savikalpa samadhi there is still the duality jiva (soul) and Isvara (God). In nirvikalpa samadhi, mind becomes non-mind and jiva merges into Siva (God). As a result, duality disappears. The cause of duality is the drsta (the one who sees). In the state of advaita (non-dual state) there is no drsta (seer) at all. Without mastering savikalpa samadhi, one cannot practice nirvikalpa samadhi. Savikalpa samadhi is the base of nirvikalpa samadhi." Swami Kripaluananda from "Science of Meditation", Chapter 10. Although Patanjali himself only denotes two variants of samadhi, i.e., temporary (sabija) and full and permanent (nirbija) samadhi, many commentators have commonly delineated many lesser kinds of samadhis (as mere states of mind) causing some confusion. Indeed "there is only one samadhi", but many obscurations of it. For example, when someone denotes "nirvikalpa samadhi", they are indicating a mental state devoid of a conceptual basis or conceptual limitations, but samadhi is more than that. Similarly, samprajnata samadhi (as we have seen in I.17) is a limited state as well. Samadhi proper is beyond samprajnata (asamprajnata) as stated in I.18 and I.19. It is thus free from subject/object duality, conceptual limitations, gross or subtle thought. It is free from vrtti and free from falling back. It called nirbija samadhi and produces final and unconditional natural liberation (Kaivalya). Here Swami Kripalu explains further: Download 1.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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