What are the Spiritual States of Consciousness?
Ram S. Ramanathan MCC
Systemic, Sustainable, and Spiritual Self Development Coach Author: Coaching the Spirit & Re-creating Your Future Books & Programs
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Sampragnya Samadhi consciousness has four stages. These are reasoning, deliberation, bliss and self-awareness.?||17||
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In Asampragna Samadhi, the Bhava-Pratyaya state is existential and belongs to those who have disengaged from mindbody movements and are merged with their energy nature. ||19||
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Patanjali moves into high gear. He jumps to the final step of yoga, Samadhi, disengaged consciousness. We need to be familiar with some not so easy to translate Sanskrit words.
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Patanjali speaks here of two states of Samadhi energy spiritual consciousness. Samadhi, the final eighth stage of yoga, etymologically sama adhi, means to become one with the creative spiritual source. In the yoga context, it is disengaging from our mindbody matter state and being aware of our natural energy being state beyond mindbody consciousness, which derives from the cosmic energy source. Multiple other words used for this state are enlightenment or Self-realization in English, and moksha, kaivalya, nirvana, turiya etc. in Sanskrit.
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In the first verse, Patanjali speaks of Sampragna Samadhi. Sampragna means ‘with awareness’. In this context, it’s about awareness through the conscious mindbody movements. In the second verse, he says the other, meaning Asampragna? Samadhi, which refers to a higher state of awareness with no mindbody intervention, but something beyond, meaning the spiritual energy state.
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In the first verse 1.17, vitarka (tarka means questioning) is about thoughts leading to a perceptive understanding of an object based on its form and function in concrete terms. This leads to deeper meditative reflection vicara (cara means to move) in subtler abstract formless spiritual qualities. For instance, you may look at an object made of stone. Depending on its form, function and location, one would worship it or break it if it obstructs one’s path. If one determines it’s an idol, one would then attribute subtler noble spiritual qualities to the stone object.
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This subtle meditative reflection may lead to a state of equanimity, ananda, and bliss. The idol creates devotion leading to joy. Ananda is a spiritual state beyond pain and pleasure. It’s equanimity and the ecstasy arising from letting go of all mindbody movements. The practitioner in this state is still in a mind state of ‘I’ ness. Asmita is ‘I’ ness. It is different from the word ahankara, also meaning ‘I’ ness, which refers to an active guna-based ego. One can say Asmita is purified ‘I’ ness devoid of guna. Mind is conscious, but stays clear of the qualities arising from one of the three guna.
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In the sampragnya samadhi state, we are doing everything right. We follow the eight Noble Truths of Buddha, such as Right Thinking, Right Conduct etc. We do all this in mindbody awareness. We are knocking on the door to the mindfree bodyfree spiritual energy-filled consciousness of Samadhi, which Buddha calls Nibbana. We are not in Nibbana yet.
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In verse 1.18, Patanjali addresses a higher level of consciousness, asampragnya samadhi, a state beyond the conscious awareness of sampragnya samadhi. The mind has been purified and dropped. There is no ego, no ‘I’ ness. Patanjali says that the seeds of mind movements, samskara, however, remain.
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In verses 1.19 and 120, Patanjali says there are 2 types of asampragnya samadhi. One is Bhava-Pratyaya prakriti laya, existential and the other, Upaya-Pratyaya, mindbody created. Bhava-Pratyaya prakriti laya, meaning ‘arising from nature’, belongs to those who have disengaged from mindbody movements, and are merged with their spiritual energy nature. People of this nature have in their previous births disengaged from mindbody awareness, and are born again only to work out their residual samskara desires, borne out of their last remaining vasana before death. They are merged with their natural energy state with no mindbody consciousness. Ramana Maharishi comes to mind as someone in this state.
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In the last 2 verses, Patanjali says that those in the Upaya Pratyaya state are still under mindbody control. They must practice with faith, energy, memory, meditation and discrimination, which can be light, moderate or intense to achieve the samadhi state.
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Most of us are nowhere near these states. Patanjali is pointing out that the journey is tough and not for the faint-hearted. It’s the very rare who are in asampragnya samadhi state, either born as Ramana or achieved through practice and faith. Even those who have realized their self-awareness in the spiritual energy state are mostly in the mentally active ego state of sampragnya samadhi. They are aware, perhaps not all the time. They need to practice harder. For the rest of us, the path is long and arduous. What is most important is the faith and intent. Whatever one achieves in this lifetime, Krishna avers in the Bhagavad Gita, is never wasted.
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Reflection
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Self-Realisation that we are not mindbody matter, but energy beings, is considered by Vedic scriptures as the purpose of life. Such spiritually intelligent realisation removes the fear of death, and attachment to desires, and liberates us from the cycle of birth and death. To desire this end goal is not common. Working towards is less so. Anyone reading this blog series is likely to be one in a million with a serious commitment to this sacred spiritual purpose in life.
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Samadhi is the generic term for Self-realisation as the union of mind, body and spirit and the realisation that we are energy beings encased in material form with unlimited potential. Many stages of samadhi are described as gateways leading from one realisation to another. Some of these other than the two Patanjali describes aa Sampragnya and Asampragnya are Savikalpa, Nirvikalpa, Sayujya, Samipa, Saloka, and Sahaja Samadhi. The technical differences are for scholars who have nothing worthwhile to do.
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If you are a spiritual practitioner, what is important is to have a firm understanding you’re an energy being in a mindbody frame. This understanding will lead you to the spiritual realisation that we are all equal, and we are the same as the cosmic energy. Once we have this understanding, there is no need to prove anything. There is no need to fear pain, suffering and death. These affect the mindbody, not the energy. There is no need to desire and covet. Letting go and acceptance in gratitude become natural. Perhaps not all the time. Capture these moments and hold fast.
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Ram is a co-founder and mentor at Coacharya?https://coacharya.com . Ram's focus is the integration of Eastern wisdom with modern science, spiritually, systemically and sustainably. Visit Coacharya.
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