Q. I have yet to come across a single reference to nirvikalpa samadhi in the seminal work by Sri Ramana’s foremost disciple Sri Sadhu Om in his exposition of the teachings in his book ‘The Path of Sri Ramana‘. This is a highly trusted source of these direct path teachings.
Tom: Shankara, Gaudapada and Sri Ramana all at times say samadhi leads to liberation, as do the Upanishads. But what exactly is this Samadhi?
Firstly we can see Sri Ramana’s own writings for teachings on Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Sri Ramana himself writes that Nirvikalpa samadhi DIRECTLY leads to liberation in the introduction to his translation of Vivekachudamani. I say directly because many think samadhi is merely some kind of purificatory practice that helps the seeker of liberation but does not directly lead to liberation. However we will see that Samadhi is said to be the DIRECT cause of liberation:
‘…the natural and changeless state of Nirvikalpa samadhi is produced by unswerving vigilant concentration on the Self, ceaseless like the unbroken flow of oil. This readily and spontaneously yields that direct, immediate, unobstructed, and Universal perception of Brahman, which is at once knowledge and experience and which transcends time and space. This perception is Self-realisation.’
Of course the words ‘knowledge’ ‘experience’ and ‘perception’ are used metaphorically, as the Self cannot truly be known, experienced or perceived (by the mind) as the Self is beyond knowledge/experience/perception.
In the same introduction Sri Ramana confirms that the teachings found in Vivekachudamani are the true teachings for liberation. Sri Ramana writes:
‘Sri Shankara revealed the essence of the commentaries in this short treatise, The Crown Gem of Discrimination [Vivekachudamani], explaining in detail the points that have to be grasped by those who seek liberation, and thereby directing them to the true and direct path. Sri Shankara begins by observing…’
Sri Gaudapada also states samadhi is the way to self-realisation here:
‘The Self (Atman) is beyond all expression by words beyond all acts of mind; It is absolutely peaceful, it is eternal effulgence free from activity and fear and it is attainable by Samadhi.‘
~ Gaudapada, Mandukya Upanishad Karika 3.37
Sri Shankara then writes in his commentary on the above verse that Self-Realisation and Self-Knowledge arise from Samadhi:
…The Self (Atman) is denoted by the word Samadhi as it can be realised only by the knowledge arising out of the deepest concentration (on its essence), Samadhi. Or the Self (Atman) is denoted by Samadhi because it is the object of concentration, the Jiva concentrates his mind on the Self (Atman)…
In the Amritabindu Upanishad Jnana (self-knolwedge) is defined as follows in verse 5 – we can see that the implication is that Samadhi is required:
The mind severed from all connection with sensual objects, and prevented from functioning out [Tom: ie nirvikalpa samadhi], awakes into the light of the heart, and finds the highest condition. The mind should be prevented from functioning, until it dissolves itself in the heart. This is Jnana, this is Dhyana, the rest is all mere concoction of untruth.
Note that this above verse is not a mere random verse I have taken out of context, but this verse from Amrabindu Upanishad was also quoted by Swami Vidyaranya (1296-1386), author of the wonderful Advaita Vedanta text Panchadasi and Shankaracharya (head monk) of Sringeri Math, in his work Jivanmukti Viveka (Knowledge to attain Liberation in this life), in order to make this very point clear – see here.
What is exactly is Samadhi? What is the samadhi that leads to liberation?
However the same word samadhi can have various different meanings in various different contexts, so what exactly is the nature of this Samadhi that leads to liberation?
The Samadhi that leads to liberation is NOT a mere state of mind – that is just an objective experience, or maya. The Samadhi that leads to liberation is NOT a trance state, which is a sleep-like state, a tamasic state. The Samadhi that lead to liberation is NOT some mechanical state of stupor in which the mind is rendered still through concentration on a gross or subtle object.
The True Samadhi is Eternal Being, the Self, or it leads to That which is Eternal and Self. So we have 2 broad definitions:
1) The true Samadhi simply means Being the Self, ie. liberation.
2) The same word Samadhi can also be used to refer to the practice or sadhana that leads to liberation, namely self-enquiry, in which the sense of I or subjectivity or ‘I Am’ in intuitively and keenly attended to in order to discover our true nature as pure consciousness, sat-chit-ananda (Being, Consciousness, Bliss).
In either case it is the result of hearing the teachings (Sravana) , reflecting upon the teachings (Manana) and meditating upon the Self (Nididhyasana), and Samadhi either refers to a state of deep meditation on the Self (deep Nididhyasana) or liberation itself (Moksha).
You will see that in all advaita scriptures, where samadhi is defined, it is always in reference to attending to or meditating upon the Self, the Subject, the I Am, ie. Samadhi as a practice is describing self-enquiry, which is when we intuitively place our attention towards the Self in order to discover what we truly are.
The key point is that it is NOT objects that are attended to, but the subject, the Self, the sense I AM that is intuitively attended to. See here for a list of verses from Upanishads and other Advaita texts that emphasise this very point. When this process of Self-Enquiry, also known as Nididyasana or Samadhi yoga, is performed it culminates in Samadhi. This is clearly explained in Advaita scriptures such as Advaita Bodha Deepika.
This is from Sri Ramana Maharshi’s translation of Shankara’s Vivekachudamani:
‘…practise nirvikalpa samadhi by concentration on Brahman, which is experienced in the Heart as our own radiant Self, free from all limitations and as Being-Consciousness-Bliss. This will destroy the individual consciousness which is the cause of all error, and thus you can unravel the knot of the Heart which causes the ills of birth and death. Thus will you obtain the glory of unbroken bliss, being Self-realized, and by doing so achieve the purpose of human life, a boon so rare to obtain. The Self-realized yogi, knowing his true nature…’
And also from the same text as translated by Sri Ramana Maharshi:
‘Brahman can be clearly experienced without any barrier only through nirvikalpa samadhi, for apart from that the mental mode always fluctuates, leading from one thought to another. Therefore control the senses and mind and abide firmly in the Self. Utterly destroy the darkness of ignorance and its cause through experience of the one Self and abide ever as the Self.‘
In Sri Ramana Maharshi’s translation of the Advaita text Drig Drishya Viveka it is stated:
‘being completely absorbed in the Bliss experienced by the realization of the Self is nirvikalpa samadhi‘
From Sri Ramana Maharshi’s introduction to his translation of Drig Drishya Viveka we see again self-attention, ie. self enquiry, is emphasised:
…’when the veiling power of maya (avarana) [Tom: which seemingly obscures the self] is removed by the practice of sahaja samadhi, in which one always attends to oneself alone without any differences or distinctions perceived, only the non-dual Brahman-Self (advitiya brahmatma-svarupa) will remain and shine…’when the veiling power of maya (avarana, which seemingly obscures the self) is removed by the practice of sahaja samadhi, in which one always attends to oneself alone without any differences or distinctions perceived, only the non-dual Brahman-Self [advitiya brahmatma-svarūpa] will remain and shine…’
From the main text of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s translation of the Drig Drishya Viveka:
‘Similarly, Brahman shines as the phenomenal world of names and forms only through the effect of the veiling power which conceals the distinction between them. When the veiling ends, the distinction between the two is perceived, for none of the activities of the phenomenal world exist in Brahman.’
Hopefully we can see that it is through Samadhi, meaning Self-Enquiry, that Self-Knowledge or Self-realisation arises, and that Samadhi or Nirvikalpa Samadhi can also be a synonym for being or knowing the Self, ie. liberation/Jnana.
See also:
The need for nirvikalpa samadhi according to Advaita Vedanta – Swami Advayananda
Shankara on the Mind, Samadhi (stillness of mind), Manonasa (destruction of mind), and Liberation
Tom Das 