Tom: SSS’s Magnum Opus was ‘The Method of Vedanta’.

On page 149 SSS quotes from Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita to explain in more detail the method of Nididhyasana (the meditation that leads to Self-Realisation). According to SSS this process is not merely a purificatory practice, but one that leads directly to liberation. The following is quoted by SSS as a description of Nididhyasana, taken from Chapter 6 of Bhagavad Gita:

‘That yoga should certainly be practised with resolute mind. Giving up without exception all desires that come from individual, will, restraining the sense-organs on every side through the mind, one should gradually withdraw from all activity, with will and intellect firmly controlled; keeping the mind fixed on the Self, one should not think of anything. Wherever the fickle mind wanders, one should bring it back and fix it on the Self alone, under firm control. Supreme joy comes to such a yogi, whose mind is at perfect peace, whose lusts have subsided, who is sinless and who has become the Absolute.’

I have provided more detail here in this post.

Questioner: Sravana, manana, nididhyasana, are ALL (direct) means (sakshat sadhanas) towards sadyo-mukti (i.e moksha)! Shravana is enough regarding the highest aspirant (here manana and nididhyasana are implied) whereas all others (middle and lower aspirants) need to continue until culminating in Atmanubhava (sadyo-mukti, and it’s many synonyms)! The important thing is that once complete knowledge (Atma jnanam) is attained, repetition of that knowledge (jnana abhyasa, practice of Jnana) is NO longer required, and consequently obsolete! This applies to all aspirants. OM

Tom: yes this is correct, see here for more, although SSS does state that nididhyasana implies repetition.

Jnana itself does not (and cannot) be repeated, as Jnana is moksha. I guess that is the point you are stressing.

Some Advaita texts do speak of repeating knowledge, but what they are referring to is repetition of nididhyasana (ie. repetiton of the PATH of knowledge, ie. repetition of sravana, manana, nididhyasana) and NOT repeating of Moksha, which as we have said, cannot be repeated as it is once and for all, ie. final. I think this is where the misunderstanding arises – different meaning of the word Jnana in different contexts.

However….

The issue here is, for those who need nididhyasana (which SSS says is most people/seekers), what is the nature of nididhyasana and how to do it? Here SSS clarifies the nature of nididhyasana, also known as Samadhi yoga or control of mind. This is the point I am stressing.

Namaste

Questioner: There is Jagrat (waking), Swapna (Dream) and Sushupti (Deep sleep), the three avasthas (states) that have distinct qualities. Is there something else called Jagrat Sushupti (waking sleep)? Please can you explain?

Tom: Regarding Jagrat Sushupti, see the Annapurna Upanishad 2.12 and 2.13:

2.12. The quiescent state of the attenuated mind, free from all objective reference [Tom: ie. nirvikalpa samadhi], is said to be the deep sleep in wakefulness (Jagrat-Sushupti).

2.13. This state of slumber, O Nidagha, fully developed through practice, is styled the Fourth (Turiya) by the best knowers of Truth.

Note the term Turiya, or The Fourth, means the state of being the Self, also known as Moksha or Jnana. Here we can see that Jagrat Sushupti, Moksha, Turiya and (by implication) Nirvikalpa Samadhi are all being equated.

Sri Ramana Maharshi explains this teaching of Jagrat Sushupti in more detail in Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk 609:

‘The incentive to realise can arise only in the waking state and efforts can also be made only when one is awake. We learn that the thoughts in the waking state form the obstacle to gaining the stillness of sleep.

“Be still and know that I AM God”.

‘So stillness is the aim of the seeker. Even a single effort to still at least a single thought even for a trice goes a long way to reach the state of quiescence. Effort is required and it is possible in the waking state only. There is the effort here: there is awareness also; the thoughts are stilled; so there is the peace of sleep gained. That is the state of the Jnani. It is neither sleep nor waking but intermediate between the two. There is the awareness of the waking state and the stillness of sleep. It is called jagrat-sushupti.

‘Call it wakeful sleep or sleeping wakefulness or sleepless waking or wakeless sleep. It is not the same as sleep or waking separately. It is atijagrat (beyond wakefulness) or atisushupti (beyond sleep).

‘It is the state of perfect awareness and of perfect stillness combined. It lies between sleep and waking; it is also the interval between two successive thoughts. It is the source from which thoughts spring; we see that when we wake up from sleep. In other words thoughts have their origin in the stillness of sleep. The thoughts make all the difference between the stillness of sleep and the turmoil of waking.

‘Go to the root of the thoughts and you reach the stillness of sleep. But you reach it in the full vigour of search, that is, with perfect awareness. That is again jagrat-sushupti spoken of before. It is not dullness; but it is Bliss. It is not transitory but it is eternal.’

~Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk 609

This teaching of Jagrat Sushupti is more fully explained in this post here.

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:

Swami Satchitanandendra Saraswati (SSS) defines Nididhyasana in the same way in this post here on Vedantic Meditation

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