In Hinduism, functioning in the world is fundamentally the interplay between the three gunas, tamas, rajas and sattva. Tamas is dullness or ignorance. Rajas is passion, goal driven action. Sattva is goodness, refinement or inspiration. Our behavior is a domination of one of these gunas but the other gunas are never far behind.
Sattva is what is at the basis of religion or norms of proper behavior. An attempt to be more Godly. Behavioral training until we achieve a state where we are “good” spontaneously, Atman.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras span the gap between sattva and atman. The apex of Patanjali’s knowledge rests in chapter 3, The Powers. There Patanjali brings Dharana, (focus) Dhyana, (meditation) and Samadhi, (transcendence) into one exercise he calls, Samyama.
Let’s take a step back. Before we launch onto samyama, we must first get familiar with the field of the transcendence, samadhi. This happens via meditation. Once we go deep into meditation we come to a layer of awareness which we can term as pure awareness. Awareness without any objects of focus. Awareness alone. Usually experienced as a bright field of light with nothing else. There is a sense of peace, contentment or bliss, in this state. If you get nothing but this state out of your spiritual exploits consider yourself blessed. Resting in this state is a phenomenal achievement. Evidently, however, there is more.
Patanjali sought to explore this field of samadhi. He located two layers of samadhi. One that was pure and not involved in the phenomenal world, a seedless samadhi. The other was, as Patanjali put it, a samadhi with seed.
The samadhi with seed seems to have many names, storehouse of all impressions, field of all possibilities, ritam bhara pragya, a layer of truth, etc. Through samyama we request traits, qualities or aspects such as friendliness, compassion or love and allow them to fall into samadhi and in a moment that quality is mentally manifest in our awareness. In my case I end up wearing the quality as a cloak. We bring that particular quality out of the field of all possibilities and imbue it onto our self. But it is not our self. It’s an item of clothing so to speak, that we choose, as it were, to portray our self as … Its a costume. An outfit. A persona we wish to display. Patanjali has brought us this level of interaction with samadhi. However, this field of samadhi with seed has more for us.
It’s also a seat of knowledge. Endless knowledge. Akashic records knowledge. Once we become intimately familiar with this layer of samadhi with seed we can actually ask this glorious domain questions. This state of awareness is filled with an endless array of information/knowledge. It is overwhelming. So, before you go in, you want to have an intention of what specifically you want to know. In this way you can follow one thread and not a whole ball of yarn. You can unravel that one thread and know everything about it. Why it is? How it is? How that tendency started? What contributed to its altered nature? What needs to happen to unravel the damage or injury?
And if we go deep enough we may even get a glimpse of the blueprint of that particular trait. That particular trait in a state of perfection. Restoring a trait of our personality to its original state is huge. This is real shadow work. True healing. This is the fourth state of the highest use of the Light. The transcendence. God.
Let's recap. First we find a way to have direct experience of the lively transcendence. Samadhi with seed. The field of all possibilities.
Then we call on that field to manifest a quality or trait. Example: friendliness, compassion or unconditional love. When our request is fulfilled we wear that trait like clothes. Allowing it to influence our self. All the while knowing that the cloak is not our self but rather an influential garment, a tool to help us refine our persona in a specific manner.
Then we use the knowledge aspect of the light/transcendence and ask it questions, specific questions. Thereby establishing and interactive dialogue between the light and our self. At this stage we may notice our self go between being an object and a subject. This is good. It shows maturity of awareness. These states are not static. They are both object and subject simultaneously. This is a rich experience capturing wholeness of experience by playing the knowledge from both the prospective of the object, the receiver and the subject, the conceiver, simultaneously. This is the goal of karma. The experience of being the actor and the one acted upon. This is a more refined method of accomplishing the role of karma. Designed to provide the wholeness of experience by experiencing the thing both objectively and subjectively.
Lastly, we use the light, this transcendental state to unravel itself. Since, through deep communication in the knowledge stage of this process we now know the purpose of our experience, and can understand the pure intention of the experience, without the drama. Now, the harm or injury to the self can be healed. Healed in a complete way without using overlays of “good” traits like friendliness, compassion, unconditional love, etc.
Once, through the stage of knowledge, the understanding is crystal clear as to the purpose of our seeming missteps, there is no need to imbue the self with the vibration of goodness. The fire of knowledge consumes the reason for karma. The self is free. Free to live the intended state. Free to live the perfection of our own blueprint. This is liberation, Moksha.
First, direct experience of samadhi, the transcendence. Then, activation of the refined state of the qualities within the field of all possibilities. Then, interactive communication with the knowledge aspect of this field. Lastly, utilization of the true healing nature of the field which will yield perhaps, the fifth step, that of true freedom.
With, Love