Beyond Patanjali

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 

Samyama

Samyama consists of three components, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Dharana (one pointed focus) focus of one thing ( I use awareness as the object) and nothing else. This first component is all one needs. “Second” Dhyana (meditation) experience of the layers of the object). Of which there is only one in the final analysis since there is no space or time. Where are you going? In my experience, once I “start” the focus on the object, I’m done because the entirety of the object is known going all the way back/forward (it’s the same because there’s no time, no past, present, future in that state. So, Dhyana (meditation) the experience of the different layers is known instantly. So, travel from one layer to another is almost irrelevant. 

If you do it right, once you start, you're finished. Hahaha. This is not a happening because that implies a beginning, middle and end. Which implies sequence. Which implies time. Which implies a place for the happening. Which in that state does not exist. So, it’s not a happening for all those reasons. It’s an everlasting is-ness. So again, once you “start” you are “finished”. 

“Third” is Samadhi. What is termed as transcendence. Nothingness/Everything-ness. Source. The be all and end all. The beginning, middle and end. Remove time and space. And it’s an is-ness. Once you start you are finished. 

So, when I do samyama I simply shift attention to the object and nothing else, I am the object. Self serves as a blank platform for the knowledge of the object to be expressed/known. It’s not actually Big Self by the way but rather a replica of that or lower Big Self where the object reveals itself to lower Self, higher Big Self doesn’t give a damn. It remains untouched. The lower Big Self plays in the relative, material world, it has goals, purpose, desires, etc., all the bull shit we Think we need, or one’s emotionally wants. Needs and/or Wants. Which in the ultimate analysis is very close to worthless.

So yes, there are many more layers - books to total Veda. With endless deities and gurus shuffling around with endless iterations of supreme knowledge that provide endless regions of the-one-truth. For all these wannabe priests, gurus, gods and goddesses to call theirs (all ego trips) but with a sober eye, its imagination, illusion and ultimately just another way to get lost. In my experience the closer you get to The Truth the more powers you are given. Why? Perhaps, to re-engage us into some supreme level of greater illusion. Wow, I’m a God now. How great is this? Where is that Truth thing, we were so close to? Oh, we can check that out later. I’m a celestial now with lots to explore. Truth can wait. Oops, caught again. 

Anyway, that’s one prospective. Hope it doesn’t bum you out. The way I deal with it isn’t so much something I created but rather a frame of mind that has organically grown. Simply said, ‘I’m 100% engaged and 100% not engaged”. Simultaneously. 

If you are looking for something royal to focus on, then practice Samyama on the word, concept, sense, essence of: Sattva, Atma, Moksha, Brahm.

Blessings. 

Jim

P.S. all these gurus, gods and goddesses that you “speak” to… let’s step up your game. Instead of hanging around them and talking to them, explore them. Step into them. Wear their suits. Literally climb into them. Feel what it is like to be them. Then let yourself recede into them and transcend through them. “Some yogis perform sacrifice to the gods only, others by the union of the Self with Brahman, offer the Self as sacrifice into the fire of Brahman”. Chapter 4 verse 25 of the Bhagavad Gita. In this way both the god and Brahman are honored. Check out where the god gets their juice. And drop yourself into that. Use them as a gateway, portal, avenue to Source. Then come out through them. Then go back through that path to Source through them, then out, again and again. Eventually, you will find the proviral meddle road where you a both and neither Source and material. Simultaneously.

Stillness within the Pillar of Rushing Light

This is a continuation of the previous blog. So check that out first.

So, as I mentioned, within the pillar of rushing light can be found a deep stillness. Stillness is a royal consciousness phenomenon. The name Rama means Stillness in Sanskrit. So that should give you some idea as to the power of even the word Stillness. It can be used as a mantra and it will deliver profound experience.

When I feel deeply into Stillness, allowing all that I am to be immerse within Stillness, especially within the rushing light Stillness, it takes on a structure, a crystal, gem, diamond, structure. I feel my Self to be solid in firmness, hard as a diamond, so strongly held by consciousness there is a sense of being paralyzed, held perpetually motionless by Its presence. Nothing exists but that beautiful overwhelming Stillness. Everything stops. Everything. Full samadhi.

It is strange and surprising that this deep feeling of silent stillness would be a hard crystal-like structure but that’s the experience. In my opinion this the crest jewel, the hidden treasure named in the eighth word of the first verse of Rig Veda, Ratna.

Its nature: The nature of this level of stillness is a collection of purity of consciousness fully devoid of any impurities. Purity in a way squeezes out impurity leaving a solid block of purity which we may perceive to be diamond-like. This somewhat describes its detox or purifying nature from the standpoint of elimination or exclusion.

From the standpoint of inclusion, purity devourers impurities and transforms it into purity. I’m sure both are happening simultaneously.

I hope that describing this experience in such detail hasn’t separated you from the beauty of the experience. The experience is so much more than these words can capture. Know that even remote contact with such an experience is transformative.

Blessings.

Love you all ❤️❤️❤️

Patanjali and Chapter 4 Verse 25 of Bhagavad Gita

In the yoga sutras Patanjali delineates three sutras in particular, dharana (focus), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (transcendence). Together Patanjali terms them as samyama, a method for invoking knowledge of the object of focus, to know the very essence of the object.

Example: by lending focus (dharana) to say, the quality of friendliness we may travel into finer layers (dhyana) of friendliness until we transcend (samadhi) friendliness.

The internal experience of such an act would be to know the object so completely that we adopt the essence of that object, in this case the quality of friendliness.

Another thing is happening during this exercise. We are going beyond the object and experiencing samadhi. However, the experience of samadhi is flavored by the entryway in which we came. Its samadhi but it tastes like some version of friendliness.

So outwardly, we immerse ourselves in friendliness and in someway take on that quality of friendliness. But inwardly, we transcend with the flavor of the object, in this case friendliness.

At this fine layer of awareness the object, friendliness, looks and feels like a colored mist, for me its light green. This mist is actually the veil of maya, illusion, flavored as friendliness. Know that this is the view from the material world.

From the world of the transcendent, Patanjali terms it, savichara, samadhi with seed as opposed to samadhi without seed, nirvichara. Perspective does matter.

A term that encompasses both may better be, ritam bhara prajna, intelligence filled with truth. In this layer of awareness we know the object in its true and perfect form. The blueprint form, its vedic form as such it can be understood as both/neither simultaneously as subtle material or nothingness. If you’re in an upbeat place its glorious beyond glory. If you’re not, its zero, nothingness. If you’re feeling harmonious its both glorious and zero. If you’re feeling non-harmonious its neither or total negation. As maturation of consciousness development sets in, your awareness will grow beyond alteration of the options, into simultaneity of the options. It’s no wonder many enlightened people are looked at as nuts. :) In many cases you become a party 🎉 of one. :)

Let’s get back to this element of the experience of subtler layers. Frankly, it’s much easier to follow.

So as we experience finer states of the object we transcend samadhi with seed, savichara, and go into samadhi without seed, nirvichara. This is a state of atma or brahman. In knowing this we come to realize that following any object to its purest state will deliver us to brahman. And by doing this exercise with object after object one can stitch together brahman, as it were. This is the essence of the Brahma Sutras.

What this also is, is the discovery of a path to brahman consciousness. In chapter 4 v 25 it states, "Some yogis perform yagyas (sacrifice) to the gods. Others offer sacrifice to the fire of Brahman". The offering of sacrifice to the "fire of Brahman" uses the god as an avenue to Brahman. By doing the yagya like this both the god is satisfied as well as Brahman. The main reason there is worship to any god is so we may select a relative perfect form/vehicle in which to travel to Brahman. This is the main purpose of a mantra.

Note, that in the same way we use a sutra to experience finer levels of the object and arrive at samadhi with a specific flavor by using a mantra or name of a god or goddess we will also find samadhi to be flavored with the essence of that mantra/god.

As one moves forward in their own consciousness development at some point this phenomenon is naturally recognized and we find ourselves using the mantra less because its not pure enough. We innately desire to experience brahman without the flavor of something else so we drop the training wheels. At this stage of our consciousness development we can arrive at brahman without aids, without seeds, solely by itself/ourself. We recognize in ourselves that we are brahman and everything we perceive is brahman and brahman alone is.

Mantra meditations and Patanjali sutra exercises have served to deliver us to the goal. As such we lose the appetite for them. We respect their royal standing and honorably bow to them but we move past them to pure direct experience of brahman without these filters, or flavors.

Do we now enter brahman with some other kind of filter? Yes, but that filter now is our own nature. Brahman has become personalized. Its our Brahman. We own It. It owns us. Looking at this from either way it ends up being the same. Lending value to the concept of "sameness". An appropriate description. Sameness in all directions.