Part VIII
THE ASCENT TO SAHAJ SAMADHI
AND ITS NATURE
WHEN the mind is rightly tuned to the object of meditation, it merges in the Truth and experiences Sahaj Samadhi or state of spontaneous enjoyment of uninterrupted Self-knowledge in which the aspirant loses his limited individuality to discover that he is identical with God, Sahaj Samadhi culmination of earlier forms of meditationWho is in everything. Sahaj Samadhi is a culmination of the earlier forms of personal and impersonal meditation and not their product.
Sahaj Samadhi experienced after union with the InfiniteAll forms of meditation followed by the aspirant, as well as his other spiritual efforts, in spite of their differences, have only one aim., viz., to speed up the fruition of his longing to be united with the Infinite. When this union is effected, the Sadhaka (aspirant) becomes Siddha (one who has attained the goal). The union with the Infinite which the Siddha achieves is referred to by the Sufis as “Vasl.” It is this state of union with God
which is described by Christ in the words, “I and my Father are one.” Many have written about this highest state of consciousness, but it remains essentially indescribable. It cannot be expressed in words, and therefore it cannot be adequately explained. But though it can never be explained by one person to another, it can be experienced by everyone for himself. This highest state of the Siddha is called Sahaj Samadhi.
To dwell in Sahaj Samadhi is to experience the God-state in which the soul knows itself to be God, because it has shed all the limiting factors which had hitherto contributed towards false self-knowledge. Life of the body The God-state of the Siddha stands out in clear contrast with the body-state of the worldly man. The worldly man takes himself to be the body, and dwells in a state which is dominated by the body and its wants. His consciousness centres on the body. He is concerned with eating, drinking, sleeping and the satisfaction of other bodily desires. It is for the body that he lives and seeks fulfillment. His consciousness cannot extend beyond the body; he thinks in terms of the body and cannot think of anything which has no body or form. The entire sphere of his existence is conprised of forms, and the theatre in which he lives and moves and has his being consists of space.
The first step towards the God-state of Sahaj Samadhi is taken when the body-state is transcended. Shedding the body-state means entering the sphere of existence which is comprised of energy. Life of energy The soul then dwells in a state which is no longer dominated by forms or bodies. It is lifted up to the domain of energy. Body or form is a solidification of energy, and to rise from the world of forms to the sphere of energy amounts to an advance towards a more primary and purer state of being. The energy-state is free from
