any similar experience?

[Arg77]

Hi all.

I would like to know if someone can help me with an experience that I have recently had.

About 2 months ago I started with the "self-inquiry" and "neti neti". I usually do it during the day and at night before going to sleep.

Both help me to discard the false and what I am not.

I have not touched the essence yet, I can simply see the thoughts of the false self arise, and I can stay there for a while .. but last night I went to bed, I started with "neti neti" and in a moment (still with thoughts in my head) I I felt dominated by something, I got carried away .. I started a strange kind of breathing, I noticed that my stomach was inflated and contracted without my will in a perfect and perfectly synchronized way and there I began to smile (without will and without having a reason) It was an explosion of happiness, ecstasy, an orgasm that flooded my entire body, I also experienced as if a rope surrounded the shapes of my two legs, very slowly, then it reached my pelvis and ended in my stomach / chest. It was approximately 3 minutes.
Never in my life have I experienced so much joy and ecstasy. I couldn't get the smile off my face, even if I tried ..

It was a beautiful thing.

Any similar experience? thanks!

[ajay00]

Thanks for putting your experience over here.

Theoretically, I think you probably experienced a surge of kundalini prana due to the practice, and experienced a temporary form of samadhi where you experienced bliss and joy.

This bliss and joy is your natural state or Self, veiled or obscured by the monkey mind made turbulent by its various cravings and aversions evoking incessant thinking and emoting.

Through the practice of Neti-neti, your mind became still enough to reflect the Self. Just as a still lake reflects the base clearly.


In Nirvikalpa Samadhi characterized by enlightenment or Nirvana, this state of bliss and joy becomes of a permanent nature, as all the vasanas or conditioned psychological impressions are eliminated by spiritual exercise.


I had similar experiences when I practiced meditation first as a teenager, and also when deep in meditation and service in an ashram.

It appears that austerity is the price to pay for experiencing the natural state. Just as the effort of washing dirty clothes produce the joy of perceiving clean and fragrant ones.

[Arg77]

First of all, thank you very much for your reply. Although I have read about samadhi before, in many cases and experiences, these people say that reaching that state has to accomplish things like: staying physically still for several minutes, or searching for an object of concentration, etc. which makes me question why my experience was quite simple, two minutes after going to bed and with the mind in activity (in the experience this activity disappeared) that state began to emerge. Only that I felt possessed by something that I intuitively knew I had to let go. Can samadhi work in this way? Thanks again. and sorry for my bad english

They say Ramakrishna could go into samadhi from anything that made him think about god. There's a story where it happened because he saw an umbrella close.

The thing about the word samadhi is, now that it's become known in new age circles, people use it to refer to a range of things that may or may not be related to it's real meaning, which can make it difficult to research.

To answer your original question, I get a similar experience from Devi puja, but I think it's private, and because I feel that way, I assume it must be common.

That is not my goal, though. I think of meditation and worship as a way to spend time with her. Maybe I internalised Krishna's advice to perform actions detached from outcome, because that is my attitude towards meditation. It's a way to spend time with her, and whatever experience she gives me, I offer back to her.
It's like with the flowers. Looking after plants is one thing, but I can't create a flower, she causes the flowers to be, all I can do is offer them back to her with love. I don't think I did something to earn the experience, it is all divine grace, and as her devotee, I wish to participate appropriately.

I will say, the physical aspect is different to how you described, but since your practise differs from mine, I suppose that is to be expected

@ajay00 I really want to ask for more details on what you mean by austerity, but I am worried the answer might be against forum rules. If you can say more, I would be interested in hearing about it.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by Arg77

First of all, thank you very much for your reply. Although I have read about samadhi before, in many cases and experiences, these people say that reaching that state has to accomplish things like: staying physically still for several minutes, or searching for an object of concentration, etc. which makes me question why my experience was quite simple, two minutes after going to bed and with the mind in activity (in the experience this activity disappeared) that state began to emerge.

These exercises you mentioned are just some of various ways to reach the state of samadhi.

Neti-neti is also a spiritual exercise which leads to the same goal.

The cessation of mental activity may have something to do with a kundalini surge of prana or lifeforce activated by the spiritual exercise.

http://www.ramaquotes.com/html/kundalini.html

http://yogananda.com.au/pyr/pyr_kundalini1.html

This rise in energy should be complemented by virtuous conduct(dharma), disciplined lifestyle (yama niyamas) and regimen of physical exercise, if needed, to channel properly the heightened energies or else it will be dissipated in sensory activities. The heightened energies if channeled properly to the higher chakras, can lead to more instances of samadhi.

River water is usually lost in the ocean , but if controlled or checked by a dam, leads to successful production of electricity, irrigation purposes and flood control.

Originally Posted by Arg77

Only that I felt possessed by something that I intuitively knew I had to let go. Can samadhi work in this way? Thanks again. and sorry for my bad english

Your intuition should be your guide in these matters. You can also keep a diary or log to record your observations, and understand patterns. This knowledge will be useful for you.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by Aditi

@ajay00 I really want to ask for more details on what you mean by austerity, but I am worried the answer might be against forum rules. If you can say more, I would be interested in hearing about it.

Austerity mentioned here is penance or tapas. It is the realization that achieving a significant goal, spiritually or materially, requires sacrificing lesser pleasures and putting forward more concentrated effort. This concentrated effort through self-discipline is known as tapas and is charecterised by heat generated through disciplined effort, self-denial or denial of desires for pleasure or comfort. This results in inner strength.

Tapas can be active as in giving precedence to duty over pleasure, or passive as in willingly experiencing discomfort while performing service to the sick, parents, elders, spiritual masters, or to the Divine.

Swami Vivekananda defines tapas as “a kind of penance to “heat” the higher nature,” and “a mental instrument with which to do everything.” Krishna explains about the three types of tapas in the Bhagavad Gita.


http://yogananda.com.au/holy_science...science30.html

Penance (tapas) is patience or evenmindedness in all conditions (equanimity amidst the essential dualities of Maya; cold and heat, pain and pleasure, etc.). ~ Sri Yukteshwar




https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_C...ami_Vivekanand
a/Volume_7/Inspired_Talks/Monday,_July_1


Tapas means literally "to burn". It is a kind of penance to "heat" the higher nature. It is sometimes in the form of a sunrise to sunset vow, such as repeating Om all day incessantly. These actions will produce a certain power that you can convert into any form you wish, spiritual or material. This idea of Tapas penetrates the whole of Hindu religion. The Hindus even say that God made Tapas to create the world. It is a mental instrument with which to do everything. "Everything in the three worlds can be caught by Tapas." ~ Swami Vivekananda



https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yo...ledge-sheet-48


Willingly going through that which is not very easy is tapas. This strengthens you.~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Originally Posted by ajay00

Austerity mentioned here is penance or tapas.

Thank you for taking the time to explain.

I want to emphasise (perhaps, for people from other subs) that the benefit is not in the discomfort itself. It is not supposed to be punishment. These are methods that can help us learn equanimity of mind in matters of attachment/aversion, and minimise things that distract us from thinking of the divine. I liked your metaphor of cleaning clothes.

I don't, personally, think of ascetic practises as something unpleasant. If you know of something that can bring you closer to God, or can make the God you love happy, then that is the ultimate privilege. It is a privilege to have that knowledge and even more of a privilege if you can do it. Worldly discomforts are irrelevant and the true unpleasantness is in those things that keep you from being able to do the practises properly.

Originally Posted by ajay00

Thanks for putting your experience over here.

Theoretically, I think you probably experienced a surge of kundalini prana due to the practice, and experienced a temporary form of samadhi where you experienced bliss and joy.

This bliss and joy is your natural state or Self, veiled or obscured by the monkey mind made turbulent by its various cravings and aversions evoking incessant thinking and emoting.

Through the practice of Neti-neti, your mind became still enough to reflect the Self. Just as a still lake reflects the base clearly.


In Nirvikalpa Samadhi characterized by enlightenment or Nirvana, this state of bliss and joy becomes of a permanent nature, as all the vasanas or conditioned psychological impressions are eliminated by spiritual exercise.


I had similar experiences when I practiced meditation first as a teenager, and also when deep in meditation and service in an ashram.

It appears that austerity is the price to pay for experiencing the natural state. Just as the effort of washing dirty clothes produce the joy of perceiving clean and fragrant ones.

Coming across this thread and the subject matter I thought I'd throw this out and see if it resonates.

I had been practicing mindfulness of breath for some time and mind had become quite focused and concentrated, to the point that after 10 or 15 minutes breath became so subtle it almost seemed I wasn't breathing and I'd get a pleasant sensation low and deep in the pit of my stomach. Then I came across this and it speaks to your still lake analogy.

Jon Kabat-Zinn on resting in awareness: https://youtu.be/5TeWvf-nfpA?list=PL...PNokg&t=129 8

Richie Davidson on EEG monitoring while resting in awareness: https://youtu.be/5TeWvf-nfpA?list=PL...PNokg&t=155 6

I began incorporating resting in awareness into my practice when I came across this and it's a very different and distinct state vs. focused techniques. It's also referred to as choiceless awareness, do nothing meditation and just sitting, is said to be the gateway into non-dual awareness and from my experience I concur.

I'm curious if anyone else practices this technique and their experience.

If I had to describe it I'd say it's absolute and unchanging silence and stillness. No thoughts, no sensation of body. I think of it as the entry into Samadhi, though sometimes I wonder because so many people describe Samadhi so many ways, including incredible experiences like OBEs, astral travel, otherworldly mystical experiences, etc... To me it's the silence of serenity, of bliss. It suffices in and of itself.

The other aspect for me is once I was able to "touch" it I now "know" it's there, even in the midst of worldly engagement including chaos, and during the day as often as I remember I "find" that place via the Karma Yoga practice of Work as Witness. Seems like a nice compliment to the sitting practice.

[Miss Hepburn]

I never realized neti-neti practice, was SO like the first few lessons
of ACIM©. Figures!
Nothing new under the sun ...and great minds think alike!