Samadhi

When you meditate on some object ‑ whether physical or abstract or spiritual ‑ and when your mind gains complete identity of that object, at that time, you are said to have attained Samadhi on that object.

Therefore, Samadhi is said to be of three categories:

1. Physical Samadhi (Jad’a Sama’dhi)

Suppose, there is a flower. While thinking of the flower, your mind takes the form of the same, that is called Jada Samadhi.

When the mind is suspended due to the practise of Kumbhaka Pranayama, that too is called Jada Samadhi.

The type of Samadhi obtained through the forcible suspension of mental propensities is also Jad’a Sama’dhi.

Mahars’i Patainjali has defined Yoga as “Yogashcittavrtti nirodhah”.

Yoga is a process of suspension (nirodha) of all mental propensities (Citta Vrtti).

To strangulate the propensities is Yoga.

This is a negative process. Where will these suspended propensities go?

They all remain within. Sama’dhi is possible when these mental propensities are merged into something else. One attains Jad’a Sama’dhi, if the gates of senses are forcibly closed. It is, to some extent, senselessness. I may only partially approve of the Pa’tainjali definition of Yoga, but not completely.

Tantra defines Yoga, “Sam’yogo yogo ityuktah jiiva’tma’ Parama’tmanah”, that is, Yoga aims at complete unification of Jiiva’tma’ with Parama’tma’. Even after suspension of the mental propensities, one may or may not attain Sama’dhi. When mind gains complete identity (Sva’ru’pya) of its object, it is called Sama’dhi. When mind gains identity of physical objects (Jad’a), that will be a case of Jad’a Sama’dhi. What may be the effect of meditation on a physical object ‑ an image of a wooden deity? This will lead to one’s attaining Jad’a Sama’dhi because the mental object is external physicality.

When mind meditates on abstract ideas (Bha’va’tmaka Vastu) and attains Sama’dhi, that is called Abstract Samadhi. Then the A’tma’ is Shtu’la (crude Stage). If it becomes abstract, and when it becomes still more crude, that is called Jad’a (matter). Abstract Samadhi means Bha’‑va’tmaka Sama’dhi. This is of two types ‑ 1. Purely mental. Here in this case, one meditates on a mental object. Suppose, you have made a picture of a football in your mind. One portion of your mind is visualizing that picture. Here both the visualizer and the visualized are mental ‑ subjective mind and objective mind.

In this case, when the subjective mind gains complete identity of the object, it will be a case of pure Ma’nasa Sama’dhi. Again, suppose, there is a football outside your mind, you are thinking of your mind and seeing it through the media of the Ru’pa Tanma’tras. While you attain Sama’dhi seeing it, that will be a case of Jad’a Sama’dhi. This Sama’dhi is also of two categories ‑ 1. By thinking of a material object, 2. By closing the gateway of the sense‑organs. Ma’nasa Sama’dhi or Bha’va Sama’dhi is also of two categories ‑ 1. By creating a mental object and 2. By meditating on those sense‑organs which are receiving incoming Tanma’tras.

When the Sama’dhi is on physical objects, it is called Jad’a Sama’dhi, but when it is on the Indriyas, it is not Jad’a Sama’dhi, that is a mental Sama’dhi, because Indriya is nothing but an expression of mind. Suppose, there is a duster, you can think of this object because of its Ru’pa Tanma’tra. As a result of constant seeing of the object, when the seeing‑mind gains complete identity of the object, it is a case of Ja’da Sama’dhi (No.1). When an Indriya is forcibly suppressed, that is also a case of Jad’a Sama’dhi (No.2), Nirodha does not mean suspension, it is suppression. When you create a mental football or a mental duster with the help of one portion of your mind and another portion of your mind sees it. The one who sees, attains a kind of Sama’dhi which is Pure Mental (No. 1). Suppose, there is a football outside. Your eyes are seeing that football. Instead of meditating on that football you are meditating on the seeing Indriya.

Here Indriya does not mean the gate‑way of the physical sense‑organ, it is actually located in the brain‑cells. This eye is an agent of the mind. When you meditate on this Caks’u Indriya, a faculty of mind, one portion of the mind sees and another portion is getting slowly converted into Caks’u Indriya. Then the entire mind becomes suspended and converted into the Caks’u Indriya. It is also a case of Bha’va Sama’dhi (Bha’va Sama’dhi No.2). This is internal, not at all external, but it is not Pure Mental either. Some are inclined to treat it as Jad’a Sama’dhi, not as a Bha’va Sama’dhi. Possibly, they are not wholly incorrect.

Spiritual Sama’dhi is only of one type. And that is to be attained through Pran’idha’na and Anudhya’na. Mind being suspended in its object (Spiritual), one attains Sama’dhi. Therefore, Sama’dhi is mainly of 5 types ‑ 2 types of Jad’a Sama’dhi, 2 types of Mental Sama’dhi and Spiritual Sama’dhi.  A’nanda Ma’rga recognizes only one ‑ Spiritual Sama’dhi.