Workshop on Samadhi

Workshop on Samadhi’s
(Do Dhyana before you begin the workshop)
When people arrive for the workshop have them sit in a circle. If there is a large group you may want them to sit in two or more concentric circles with everyone facing the middle. Make sure that you leave enough space in the center of the circle for Baba to be able to sit there. Please, no pictures.
It is important to create the atmosphere that the people attending this workshop may indeed experience Samadhi. So the following passage from Guide to Human Conduct may be read at the start.
You may want to prepare the room making sure that if anyone falls over during their experience they may not hurt themselves falling against chairs or tables.
PLEASE NOTE: Creating the atmosphere before beginning is important. However you are not giving people Samadhi, you are simply creating the sentient environment through your explanation of the various samadhi’s and the inherent vibration of Baba Nam Kevalam that allows Baba to do His work. Samadhi is Baba’s grace.

“When the mental flow of a spiritual aspirant moves along the introversial phase of Macrocosmic meditation, one’s animative force, having the potentiality of divinity itself, rises above all tendencies – all sam?ska?ras – and proceeds towards Eternal bliss. In this state the mind is vibrated with Cosmic feeling. The unexpressed divine qualities of the higher glands find expression and the resonance of the mind vibrates the nervous system. This gives rise to pious expressions in the physical body. In the case of those people whose occult feelings are not physically expressed due to causes associated with the nerves, the mental vibrations cause certain radical changes, in the various glands within the body. These occult feelings are basically of eight types: stambha (astounding), kampa (trembling), sveda (sweating), svarabheda (hoarseness of voice), ashru (tears), roma?in?ca (horripilation), vaevarn?a (change of colour) and pralaya (fainting fit). There are other feelings associated with these major feelings. For examples, nrtya (dancing), giita (singing), vilun?t?hana (rolling), kroshana (weeping), hum?ka?ra (roaring), la?la?sra?va (salivating), jrmbhan?a (yawning), loka?peks?a? tya?ga (indifference), at?t?aha?sya (bursting into laughter), ghu?rn?ana (whirling), hikka? (hiccoughing), tanumot?ana (relaxation of the physical body) and diirghashva?sa (deep breathing).” (Taken from A Guide to Human Conduct, Iishvara Pranidhana)

(It is assumed that the people attending have knowledge of the cakras. If they do not, it may be important to explain their location at least.)

Next it is important to introduce the concept of Kula Kundalinii, the energy lying dormant at the base of the spine in Muladhara cakra. Kula is the location of the Kundalinii. Kula is the bone two fingers above the anus where the muladhara cakra is located. It is where the Kudalinii sleeps.
When mystics wanted to communicate the concept of Kundalinii, they used a metaphor from an experience that a vast majority of Asians have experienced. They used people’s experience of the snake charmer. Snake charmers travel from village to village carrying baskets with poisonous snakes in them, usually cobras. As they enter a particular village, they will play a simple tune on a flute that identifies them as a snake charmer. When people hear this tune, they know that the snake charmer has entered their village and that a show is going to take place.
The snake charmer will go to a central place in the village, place his baskets on the ground and open them for all the people to see the snakes. As he plays his flute people will throw coins on the cloth in front of the snake charmer. Then the snake charmer will sit on the ground near the baskets. He will hit the snake on the head to wake it up. The snake guided by instinct raises itself up opening its beautiful hood ready to strike to protect itself from the attack. Immediately the snake charmer will point the end of the flute toward the snakes head and play his tune moving the flute in the pattern of a figure 8. As the flute moves back and forth, up and down, the snake will follow the movement of the flute anticipating another attack. The snake is only concerned about protecting itself. The snake charmer simply plays his flute and moves the flute in a figure 8. The people in the crowd watch in fascination thinking that the snake is dancing to the music and clap their hands at the amazing show.
Taking this common experience as a metaphor the yogi’s, spiritual mystics, say that the kundalinii is like a snake sleeping at the base of the spine. When an individual learns his or her personal mantra, the mantra awakens the kundalinii. This awakening is called mantra ghat in samskrta. By the proper ideation of the mantra, that is, when you properly pronounce the mantra and when you think of the Divine in your own way and hold your own personal devotional relationship with the Supreme, the kundalinii moves up the spine crossing each cakra, the kundalinii dances. As the kundalinii crosses each cakra, 6 kinds of Samadhi are experienced. This is what we will focus on today in this workshop. And by the grace of Paramapurusa, you will experience it today.

However before we begin it is important that we understand how to use a mantra. We will now sing Baba Nam Kevalam. As we sing I ask you to please observe how the mantra moves in your body, where it goes and what physical sensations you experience. The first characteristic of mantra is that it is acoustic, that is sound is physical.

Select a particular kiirtan tune that is not complicated and easy for everyone to sing for the next three to five minutes.

Now I would like you to sing again. This time, as you sing, I would like you to hold in your mind your own personal idea of Divinity in whatever way you do that, visually or energetically. The concept of Divinity is unique to each individual and changes over time. It is important to let give your mind the freedom to experience a power greater than yourself as it occurs rather than as an imposition.

Now sing the same kiirtan tune again for three to five minutes.

Everyone has his or her own unique way of emotionally connecting with Divinity. I would like you to bring in your mind this emotional connection you have with the power greater than yourself as we sing for the third time. All emotions are valid and you are free to relate to Divinity in the way you feel now.

When we learn our individual meditation technique and personal mantra, that personal mantra awakens the kundalinii. I would like you to focus your mind in the first cakra, muladhara cakra. As you focus your mind in this cakra we will sing Baba Nam Kevalam to allow the mantra to awaken the kundalinii.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants the energy of the awakening kundalinii and sing for the next three to five minutes.

By further concentration, the kundalinii rises from the first cakra to the second cakra, svadhisthana cakra. The second cakra is located relative to the sexual glands within the spinal chord. In the second cakra, the devotee, the spiritual aspirant, experiences the presence of Divinity. Wherever you are, the Supreme, the Divine Presence is with you. Focus your mind within the second cakra and sing Baba Nam Kevalam. This time let us bring the presence of Divinity here with us now in this room.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants the presence of Divinity and sing for the next three to five minutes.

The Divinity is here with us and His being here with us gives us the opportunity to be even closer, more intimate, to become close friends. As friends I can share my most intimate thoughts, thoughts that I may rarely share with others, share without inferiority or superiority complexes. We enjoy our deep friendship together. Focus you mind in the third cakra, the maniipura cakra, and bring that feeling of deep friendship in your mind as we sing the mantra again.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants a deep friendship with Divinity without complexes and sing for the next three to five minutes.

The next cakra is the heart cakra, anahata cakra, in the spinal chord in relation to the center of the chest. When the kundalinii reaches this center, the devotee feels the embrace of Divinity. It is similar to the embrace of two lovers, like Shiva and Shakti, in Divine Love. No words are spoken. There is no need to do anything or be anything. They simply are together and they love each other.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants Divine Love between the Divinity and His devotee and sing for the next three to five minutes.

The longing, the yearning is more intense. There is a desire for the two to become one. In their relationship they are so like each other; they are almost twins. The devotee is like the Lord and the Lord is like the devotee. We enjoy a kind of twinship with the Divine. There is just a subtle difference between you two, something separates you. Bring your mind to the throat cakra, the vishuddha cakra, and feel that you and Divinity are twins as we sing again.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants their twinship with Divinity and sing for the next three to five minutes.

The kundalinii rises still further to the sixth cakra in relation to the point between the eyebrows to the center of the brain, the Ajina cakra. In this experience the universe is my body, my mind thinks and it manifests, the universe is my thought projection. I am the Supreme Nucleus. I am the One. I am the Supreme Consciousness. Keeping your mind fixed in the center of your brain sing the next kiirtan.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants the feeling of being the Divine Nucleus of the universe and sing for the next three to five minutes.

It is you and you alone. You are everything. You have the sense of being, the sense of “I”. Still there seems to be something beyond, something pulling you beyond your state of “I-ness”. I you took a step, or moved slightly forward, you might lose your “Self” in the state of Pure Consciousness. If you took a step back, you would be engaged in your creation. How do you go beyond your “Self” since you are everything? Nothing else exists except you. Suddenly you feel a force pulling you. You surrender, you let go. As you are pulled in by that inexplicable force you lose your “Self”. Focusing in the seventh cakra, at the crown of the head, sing Baba Nam Kevalam.

Select another kiirtan tune which may represent to the participants surrender and sing for the next three to five minutes.

Let the participants meditate for five to ten minutes and end the meditation with the following words:

Nityam? (Eternal) shuddham? (Pure) nira?bha?sam? (Indescribeable) nira?ka?ram? (Without Form) nirain?janam (Without Color);
Nityabodham? (All Knowing) cid (Consciousness) a?nandam? (Bliss) Guru (Supreme Companion from Muladhara to Sahasrara Cakras) Brahma (Vast, Immeasurable and can make you vast, immeasurable) nama?myaham (to that Divine Guru, I pay my respect).

(Savor this experience, if you want to talk about it, consult you’re A’carya.)

The participants may want to do Guru Puja. It is probably best to leave the room silently.

Acarya Pranakrsnananda Avadhuta