The difference between "spontaneous samadhi" and "spacing out" is that nothing is accomplished by spacing out except escape. It is a little like being dead. Caused by actions leading to a big dosha imbalance.
Spontaneous samadhi (is there really unspontaneous samadhi?)is real, grounded, effective and useful. There is no limitation on action while in samadhi, whereas it is downright dangerous to drive a car for example while spacing out. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > It may well be that many "great Indian saints" who were said to go into > "spontaneous samadhi" were just "spacing out." We know how Indians are > and they'll make such overblown observations. Brigante said a while > back that on his TTC that Maharishi said "Indians were like Americans on > drugs." I think, unless they have been exposed and have had to adapt to > western culture (such as Indians who attend universities her to get > advanced degrees) they often have the emotional maturity of an 11 year > old. But that also suggests a vata disposition. > > Meditation of any kind, as ayurveda states, usually increases the ether > element. It is to help you rise about the muddy earth element. But > what if you are already a "space case." I would lay the spaciness more > to bad vegetarian diet or having such a diet if it is inappropriate for > your constitution. Remember that many Indian yogis use ashwaganda and > brahmi in conjunction with their practice which helps tone the nervous > system and ground out. Yogis know the importance of grounding out > whereas too many western meditators just want to fly away like a leaf. > How many TM'ers you know need "lots of rest" indeed up to 10 to 12 hours > of sleep? Whereas I see progress if I only need 4 to 6 hours of sleep. > I also wonder if westerners because of their dispositions accomplish > just as much in a fraction of the time meditating that an Indian does? > > BTW, of that list I'm sure you'll find a lot of aging boomers who have > never meditated relating to those symptoms. Maybe it's the fluoride in > the water? They're known as "senior moments" and sometimes by balancing > the doshas they start to go away. >