/The state of Samadhi is said to be a fourth kind of consciousness:
beyond the states of waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. Those who
have experienced it report that it was like falling into a kind of
trance-induction state. According to what I've read, Samadhi has two
stages:/
* Samprajana samadhi - enstasis where there is still object-consciousness.
* Nirvikalpasamadhi - where there is no longer any
object-consciousness.
The Purport:
The purpose of yoga is to stabilize bodily functions and then transcend
to total isolation of mental fluctuations, where the Self is not hidden
by external conditions of the body or the mind (citta). The point to be
noted about yoga is that its goal is the state where the Self remains
solely in and as itself, without being hidden by external conditioning
factors imposed by the mind (citta), according to Comans.
In his sub-commentary on Vyasa's Vivarana on Yoga Sutras, Shankara
states that "...the three means [of yoga] can by themselves remove the
taints and bring about samadhi."/
/
The Comments:/
//
//All the Indian Acharyas, except Charvaka, agree that the Ultimate
Reality is transcendental to the relative world of maya - appearance.
The Acharyas Shakya the Muni, Veda Vyasa, Badarayana, Patanjali,
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka, and Vallabhacharya all agree with
this. According to Swami Bhaktivedanta Saraswati, there is a spiritual
sky or field that is transcendental to////the mundane world of name and
form. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also agrees with this. //
//
//Shankara advocated the three means of yoga: tapas, self-study, and
action, in order to overcome Avidya, Ignorance. Tapas is the ability of
the mind to remain in mental equipoise under stress. Self-study is
meditation and reflecting and contemplating the truths of the
Upanishads, namely the Mandukya Upanishad and Gaudapada's Karika
thereon, and the four//
//great dicta. Devotion to Ishvara is meditation on one's disksha-bija
mantra, which alone will provide the occasion for Self reflection -
unity consciousness.//
Mediation simply provides the ideal opportunity for the transcending.//
/
Works Cited:
'The question of the importance of Samadhi in modern and classical
Advaita Vedanta'
by Michael Comans
http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/comans.htm
Leggett, Trevor. _Sankara on the Yoga Sutras_ Vo. 2 Means. The Vivarana
sub-commentary to Vyasa-bhasya on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:
Sadhana-pada. London, 1983, Routledge & Kegan Paul.
