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According to Patanjali, there are two ways in which the state of Undistinguished, or Asamprajnata Samadhi (marked by being completely void of mental modifications), can occur.
First, one has to reach Samprajnata Samadhi via one of the two methods mentioned below, before then “putting it aside” (Nirodha) to graduate to Asamprajnata Samadhi (that, when completed all the way, eventually, and naturally, leads to Liberation).
One pathway is by reaching this state of consciousness (and being clear/purified/surrendered enough to effectively integrate and process it) via “celestial/cosmic” connection that makes one’s mind and being brand new/”rebirthed,” (for the “last time”) into full Self-awareness (which can also be called, physiologically and psychologically, an “out-of-body” or a “mystical” experience), and the other way is by applying
“faith, vigor, memory, contemplation and/or by discernment.”
–The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
A life devoted to faith can lead to deep spiritual fulfillment and confidence, a life devoted to vigor can lead to heightened perseverance, resilience, and courage, a life devoted to memory/learning can lead to great insight and wisdom, a life devoted to contemplation can lead to inner-peace and deep satisfaction/fulfillment, and a life devoted to discernment (between what is Real/unreal, Absolute/relative or fleeting, etc.), or that employs discernment along with any other quality recommended above for devotion (or all for best results), is one that can lead to clear Self-awareness and higher connection as well.
IMPORTANT NOTE! And the outcomes provided above are just some of the possible rewards of a life devoted to these practical qualities. I am sure that you can think of many additional rewards for living a lifestyle marked by faith, vigor, learning, contemplation, and discernment as well. *Try This Now*
Each quality listed above can be focused on singularly or, as mentioned before, employed together within one person’s lifetime/life in order to lead to greater understanding that brings higher awareness, transcendence of attachments/delusions within Maya, and tranquility of the mind and being.
The fact that these two pathways to Undistinguished Samadhi (connected to as many infinite personalized lifestyle routes–but with clear lifestyle qualities–and individual lifepaths as there are individual beings in this world) complement each other reminds us that the aim to “understand…handle…and then rise above” the mind and its distorted nature (according to the recommendation of Swami Satchidananda), discussed in Sutra 18, is really about one thing.
The aim to “understand…handle…and then rise above” the mind and its distorted nature, is about seeing (through neutral observation and deep reflective study) the full nature of the body-mind-ego, so that you can then use its full capacities and capabilities to manage and regulate your impulses, attachments, and thoughts (Sutra 15), in order to then elevate your mind, and yourself, out of the perpetual cycle of “death and rebirth” of your false/worldly-expression that causes suffering that is reinforced through attachments and delusions (along with their consequences/outcomes) that stray away from your divine essence in the world.
IMPORTANT STUDY TIP! I invite you to remember that the phenomena that you are rising above can be summed up in the principles presented in the 4 Noble Truths).
Your goal, therefore, can be significantly simplified as “being single-focused on creating peace at all times,” always starting first with yourself.
What, therefore, are you doing today (right now), to come to greater peace within and all around you, beautiful one?
Are you practicing the necessary things to be in or come to Union at all times, without pause, so that you can develop the necessary thought and behavioral patterns to simply rest in your full Nature as divine?
Investigating multi-dimensional holistic wellness as an inter-disciplinary artist and Yoga-Meditation writer, thinker, and practitioner. Doing experientially-based self-agency work grounded in research, reflection, and practice.