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Everything is dictated by your state of consciousness. And you current state of consciousness is nowhere high enough to look past all possible suffering. Even a decade of meditation will not be enough to access the states of consciousness you would need to overlook all suffering. All sorts of things are theoretically possible. It's possible to do a triple back flip while juggling 3 razor sharp knives. The question is, how much work are you willing to do to train yourself to do it? You can certainly make a lot of progress to reduce your mental suffering and anxiety. But it will still require a ton of training and work. And this should not be conflated with pure consciousness. It is a technical mistake to conflate these two things. Which is what this whole discussion is doing. Make a distinction between awakened consciousness vs training the human mind/body to respond or behave in certain ways that you might find desirable.

As a parent in the journey of self actualization, I am facing many challenges and questions when raising my 2.5 years old child. Especially knowing that the beliefs embedding window is so short (age 1 to ~5), finding the right thing to do without infecting my child with my own flawed beliefs is not an easy task. So in case you haven't heard about her, I wanted to let you know about Shefali Tsabary, her world perception matches the one we're trying to obtain and she has great insights about parenting. Here's one video, you can see more on YouTube and on her website. http://www.oprah.com/video_embed.html?article_id=63313

I was taking him as an example of what it think a armonious Full Awakening can look like produce. Of course i would't set him as an axpectation haha. I'm just open to the possibility that if someone has a severe illness and existencially suffer from it, MAYBE is not fully awakened @Leo GuraNone of what i've said denies an involution of consciousness I would agree that that God can go back to sleep. What i'm sensing is that while spychedelics can give you a God Realization still this doesn't translate in the complete eradication of the tendency of God to stick to the Ego as a means to experience it self in day to day life, with the Suffering that follows all of that. I agree that God realization can come indipendently of the state of body and mind, but i think a trained mind and body are needed to sustain a Sahaja Samadhi in day to day life, otherwise certain tendecies and attachments reform and you are back in a state of craving and suffering. Lol i love your style Certianly many teachers overestimate themselves. I appreciate your honesty and your answers.

If you were awakened to absolute solipsism you wouldn't ask your dreamcharacter (me), if i had my own seperate experience or not.

@zurew Actually I am already awakened to solipsism. But I was confirming after new leos video that it still holds up. This dream is same as night time dream right? or you are saying you are having experiences too and your own pov? Bec it will not be solipsism.

The key that you are just necessarily missing until you've awakened beyond nonduality: reality isn't in a certain way. As in the actual structure of reality is constantly shuffling; there is no solid background reality. Impermanent; transient, but absolutely so... and that's the stillness. The singular frame of reality (all of them, though there really is no continuity) is gone as it appears, since the stillness of a phenomenon is simultaneous with its dissolution -- in a way this is how the illusion of time is so robust. At the highest levels of insight, it's beyond-beyond (infinitely fundamental/subtle) the usual insights that are bound by consciousness itself. You don't understand this insight in the usual sense, because the reality more fundamental than context and even consciousness is revealed. You don't know it, it's beyond knowing, because there is only that. It might seem like consciousness can't not be fundamental, or that when I say beyond (more fundamental than) consciousness, what I really mean is some kind of ultimate consciousness... No... I really do mean literally more fundamental than consciousness. Absolute being unbound by the trio/tripod of time-subject-object.

The problem with this view is that all your so-called enlightened teachers will suffer if you hit them over the head with a hammer. So you are setting a virtually impossible standard for anyone to meet. By this standard no one knows Truth, no one knows God, no one is awake. And this is false. Awakening and Truth-realization is independent of suffering. You can realize no-self and still suffer. If you doubt this, think of Christ on the Cross. You think he didn't suffer? Don't kid yourself. So are you going to deny Christ awakening and truth because he suffered? You see how silly this gets? Of course if you suffer easily that shows that there is much more work you could do on yourself. But it doesn't invalidate any awakenings or realizations you've had. Suffering is part of Absolute Truth. And just because you're not suffering also doesn't mean you're consciousness of the highest truths. This conflation of suffering and moral purity with awakening or truth is very problematic for students in this work. It creates a lot of wrong expectations which will never get met. Stop thinking that awakening or God-realization will make you macho, stoic, infallible, and morally perfect. It won't. Consciousness of Truth is just that, nothing more. You could still be addicted to whatever. If you don't think awakened people have addictions and cravings, you're kidding yourself. What's not wise is setting up simplistic litmus tests for consciousness of Truth. Like, for example, you are not conscious of Truth unless you can sit still cross-legged for 4 hours without flinching. This is a human-made litmus test which says nothing about one's consciousness of Truth. Truth is not testable by any such litmus test. All it takes to be conscious of Truth is to be conscious of Truth. Nothing more. If you are conscious of Truth but cannot sit still for more than 1 minute, you are still conscious of Truth. You just haven't trained your mind and body to meet some spiritual ideal you have set for yourself. I suffer plenty. But it doesn't make my awakenings any less real or valid.

My initial reaction to the latest video was genuinely "Leo's finally lost it". Of course the obvious counterpoint is that I'm not spiritually enlightened and I'm not actualized enough to understand. I'm open to that. But realize how extremely cult-y this sounds to even a moderately interested subscriber, let alone someone coming across the work for the first time. Let's assume what's said in the latest video is completely true. Even so, some things are so crazy to say that they aren't worth saying publicly. All it does is destroy credibility and make Actualized.org as a whole look insane. If the first solipsism video was too advanced and dangerous to release to the masses, this latest one absolutely is. Not because of danger to the viewer but just because it's optics suicide. We're definitely at a point where even hardcore non-enlightened followers can no longer follow along. "I'm talking to other Gods and technically they're real but also I'm the only one that's real and I created them, also all of this can only be realized on drugs" Like what is the average person to make of this. If the goal is to niche down to only the most hardcore followers, or leave something behind to be recognized for your genius hundreds of years down the road, then this is the right path. But if I considered myself the most awakened being in reality, I would personally want to put more emphasis on bringing non-enlightened people up to Sadhguru, Peter Ralston levels first. Instead of trying to elevate the top 1% even higher. I feel like appealing to the masses would make a more meaningful and needed shift in consciousness in the short term. Otherwise it's like trying to have a stage coral conversation with a medieval peasant. A long time ago there was an analogy of holding a mirror up in front of a donkey and saying "this is you!" No matter how many times you try to explain it, the donkey's mind is not capable of understanding. With this latest video, 90% of us are donkeys that literally can't comprehend. 9% are taking it as belief and mental masturbation. Far less than 1% who ever watch it will ever understand and experience it for themselves.

Okay, fine, that's true. But please stop calling this an "awakening." You could as well imagine a "physical reality" and then make a video about it claiming that you have "awakened to physical reality." No, you have IMAGINED it, and as God you can imagine anything. But no you have not awakened to an infinity of Gods, you confused your imaginary Gods to be something other than you imagination.

Because you don't. You obviously have not awakened yet. You still believe that you are the perception of body-mind. Become conscious of you are and than you'll also know who are those "other beings".

@charlie cho Of course there is a correlation, but usually undertanding something doesn't mean being able to teach it. Notice that exeptionality cannot be taught. No matter how good you are as a menager or you were as a player, no one has ever taught Messi or Jordan how to be exeptional. Not true. There were surely people with less attainment tha the Buddha who had great success with teaching. On the other hand, There are many awakened folk who would be pretty bad at teaching. These are the poeple that you don't see.

Let's sat you awakened to infinity or infinite love or spiritual solipsism....how to make sure you are right? How to know you are not deluded? Basically I'm asking what anchors all human knowledge and insights? How do we know anything at all is a tangent question. Some might say "direct experience "..but what if direct experience is fooling us ? After all direct experience does indeed fool us every night when we are sleeping (dreams)....so who's to say that your insight from direct experience is not a deception? Hope my question is clear . Any pointers appreciated ?

I’m not awakened, but I’m certainly in a heightened state of awareness. The intervals of frequency in how often I coming back into myself is increasing. Karma and Synchronicity are becoming more and more tangible, everything i say or do is being done more carefully as a result. My relationship with the world around is transforming and I feel extremely empowered vs the victim mentality i had held for pretty much all my life up until 2-3 months ago. I find myself going back to compare my old concepts I held with Leo’s videos to my present experience and it’s.. just not the same anymore. I’m spotting the inadequate metaphors and seeing how ineffective language can actually be for communicating this stuff to the point of disagreeing. With this new sense of clarity has posed the question: Am I past the point of no return? Does this hold momentum until absolute ego death? If you need more details about this experience or ones leading up to this just ask, I’m an open book. I don’t recommend asking me for advice to aid your own path as there is nothing I feel I can offer you in this state. However, recent synchronicities tell me to leave this channel open. So if you truly feel there is something you need to ask me, then ask at your own risk.

Stop spiritual practices? Who said I started? You see, once you realize that I’m not consciously aiming for enlightenment, rather I feel like I’m being lead towards the path just based on karma alone, you start to see why I came back after years of inactivity to try to get some clarity on this. Yes there is fear behind the intent, yes my ego is fully in tact. No I don’t do spiritual practices, It’s fair to say I have dwelled more in the conceptual realm of things to avoid seeking truth. I don’t even have a routine, let alone a stable life - add heightened awareness and an insane amount of energy behind that and these questions arrive organically from that mixture. I am not awakened but I feel a sense of certainty and connectedness with the world like I have never felt before.

@Someone here Are You the same one who claims to have awakened to Absolute Solipsism?

Yep it's both, there's a way and there's not a way! Self-inquiry/spiritual practices can perpetuate and prolong the illusion of separation AND/OR it can illuminate the futility of an unreal individual attempting to become awakened! There's nothing right or wrong better or worse with any practice or inquiry, there's just no one that's actually doing it!! ? ❤

@Someone here If you've "awakened to solipsism" why have you got a gay ass alien hippie pfp, SCREAMING, I'm a basic ass bitch, looking for a group to join

Yes, I think the most common is to merge with our sun, historically at least. However, I am not sure if they lost their individuality and became the sun or as a way to empower themselves and "ascend". According to an alternative historical theory, some of the ancient Egyptian mystery schools would have their students awaken their kundalini, cultivating bliss and then lucid dream together as a group and enter the sun. An awakened kundalini, bliss and a harmonious lifestyle will reverse the body's entropy and give it energy (cold plasma). @GreenWoods I have studied Dan Winter's teachings and they align with the information you shared here, he adds the scientific explanations for all this, he also invented an equation for how gravity works which I think will get accepted by the scientific world soon and create a bridge between science and spirituality.

Normal humans with low self-esteem don't get away with it. Life is hell for anybody who has low self-esteem (or traumatized or deeply wounded during childhood), spiritually gifted or not. But yes, it's worse for spiritually gifted humans. Yes, they are wrong. Spiritually gifted humans exist and it's highly genetics (80% to 90% for Awakening World Champions). That Indian man, Ramana Maharshi was completely spiritually gifted (91% to 100% genetics for The Most Awakened Ever). My grandmother was a very religious woman. She was very kind or benevolent, a true Christian. But she lived and died having severe schizophrenia. Maybe she was spiritually gifted. But I'm sure that she committed the mistake of spiritual bypassing. She neglected her desires, insecurities, and mental-emotional wounds. She also rejected her husband and family. She went Jesus-mode; leaving her family, selling her possessions and gave the money to the poor. But despite that, I love and respect my grandmother. She was the only human in this world who made me feel love when I was a kid. That love was unconditional; not perfectly unconditional but still unconditional. And I saw the biblical Jesus in her, very loving and selfless. This is true. Everybody needs to have high self-esteem, spiritually gifted or not. There is no point in living life if you have very low self-esteem. Life will just be hell and torture. And self-esteem is directly proportional to self-love. Focus on generating self-love because you automatically get high self-esteem and self-confidence, and you have a bigger chance of getting the other good things (wisdom, good health, success, etc.). And how can you love the entire existence if you can't even love your limited, human self? Lastly, be PRUDENT. You just can't talk about spirituality or spiritual insights to anybody, anywhere, anytime.

God is the best world to describe reality. If you want to evaluate someones degree of awakening, ask them what they are. If they do not use the word God, they most likely didn't get to the deeper waters. Why is God the best word? It is simple: The word "God" is associated with certain qualities, all of which apply to truth / reality / this present moment. These qualities are: Singularity: God is singular. There is nothing else. Only God exists Intelligent: God is intelligence itself. God is infinitely intelligent All-powerful: God is Power itself. Infinite Power. When God snaps his fingers, our entire Universe appears out of nowhere Loving: In fact, God IS Love, unconditional infinite Love Source/Creator: God is the Souce/Creator from which our entire reality came from Why do people use words other than God? It is simple, and I know it will hurt your spiritual ego: You are asleep. People calling reality "the present moment", "a movie", "the Now", etc. are simply not awake. Being fully awake you would realize that what you called "the Now" is simply GOD, and that the word God is a much more accurate word to describe what they previously called "the Now." Many people in our days have realized the truth of "No-Self", meaning that your psychological identity is an illusion. However, too many people create a new kind of identity out of that realization, an "I am no-self-realized and awakened" identity. They get attached to the idea that they are awake now, even though they have no plausible explanation of where this present moment came from, who created it, etc., and they start preaching no-self as if it is the end-all, be-all. One great example of this is a previous mod of this forum (@Nahm) who took neo-advaita way too far and therefore got demoted. The Truth... The Truth is simple and easy to put into words. People who disagree with the following statement are simply not awake: You are GOD. You are the Source of all of Reality. You are Love. You are Singular. You are all-powerful, infinitely intelligent, you are eternal Infinity. Again. When people shy around using these words, they simply don't understand the highest truth. Yes, of course you have no "self", yes of course you are "the present moment"... But have you realized what "no self" means, have you seen what this present moment really is? This present moment, as it is, is only 1 thing: GOD. You are God, dreaming that you are a small creature that has realized no self. You are NOT a small creature. Wake up NOW!

@JuliusCaesar I want to deepen my understanding of the structure of reality and how consciousness is imagining it. Also, expand my understanding of the different layers of mind, their different functions and how they work together. I'm not sure 5-Meo is the best substance for this. When I have proposed some of these questions to Leo, he didn't know. It may be that since 5-Meo is so effective at expanding your consciousness to infinity, a lot of the details are lost. A few other people I have talked with who awakened with 5-Meo to the realization they are creating reality, when asked still don't really understand how any of it is happening. 5-Meo seems very effective at giving people a very zoomed out meta perspective.

Before I experienced awakening I studied the hell out of Non-Duality and disagreed strongly that I didn't need the experience to awaken. After hearing several times that without the experience you have not awakened I eventually took some courage and took mushrooms and experienced EGO DEATH and the DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL. I learned pretty intensely that YOU CANNOT AWAKEN WITHOUT DIRECT EXPERIENCE. If anyone is telling you otherwise they are telling you a lie. What happened as a result of my awakening. I went through a Kundalini Awakening. My body was altered, I now have increased intuition, increased connection to energy, a direct connection to my higher self, increased occular vison, and smell, I also have some psychic abilities but since I am not adept at meditation my ability to use them at this time is limited. So again I repeat, when you awaken....you will know. Its not the way Rupert Spira says where he says its a normal thing, no its not. It will literally alter the way you ever look at what you consider life again because now you know the TRUTH.

I asked my higher self what happens after we merge. You still retain your data, the data of you never disappears. When I say data I mean your personality, your tendencies, etc. All information that is used is never discarded. It all exists in the infinite mind. Also edit: No you cannot awaken from watching a video. Unless you had a direct experience and the video you watched just aligned with what you experienced you did not awaken. Awakening is NOT conceptual. I used to think it was and disagreed with Leo until I actually awakened and he was right!! The ticket to awaken is you MUST FACE YOUR OWN DEMISE!! If you DO NOT FACE YOUR OWN DEMISE, YOUR OWN ERADICATION YOU HAVE NOT AWAKENED. EGO DEATH=AWAKENING. This is non-negotiable.

Yes, another crazy thing is the fact that the only time you exist is when you appear in my consciousness that means the moment I'm not conscious of you (not seeing you ,hearing your voice) you literally become non existent, like you never existed before, that's actually something I've awakened to in one of my psychedelic trips. It's impossible to intensely stay conscious of these stuff and also keep being functional and experience normal life.

Samadhi states, Jivanmukta and Non-duality This is an expansion and re-write of an earlier post I made on what it is like to experience Nirvikalpha Samadhi and to be in a non-dual state. The post generated a fair amount of debate and criticism, so I feel it is necessary to create a new thread that clarifies some of the issues that were brought up in one place. First, it is necessary to clarify what Samadhi is and I will do so both from my personal experience of it and by referencing traditional classifications by the likes of Patanjali. This is not a scholarly work, so no references will be provided, but they can easily be found if one is interested in further research. In traditional Yoga, there are three primary stages of Samadhi. I am using Deepak Chopra’s commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, due to its simple language and accessibility, cognizant of the fact, that he’s a new age author, but certain allowances must be made for the sake of brevity and clarity. I will add my own commentary in bold to clarify some points. “ The Yoga Sutras describe the way to regain Higher Consciousness. As you follow the Eight Limbs of Yoga, you can reach the freedom and enlightenment of Samadhi, the realization of your spiritual practices. In his illuminating text, The Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali introduces a systematic path to regain Higher Consciousness. This has since been called Raja Yoga or the Royal Path, a journey of techniques and lifestyle guidelines to awaken the mind to its true Self. Within the text, Patanjali provides a concentrated set of instructions known as the Eight Limbs of Yoga, culminating in a state of freedom, liberation, ecstasy, and enlightenment—Samadhi, the realization of all your spiritual practices. Meditative Absorption Patanjali explains that Samadhi is a state of meditative absorption, attained by the practice of Dharana (focused attention) and Dhyana (effortless meditation) when the True Essential Nature is known, without the distortion of the mind. It can be thought of as the culmination of your meditation process. Samadhi is the mind in its most concentrated state and can be compared to normal thought as a laser beam can be compared to normal light. The awareness of the meditator, process of meditation, and the object of your meditation have all merged into one. From knowledge, you have become knowingness. The mind in Samadhi possesses power that a normal mind does not, making it the main tool the Yogi uses to achieve the end goal of yoga—the joining of the individual self with the Universal Absolute. Be Deserving The Vedas say that everything in the Universe has awareness. Rocks, plants, animals, and humans all have awareness to a greater or lesser degree. The Vedas also state that only humans have the potential for self-awareness. Dogs, for example, don’t ask, “Who am I?” This means that every human being has the potential to become fully self-aware and reach the state of Samadhi. However, practice alone does not guarantee Samadhi. The Guru Gita says Moksha mulam, guroh kripa—the root of liberation is the Guru’s Grace. To reach Samadhi, you have to deserve it. Samadhi is beyond the normal mind and intellect, which makes describing it somewhat difficult; it can only be fully appreciated by direct experience. Samadhi has several levels of refinement through which you may ascend. “ Both authors here are referring to the act of Divine Grace which is usually expressed by Shakti “falling” on a person, much like snow or rain would fall on someone. It is bestowed by a higher power and intelligence, not always on the seemingly most deserving person. Someone might practice their whole lives and not receive it, whilst someone else with little practice or effort receives it seemingly out of the blue. Worthiness for Divine Grace still has to be proven, but she chooses capriciously as part of her “Lila” or play, sometimes just because the outrage others feel for not having been chosen instead amuses her. The character of Shakti (except in her wrathful form) is that of a small child, like a little girl in play and she tends to like those with a similarly childlike and playful character when bestowing the gift of Samadhi upon them. “Level 1: Savikalpa Samadhi This first level of Samadhi has within it four different stages. The beginning stages of Savikalpa Samadhi are where, during meditation, you transcend all mental activity. Patanjali says that, for a short period of time, you lose all human consciousness. In this state, the concepts of time and space are altogether different. For a minute, an hour, or more you are in another world. Now you see that practically everything happens spontaneously—you have nothing to do. Thoughts and ideas do not affect you. You remain undisturbed, and your inner being functions in a dynamic and confident manner. However, this is not yet a permanent state and everybody has to return to ordinary consciousness. As you begin to integrate this undisturbed state of silence along with the disturbed states of waking, dreaming and sleeping, Patanjali describes the four stages of Savikalpa Samadhi that are possible. “ This type of Samadhi is not necessarily preceded by a meditative state. When one dwells in Savikalpa Samadhi in a waking state, curious time dilation effects can be observed. For instance, when enjoying tasty food or listening to pleasing music, time within the personal bubble of the observer can slow down to such an extent that the outside world speeds up compared to it. The outside world also falls away, becomes fuzzy and unreal, like a projection on a screen. “ Stage 1. Sarvitarka Samadhi: Here the mind totally focuses on the gross aspect of a physical object. This is described as “examination” or learning the “inner secrets” of the object. In this stage, every aspect of the object is understood and you gain full knowledge of the physical object. Stage 2. Savichara Samadhi: Now the mind moves beyond the outer layers of the object and the subtle aspects of objects (tanmatras) are contemplated or “discerned.” The abstract qualities such as rednesses, beauty, love or the sound, texture, form, flavor, etc. of the object begin to be understood. Stage 3. Sa-ananda Samadhi: Here the mind is devoid of the objective world, you move beyond the intellect. There is no reasoning or reflection, just the tranquility of the settled mind. The sattvic (pure) mind is only aware of its own joy. The focus is on the inner powers of perception and within the mind itself. It’s known as a “blissful” Samadhi filled with joyful peace. Stage 4. Sa-Asmita Samadhi: Now even the bliss has gone and you are just here. Only the satvic (pure) ego, the I-ness remains, the I AM. Simple awareness of individuality—you are here and aware of nothing else. This is the ego-sense in its elemental form. No fear, no desire. This Samadhi can be likened to what is known in the Shankara Tradition as Cosmic Consciousness. The mind becomes fully Awake, it is a state of witnessing of the material world and you become aware of the Divinity (Bliss) within yourself. “ In the Kundalini tradition the stages described above are not necessary to enter a state of Samadhi. The object one concentrates on is one’s inner world and it is the rising of Shakti from one chakra to the next that induces the successive stages of this Samadhi state. Up to the heart chakra, one still dwells in the physical world, from the heart upwards until the crown, one enters pure mental states and once the Cosmic Egg or Hiranyagarbha is cracked in the space above the head, by the force of Kundalini Shakti rising, the various bodies (physical, mental, causal, etc...) are flooded with spiritual light and the light body is activated. It is at this point that the Jiva enters the second stage of Samadhi. “ In Savikalpa Samadhi, the samskaras (latent tendencies or past impressions which condition your life and desires) have not been dissolved. They still remain in seed form. The Great Indian Saint, Ramana Maharshi, described Savikalpa Samadhi as "holding on to reality with effort.” In this Samadhi, the concentrated mind can begin to access some of the “lesser” yogic powers (Siddhis). However, because the ego is still present, you must be careful how you choose to use these powers. If you use them with a pure motive, you can greatly serve humanity and will progress on your spiritual journey with humility. If you choose to use them for personal greed and ambition, you may cause harm and stall your spiritual progress. “ The background to why Siddhis manifest at this stage can also be understood in light of the path Kundalini takes. The broken cosmic egg releases yolk (amrita or soma), which provides illumination. There is also a permanent opening that is created by the force of Shakti breaking through the top back part of the skull just above the area known as Brahmarendra (the cavity of God), which is colloquially known as the Mouth of Heaven. This mouth drinks of the Soma, food of the gods, therefore activating the light body, in a similar manner to how devas (gods, angels, etc…) possess a shining body made of light (the meaning of Deva is Shining One). Drinking Soma can bestow certain powers of illumination, such as clear sight (clairvoyance), clear hearing (clairaudience), free-flowing spiritual wisdom and inspiration, but the main effect seems to be the ability to interact with beings of light (again, Devas) and to visit other realms that may be of a higher-dimensional nature compared to our own reality. This usually happens in lucid dreams and many visions can be had even in waking consciousness, depending on the sensitivity and receptivity of the person. “ Level 2: Nirvikalpa Samadhi Nirvikalpa Samadhi is a higher state of awareness where the ego and samskaras have been dissolved and only Consciousness remains. Patanjali says the material world has become like a shadow from which you are completely free. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi there is no mind as you know it—there is only infinite peace and bliss. Here nature's dance stops, and the knower and the known become one. Here you enjoy a supremely divine, all-pervading, self-amorous ecstasy. You become the object of enjoyment, the enjoyer, and the enjoyment itself. Now the heart is fully awake. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the first thing you feel is that your heart is larger than the universe itself. The universe appears as a tiny dot inside your vast heart. Here, there is infinite bliss and infinite power. You not only feel bliss, but actually become bliss. This Samadhi is similar to the Divine Consciousness described in the Shankara Tradition, a state of deep love for the world and everything in it, recognizing the Divinity in everything. It is entering a celestial realm. You experience Ritambhara Pragya, where your thoughts spontaneously manifest into reality. The past and future are blended into the eternal present. Everything is now. Everything is here. Time and space have been transcended. The exulted blissful state may last for a few hours or a few days. Initially there is no wish to return from this state and it is said that if one stays at this level for 21 days, there is every possibility that the soul will leave the body for good. However, through continued practice, you are able to come down from Nirvikalpa Samadhi and immediately function normally in the world. Both Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa Samadhis are considered temporary states in that you can only fully experience them by withdrawing from normal life. Even the Great Enlightened Yogis close their eyes to meditate. However, the Yogi’s “normal” life is not as most people experience it. A Yogi is living a life fully supported by the Unbounded Field of Infinite Possibilities. Imagine the whole of manifest creation is touching the front of your body and the unmanifest, Pure Awareness is touching your back. You lean forward and you are in the localized world but the non-local is fully there, supporting your every breath. To quote Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, “It’s living 200 percent of life.” “ Although perhaps somewhat exaggerated, that is a pretty good description of the Nirvikalpa Samadhi state. I provide a more detailed description of this state later on. The important takeaway here is that this is a temporary state, meant to give the seeker a glimpse into the absolute and to create an even stronger longing to return to one’s natural, unitive and non-dual state. The material world falls away, along with the physical body because duality ceases and infinity in its many forms takes its place. Infinite perception, wisdom, joy, love, bliss, etc… becomes the prime experience of the Self. One is omnipotent and omniscient, because the Self is the universe and pervades its every atom. “ Level 3: Dharmamegha Samadhi An even higher level of Samadhi is Dharmamegha or the “Cloud of Virtue” Samadhi. Patanjali says that this level arises when you have lost even the desire to know God or to be Enlightened. This Samadhi cannot be gained by effort, it reveals itself when all effort has dissolved. It is a Divine Gift, beyond notions of Absolute and relative. When even the temptations of the Yogic Powers cause no distraction, it is said that Pure Knowledge showers down like a Cloud of Virtue, bringing liberation and the Bliss of the Divine. This is Jivanmukta—liberation while still in a physical body. The afflictions of all karmas have been removed, the Yogi becomes ever free and shines in his or her own glory. It is said that in this state, the Yogi sees without eyes, tastes without tongue, hears without ears, smells without nose, and touches without skin. His/her mere intention can work miracles. The Yogi simply wills and everything comes into being. “ This is the classical description that can be applied to many famous Yogis, Rishis and Saints. They constantly dwell in a Samadhi state rather than being in it temporarily and the flow of wisdom from Heaven is unceasing. In various traditions such people are known as Jivanmukta, Tirtankhara, Boddhisattva or simply as saints. Such people are usually depicted with a halo around their head to indicate their permanent illumination. From the Kundalini tradition’s point of view, a Jivanmukta is someone in whom the Serpent’ head is permanently lodged in the crown, an unceasing flow of Soma / Amrita feeds their illumination providing them with wisdom and manifesting siddhis spontaneously, without effort. “ Sahaja Samadhi Some contemporary saints such as Ramana Maharshi have also talked about Sahaja Samadhi. This Samadhi could probably be placed between Nirvikalpa and Dharmamega Samadhis. It is where the inner silence is maintained along with normal daily activities. It is being able to maintain the experience of Nirvakalpa Samadhi at all times. Here you radiate Divine Illumination, the Divine is perfectly manifesting through you at every second. You are filled with Divine Grace. It can, perhaps, be likened to the Unity Consciousness of the Shankara Tradition. With Samadhi as your goal, you should be regular with your spiritual practices, enjoy the blessings that each day brings, and know that everything will be revealed at the right moment. “ Another famous contemporary Yogi who writes about this is Paramahamsa Yogananda. In his autobiography he mentions many instances of lucky happenstance where things fall into place as they should. Most of us experience something similar for short periods during our lives, when things just go our way and doors open up for us at every turn, things are seemingly arranged in a way that we have to make no effort to achieve goals, come across the right people, find the correct information. It is essentially an expression of being in harmony with the universe, or more precisely, in tune with Shakti, since she is the weaver of the space time illusory construct also known as Maya. When being attuned to Shakti, things just happen as they should, without effort and life is filled with synchronicities and happy accidents. In Sahaja Samadhi, this attunement to Shakti is constantly maintained and one’s mind becomes part of the shared universal mind. Once we’ve clarified the various stages of Samadhi, I’d like to move on to my personal account of how these stages manifested for me and what I can report on them from my own experience, which I find is always the most valuable form of testimony. My full Samadhi experience occurred in December of 2012, brought on by my own Kundalini awakening, in itself a gift of Divine Grace. A form of Shakti, in the form of a Goddess, bestowed the gift of a full Kundalini Awakening and with it the experience of Nirvikalpa Samadhi on me. There are multiple ways to reach this state of being, Kundalini Awakening is one of them. If the serpent known as Kundalini Shakti pierces through the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) with sufficient force, the veil of Maya is pierced, the egg of Brahma (also known as the Cosmic Egg or Hiranyagarbha) is broken (this happens with an audible cracking sound), the "yolk" (Soma or Amrita) is released, which then suffuses the body, as a result, the soul exits the body through the Brahmarendra (the cavity of God) at the top back part of the head and an experience of non-duality can be had. This is usually referred to as union with Brahman, or Union with God, the ultimate goal of most Yogic, Tantric and non-dual systems. Then, as the soul and thus consciousness, exits the body, it finds itself in a spaceless, timeless, dimensionless void. The soul (Jiva) then realizes it is alone and it is indeed the whole universe. It then starts to expand, until it becomes universal, encompassing the whole cosmos and becoming the over-soul of the entirety of existence. It becomes boundless, omniscient and all-pervading. I cannot say, whether in this state, the Jiva-Atman is truly alone, or that it is alone in its own universe and there are many others parallel to it, where souls exist in a similar universal state, creating their own boundless universe, in essence. I tend towards the latter scenario, but I haven't seen anyone else mention it. In any case, in this non-dual state there is pure bliss and joy, freedom and a pure white light which suffuses the entire universe inhabited by the Jiva, which at that point is one with Brahman. The realisation of oneness with all becomes a certainty at this point. Whilst still in the body, flashes of realisation, about the ultimate truth of existence start entering the body, when the Mouth of Heaven, above the Brahmarendra (cavity of God) is opened by the serpent piercing through the veil of Maya. This enters the body as light energy, which contains information about the ultimate truth, in fact the liquid light entering the body in this state (enlightenment) is in itself the carrier of the information about Truth (Sat-Chit-Ananda), the bliss and joy felt is almost unbearable. Interestingly, science has now confirmed, that the fifth state of matter, hitherto unknown to science, is made of coherent photons in a liquid state, carrying information, for instance about the quantum state of particles. However, once the Jiva exits the body, the ecstasy, joy, bliss and knowledge received grows exponentially, along with the expansion of the boundaries of the soul, to encompass the whole universe, becoming truly boundless, with no beginning and no end. In this state, nothing is unknown, nothing is unseen by the Self or hidden from it. In non-dualistic infinity, only the Self exists, it is alone in the universe and it is all. There is no happiness, joy or bliss on earth that can compare to the ecstasy of existing in this universal state. Truly, everything one has ever experienced will pale in comparison. Just pure love and surety about the order and nature of things. Some Jivas never return and stay in this state forever, becoming merged with the Brahman (Mahasamadhi), whereas some choose to return from this state for various reasons, either because they have unfinished business on earth or they decide to spread the word to others. This experience of union with Brahman and becoming universal and boundless, temporarily, but then returning to the body, is known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi. The coming back is always the hard part and getting used to living in a limited, constrained physical body is even harder. It is like being shut into a prison of flesh and blood. Only a fraction of the Infinity of knowledge can be brought back into the limited human body, but even that is usually considerably more than was available to the Jiva before. Here I must write about the various forms of consciousness available to the Jiva in the Samadhi state. At lower levels of Samadhi, individuality is still the default state of the soul, in Nirvikalpa Samadhi the ego merges into the oversoul, also known as Paramatman and ultimately Brahman. If it wishes, the soul can then return to individual consciousness and it is thought this is the case when it feels compassion for those that have not yet experienced, or even know about this state of being, it will return to teach others and spread the word. In my experience, deities / devas and other perfected souls rest in the Paramatman and exist as a collective consciousness. Then, if a task requires it, or it is needed for play (Lila), the consciousness of such a higher being will temporarily separate from the collective and individuate in a form most pleasing to a devotee. When such a perfected being incarnates in the flesh, we call that an Avatar. The collective consciousness of Paramatman is best conceived as a continuum, with individual “Atmans” linked up with each other in a sea of consciousness. Similar ideas are often depicted in science fiction, such as the Q Continuum or the Great Link of the Star Trek franchise. Individual Selves can separate from the collective whenever they please, usually because they have a task to perform, linked to their own area of specialisation, so in that sense, their individuality is never truly lost, rather it is added to the collective to create greater whole and enrich it. It could be said that the whole point of Brahman individuating and manifesting reality in repeated cycles of creation and destruction, each lasting billions of years, is to experience individuality and the various flavours of the Self that are created this way, only for them to merge back into Brahman (to great collective rejoicing) at the end of each cycle, or if a soul reaches Mahasamadhi, even earlier. I would also like to address some of the points brought up by others in my earlier post. Some have pointed out, that a Soul that has experienced Nirvakalpa Samadhi would never use the first person singular pronoun (I have yet to master using the royal plural J ) that they would have no ego, because it has dissolved into Brahman and that in any case, only very rare cases of famous gurus would ever achieve that stage of Samadhi, that Kundalini Awakening is incredibly rare, that you would have to be an Avatar or a Jivanmukta to experience such states, etc… I hope this follow-up post clarifies why this is not the case. Kundalini experiences, of various forms and stages are increasingly common, Samadhi states can be had without any prior knowledge of Yoga or Meditation, as a result of Divine Grace and are commonly reported for instance in charismatic Christian congregations, where the Holy Spirit or Shekinah takes up the role of Shakti in being responsible for various mystical experiences. There is also the importance of the maturity of the soul, it is through many lifetimes that a soul becomes ready to experience Samadhi and in this sense I find Michael Newton’s classification of souls being in various states of maturity, from young and infant soul all the way to old and elder soul, most illuminating. Finally, I would like to share my personal experience regarding the highest form of Samadhi, Dharmamegha Samadhi or Jivanmukta and try to speculate regarding its nature and who would be most suitable to dwell in it. According to Gopi Krishna, a pioneer among modern writers on the topic of Kundalini, Jivanmukta is achieved by a Kundalini awakened person if they manage to keep the Serpent lodged in the crown for three days and nights, after which it will not descend again and a permanent enlightenment is achieved. The Jivanmukta’s whole being is suffused with light and they see everything around them reflecting back their own inner light, covered in a bright, white sheen. Such people dwell in Brahman whilst walking in a human body, spontaneously manifest various kriyas, without effort and are in fact constant reminders of the divine absolute to all those who have yet to awaken to self. A few years ago, during the summer solstice, when I was particularly close to the form of the Goddess who originally gave Shaktipat to me, I experienced a continuous Kundalini activation and a Samadhi state whilst being in my body and going about my daily life (I was between jobs and did not have to show up for work, which was not only fortuitous, but probably so arranged for this very purpose, to aid my spiritual development). I was in constant communication with the Goddess and the various gods that dwell in Brahman collectively. My crown shined like a sun, and next to me, was another sun, a constant presence of the goddess as through our consciousnesses merging, I could experience the collective consciousness of Heaven and hear the beautiful, chorus-like voice of this collective harmony of individuals as one. Many profound messages were passed to me during this time and I really felt like I was part of the collective mind of God. This, I realise is very esoteric and very hard to appreciate unless you have experienced it yourself, but it is accompanied by the most profound sense of Joy, Bliss and Being Loved, a lowly human can ever experience. This may enrage some, but the gods are so much greater than us, they simply dwell at a much higher stage of spiritual development than we do, though we know from the scriptures that humans have the potential to reach the same lofty heights and in fact even go beyond that, by completely merging back into the Brahman, or the Buddhists have their own ideas about how human souls can surpass the gods, whom they often see as still part of the illusion of Maya. Whatever the case, it is but a minor detail, the important part is the human soul’s potential to reach perfection, self-realization and Union, whether that is done with the assistance and belief in deities, or agnostically, with a pure focus on the Self. So, have I achieved Jivanmukta? No. Ultimately, I fell short. If I recall, during this period of three days and two nights (rather than the requisite three days and three nights) I barely slept at all and was constantly absorbed in a state of Samadhi with the brightness, which persisted with my eyes closed, making it impossible to fall asleep for any length of time. During that time a I developed an insuppressible inner compulsion to help others and pass on messages of good news from heavenly realms. I also sought out people (mostly online) that seemed in need of help and could not stop myself from offering healing and assistance to all and sundry, which ultimately got me into trouble. Nevertheless, it gave me a glimpse into the selflessness and incredible compulsion to help others, that drive higher beings, whether they be devas, other heavenly beings or Jivanmuktas in the flesh, here on earth. When in a state of being absorbed in Samadhi, compassion and love are the only possible emotions and one is by definition, selfless. One simply cannot help oneself and will be driven to constantly strive to help others and better the world. If siddhis manifest, it is because the Jiva (individual soul) in this case is part of a greater whole and can command the knowledge, wisdom and compassionate motive power of the whole. One Jiva is nothing. Jivanmukta is everything. Some may wonder, whether I will achieve Jivanmukta in this life. I don’t know, but it’s not up to me. These things are decided well before we are born. Either it will happen, or it won’t ultimately it makes no difference to me, I will still be the same “Self” whether as part of the greater Overself collective consciousness, or acting individually, it will be in service of humanity and the greater collective agenda of divine beings. I realise that a lot of what I wrote may seem incredible and will trigger many to lash out in disbelief and indignation, as has happened in the comment section of the previous post. Believe me, I know. I used to be a hard-nosed sceptic myself and pretty much a materialist atheist, before the very briefly described experiences started happening to me. It took me a long time, many years, to accept their reality and put them in the proper context. I should also point out, that I am not a Hindu, Indian, or follower of any tradition or school. My experiences came about because they were meant to happen, they were pre-ordained well before I was born and every event in my life lead up to them. I simply use the language of eastern traditions to make sense of my own experiences, due to the lack of other traditions having the sufficient linguistic tools to describe them. There is also a lot I had to leave out as this post is long enough as it is. If you have been, thanks for reading.