What are the enlightened states?
“The true crisis in our world is not social, political or economic. Our crisis is a crisis of consciousness… an inability to directly experience our true nature… an inability to recognize that nature in everyone and in all things.”
– Daniel Schmidt, director of “Samadhi” (2017)
The enlightened states are states of consciousness of a higher octave than the average person usually operates in.
There’s the waking state, dream state, deep dream state, and an additional state of being that really pushes the bounds of human consciousness – the enlightened, superconscious state, which includes both savikalpa and nirvikalpa samadhi.
It’s been described as a state of total ecstatic absorption, a sort of unification with the all-pervading conscious that exists within all sentient beings.
“Samadhi is an experience of such depth, such joy, such indifference and such love, that nothing else is really like it or worthwhile in comparison, yet it gives shape, color and meaning to everything.”
– Dr. Frederick Lenz, Rama
Why is it a worthwhile goal to try to reach these states?
Because of the cyclic nature of existence. Because of the universal law of cause and effect. Because the striving for self improvement leads to spiritual liberation from the karmic wheel of samsara that we are all bound to for millenia when efforts to do better are not made.
“You’re composed of an aggregate of different forms and energies, the samskaras. These are lines within your own being. When you go into samadhi, these lines dissolve gradually so you become less formed.”
– Samvara
The states of consciousness we experience in day-to-day life won’t just elevate on their own. It takes a practice of deep introspective meditation and mindfulness to start making shifts to the higher waking states.
In addition to the growing body of scientific evidence documenting the numerous health and well-being benefits of daily meditation, the gradual, day-to-day repeated dissolution of the momentum of the ego has profound, life-altering benefits for one’s spiritual evolution.
The practitioner finds quite naturally that the more they stop thought in meditation, new and ever-broadening vistas of seeing the world open up. Greater equanimity, understanding, compassion and wisdom are wonderful side effects to stumble upon along the way, but these are just the beginning of what striving for the enlightened states has to offer.
“Ultimate Truth is Wordless. The Silence within the Silence.”
– the Pirke Avote
