What is nirvikalpa samadhi?
Whereas there is a multitude of savikalpa samadhis that one can enter into, there is essentially one nirvikalpa samadhi state.
Nirvikalpa samadhi marks the true dissolution of the self into a zero-point of referential perception. There is no Observer observing the stillness and light of other samadhis, nor an Experiencer experiencing the bliss and peace of those either.
As an old Buddhist story goes, nirvikalpa samadhi is likened to a salt doll that, wanting to know the ocean, wades into the ocean little by little and eventually dissolves completely, joining and becoming one with the vast body of water that it was fascinated by.
We put forth the time and effort to meditate with discipline, in the hopes that it will give us greater understanding, higher knowing, deeper wisdom. In nirvikalpa samadhi, the ego is given up entirely, in exchange for the understanding of what we truly are.
“Salvikalpa samadhi is like a sea of perfect light; nirvikalpa samadhi is no light, no darkness,
—Dr. Frederick Lenz, Rama
no way to describe it.
Absorption is complete – that’s nirvana.”
The dissolution of the egoic self effectively ends the duality constructs of me versus other, light versus dark, inner world versus the outer world. One who has overcome their ego through absorption in nirvikalpa samadhi is someone who has integrated all these seemingly opposing dualities.
An awakened one deals with reality in a way that is no longer obscured by a limited self that’s constantly exerting energy to maintain a subjective, partial view of reality, rather than a balance, integrated, greater perspective of objective reality.
You will not find enlightened beings falling into the power struggles and mundane dramas that cause so much of conflict we see in the world today. That is because they understand that causing harm to others amounts to causing self harm, and that recognizing the buddha nature in all beings is the more peaceful, happier way to be.
“Love thy enemies.”
—Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Is nirvikalpa samadhi an attainment?
In a word, no.
Experiencing the enlightened states – and ultimately Enlightenment itself – is a more of a letting go. It is not a grasping for, a peak experience or a certain level of attainment.
It’s a paradoxical thing. The more that one strives for a high spiritual goal, the more that goal remains out of reach. That’s because it is the thinking, analyzing, conceptualizing ego that is doing the striving. The paradox of earnest meditation is that, in the end, you have to let go of even the striving. You have to practice non-attachment towards all aspects of your life, your self-identification, your beliefs, and ultimately, to be detached from seeking to go into nirvikalpa samadhi as well.
This surrender of the ego structure is far easier said than done. But the spirit cannot be free until this level of purification of the self is developed. So simply focus on the perfection of the cessation of thought, and allow the self to naturally unravel to the Truth of what you really are.
