Stages of Samadhi
According to those who have experienced a state of complete melting of knowledge in its fullness, even a state of Samadhi, which is already higher transformations of consciousness includes different stages.
Practice of concentration, meditation and absorption leads (can lead, if done properly, or if given) to the highest absorption of everything, to nirvikapla samadhi.
This stage of mind is described as the lower stage of Samadhi.
Even in this condition that is inherently unique, the mind can be lost in false identifications and exaggerations.
Even in the fruits of Yoga there are forbidden fruits.
What are the Differences
In the state of highest absorption, the me-myself feeling (egoism) and its narcissistic brother-feeling (egotism) no longer exist.
Just as the eyes are not the sense itself but just the instrument of the sense, so the mind (where the intellect lives) is in the higher Samadhi just the instrument of the ultimate, intuitive knowledge.
The practical (not theoretical) yogi sees no difference between pile of gold and pile of moldy wood. He has a balanced behavior and life with no mood or any other swings. Once he has experienced greatness and purity he will be disconnected with mediocrity.
However, the highest transformation is not possible without a massive pre-knowledge or experience:
If given, this transformation cannot be suppressed by any effort, whether internal or external.
Despite all mental efforts, only a good fertilized soil will give a birth of a highly transformed mind. This transformation/absorption is, despite all efforts, given by grace of faith or by powers which are much bigger than our little selves, whether those powers come from terrestrial or non terrestrial spirits.
If given, these higher transformations of consciousness cannot be suppressed by any effort, whether internal or external.
Natural Access to Higher Levels of Knowledge
Some people possess a natural access to a rich, unconscious stream of knowledge. These people can reach very high levels of energy without practicing any practices of Yoga.
But those people are very rare.
Three gunas or three different powers which are also called qualities of nature have been transformed in that state. Just as there are no really good or bad people so there are no good or bad gunas.
There are only good and bad deeds of people and so good and bad expressions of their powers.
Goodness is not unnatural, goodness is given to man by birth. There are only conscious or unconscious people, not really good or bad.
Conscious (awakened) people do good things and the unconscious bad things. Those who do bad things live in the solitary confinement of their fears. Fear to love, fear to be loved, fear to be.
It's all About Experience
The Yoga Sutras are not a hypothesis. Those “threads” are compiled (most likely) by Patanjali but those aphorisms are based on the experiences of the ancient Hindu sages who have gained knowledge about space, time and consciousness. Thus, about the higher transformations of consciousness.
These ancient sages achieved and described the state of ultimate reality at a time when there were no modern instrument to measure any of their experiences.
The first aphorism in the Yoga Sutra says:
The first aphorism of the Yoga Sutra says:
And the:
The Sutras 3.10-15 say that in this state, the gross matter like body and sense organs, transforms in the subtle matter of form, time, condition.
An example from everyday life for this change of material, or an understanding of the change of core, is an example of the experience of an artist. To an artist this will be very well known.
The artist will take clay and water (which are gross matter) into his hands and in a while a new form will emerge from that pile of clay.
Wanting to take a break from his creation, maybe bring himself a cup of tea or whatever, he will unhappily overthrow his work, which in a second will become not a masterpiece but a pile of dusty clay just as it was before it took on its new shape.
This means that the substance remains the same but takes on different forms over time. In regard to the grade of success, this process would be called the evolution.
The example of clay could be applied to the consciousness and its evolution.
