Drg-Drshya-Viveka 22

"Being indifferent to both name and form, and devoted to the Truth, one should always practice meditation both in the heart and outside." - Verse 22

Excerpts From Commentary

What is samadhi? That locus into which the entire world merges is called samadhi. Hence samadhi is the name of Self or Reality. Moreover, one who is well rooted in brahman is said to be in samadhi. By sincere and consistent practice of merging in brahman, this state of complete absorption is attained. Hence, the practice of meditation (dhyana/nidhidhyasana) is also called samadhi.

Samadhi is not a state of consciousness like the waking, dream and deep sleep states. The experience of these states is exclusive of each other. One cannot be awake and in deep sleep at the same time. Brahman is eternal and exists in all these states of experience. Samadhi, which is the abidance in brahman, is therefore eternal and does not alternate like the other states. It is called the fourth state** only to distinguish it from the other three.

Samadhi cannot be achieved by action, but by knowledge. Knowledge makes us realize out nature as the immaculate, eternal, ever-liberated consciousness. Presently, our experience of the Self is limited by our thoughts. Thoughts are the superimposition of name and form. In samadhi, the limitations of thoughts are transcended.

Samadhi is the abidance in the pure consciousness that illumines these thoughts. Samadhi, therefore, does not depend on the appearance or disappearance of thoughts. Since the world of names and forms is experienced by everyone as thoughts only, one is samadhi remains undisturbed by the world.

Samadhi is the alert, steady and poised state of mind in its true nature. Assuming a pose does not guarantee this poise. One can only be alert, to be alert. This attentiveness can be maintained irrespective of the activity one undertakes, the emotions one feels, or the thoughts one entertains. Hence, it is said that meditation should be practiced at all times.

The practice of samadhi can be within or without. The practice within is done with reference to the individual. On enquiring 'who am I?' and discriminating between the Seer and the seen, one realizes the Self which is of the nature of Pure Consciousness. The practice without is done with reference to the world perceived. On enquiring 'what is the world?', and discriminating between the world and its substratum, one realizes the Self to be the Absolute Reality. Closed and open eye meditation is also sometimes referred to as meditation within and without respectively. Whatever be the locus of meditation, withdrawing the attention from names and forms and fixing it in the Truth, is meditation. 

[Existence or Consciousness is the only reality. Consciousness plus waking, we call waking. Consciousness plus dream, we call dream. Consciousness plus sleep, we call sleep. Consciousness is the screen on which all the pictures come and go. The screen is real, the pictures are mere shadows on it. Because by long habit we have been regarding these three states as real, we call the state of mere awareness or consciousness the fourth. There is no fourth state, but only state. - Ramana Maharshi]