Mullquist's "samaadhi for us dummies"!

[B. Mullquist]

Introduction

Tottijärvi [ ~ tawt-tee-yar-we ] is a Western sub-urban, mostly rural
area of Nokia, Finland, around a lake (järvi) by the same name.

Mullabs Inc. is a corporation, or whatever, established by C. Mullquist
and Baron of Pinsiö and situated in Peräkylä (Backvillage) of Tottijärvi.
Mullabs has specialized in substandard translation of Sanskrit, presented
in Finnish and grade school English. Furthermore, Mullabs offers
financial astrolooky services.

Over the last few months, B.Mullquist ("Mulcku", "M.") has tried to pay
some attention on the rather tricky concept of /samaadhi/ in MaharSi
Patañjali's Yoga-suutras (YS).

Chapter 1: defining some key concepts

The word 'yoga' in Sanskrit has quite a lot different meanings,
depending on context:

Capeller's Sanskrit-English Dictionary:

1 yoga m. yoking, harnessing, drive, yoke, team; fitting out
(an. army), fixing (an arrow); setting to work, use, application; means,
expedient, trick, stratagem, art, fraud, deceit, magic, charm;
enterprise, work; union, combination, relation, contact with (instr.
{ñsaha} or ---); conjunction (of stars); pursuit, acquisition, property;
succession, order, fitness, propriety; effort, endeavour, zeal,
attention; collection or concentration of the mind, meditation.
contemplation, N. of a phil. system; etymology & etym. meaning of a word,
grammatical construction, rule or aphorism (g.). --Instr. & abl. in the
right way, as is proper, according to, by means or in consequence of
(---).

Seems to us, according to commentator Vyaasa aka KRSNa dvaipaayana, in YS
'yoga' is synonymous with 'samaadhi':

yogaH samaadhiH (yoga [is] samaadhi).

As far as M. knows, the only definition of samaadhi in YS, at least
explicitly mentioning that word, is in the third book,
called vibhuuti-paada (V-P). The first three suutras of V-P
goe like this (sandhi-vigraha in brackets):

1. desha-bandhash cittasya dhaaraNaa.
[desha-bandhaH; cittasya dhaaraNaa]

2. tatra pratyayaika-taanataa dhyaanam.
[tatra pratyaya + eka-taanaataa dhyaanam]

3. tadevaartha-maatra-nirbhaasaM sva-ruupa-shuunyam iva
samaadhiH.
[tat; eva + artha-maatra-nirbhaasam...]

[B. Mullquist]

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:17:06 +0000, B. Mullquist skrev

Post by B. Mullquist
As far as M. knows, the only definition of samaadhi in YS, at least
explicitly mentioning that word, is in the third book, called
vibhuuti-paada (V-P). The first three suutras of V-P goe like this
1. desha-bandhash cittasya dhaaraNaa. [desha-bandhaH; cittasya
dhaaraNaa]
2. tatra pratyayaika-taanataa dhyaanam. [tatra pratyaya + eka-taanaataa
dhyaanam]
3. tadevaartha-maatra-nirbhaasaM sva-ruupa-shuunyam iva samaadhiH.
[tat; eva + artha-maatra-nirbhaasam...]

Now, according to YS, there seems to be two basic varieties, or whatever,
of samaadhi: saMprajñaata and asaMprajñaata ('with prajñaa' and 'without
prajñaa', according to Taimni's "Science of Yoga").

Patañjali seems to define those varieties like this:

vitarkavicaaraanandaasmitaanugamaat saMprajñaataH (scil. samaadhiH).
[vitarka-vicaara-aananda-asmitaa-anugamaat...]

viraamapratyayaabhyaasapuurvaH saMskaarasheSo 'nyaH.
[viraama-pratyaya-abhyaasa-puurvaH saMskaarasheSaH; anyaH]

Well, 'anyaH' above means 'the other', and obviously refers
to 'a-saMprajñaata-samaadhi'.

[willytex]

Post by B. Mullquist
Now, according to YS, there seems to be two
basic varieties, or whatever, of samaadhi...

The word Samadhi is found in the early Buddhist
literature, specifically the Anguttara Nikaya
IV.94 of the Samadhi Sutra of Shakya the Muni,
namely Gautama of Kapilavastu, India's first
historical yogin.

However, the word 'samadhi' is not found in any
of the 10 Upanishads commented on by Shankara
Acharya. This is no small mattter and cannot
be passed over, for if, as you say, the attainment
of samadhi is central to the experiential verification
of the Vedanta, one would expect the phrase to
occur in the sacred texts, would one not?

Samadhi: 1. Sanskrit (Saúmaúdhi) n. Jap., sanmai
or zanmai 2. Nirvana, Parinirvana 3. from the
root word 'Sam', to establish, make firm. 4.
A conscious experience that lies beyond waking,
dreaming, and deep sleep. 5. A transcendental,
meditative, mental equipose.

Read more:

Subject: Samadhi?
From: Willytex
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental,
alt.yoga
Date: June 14, 2005
http://tinyurl.com/y8fekxw

[willytex]

  Chapter 1: defining some key concepts
The word 'yoga' in Sanskrit has quite a lot different meanings,
depending on context...

According to the Sage Patanjali, 'yoga' has to do isolation from
prakriti; the cessation of the fluctuations of the mindstuff; and
the attainment of freedom, based on the sheer willpower of the
individual (moksha). According to Mircea Elliade, yoga means
'freedom and immortality'.

Read more:

From: Willytex
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental
Subject: Enlightenment
Date: July 14, 2003
http://tinyurl.com/yjaoaj7