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From: radams@cerritos.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Seven Stages of Life - Da Avabhasa
Message-ID: <1991Jun21.002227.27498@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 21 Jun 91 00:22:27 GMT
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Organization: Cerritos College, Norwalk CA
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Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov

Yee (cyee@bruce.cs.monas) writes:
>process of the being. And, traditionally, the ultimate achievement of the
>fifth stage of life is absorption in mystical union with the Divine, which
>in the Yogic traditions is called "nirvikalpa samadhi" (formless ecstasy)
>and which in the Western esoteric traditions is called "gnosis" (Divine
>knowledge).

There is the mistaken notion here that nirvikalpa samadhi belongs to the
fifth stage of life which I presume we are to think is of lesser value
than the sixth or seventh.  Nirvikalpa samadhi is always referred to as
being the highest state of conciousness and not just by those who are
termed "Yogis".  Ramana Maharshi said that nirvikalpa samadhi,
which he termed "Sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi" (to distinguish it from "Kevala
Nirvikalpa Samadhi" in which the body and senses have to be stilled and is
not permanent since you awaken from it after physical activity resumes) is
the state of the Self-realized Sage in which the mind has been resolved
into the Self and has been lost.  


>Thus, in the seventh stage of life, the Realizer enjoys continuous,
>permanent, Perfect identification with Divine Being Itself, and he or she
>experiences no "radical" or fundamental difference between Divine
>Consciousness and body, psyche, self, or any and all psycho-physical stages
>and conditions.

This is what nirvikalpa samadhi is - a permanent state of divine union.
The practice of yoga will not confine you to some inferior stage of life
or spiritual growth.  I see in this seven-level idea of Da a ranking on
the teachings of Yoga which reveals is lack of knowledge IMHO.
Forget about the "stages of life", the Self is the only Reality.


	Roger Adams

	radams@cerritos.edu               To those in whom love dwells,
	Cerritos College                  the whole world is one family.
	11110 Alondra Blvd                             A Hindu Proverb
        Norwalk, California 90650
	USA
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