[Today’s topic of discussion was the differences among samádhi, senselessness and sleep.]

Samádhi: While practising spiritual sádhaná, the mind is progressively withdrawn from the physical to the psychic and then to the spiritual. The trend in spiritual practice is to merge the extroversial propensities of the indriyas [sensory and motor organs] into the citta [objective mind, mind-stuff], the citta into the aham [doer “I”], the aham into the mahat [“I exist”], and the mahat into consciousness. In the case of samádhi, the conscious mind merges into the subconscious, and the subconscious into the unconscious.⁽¹⁾ In the case of savikalpa samádhi, the unit unconscious mind becomes one with the Supreme Mind, whereas in nirvikalpa samádhi the unit unconscious mind becomes one with Supreme Consciousness.

Senselessness: The conscious mind functions with the help of both nerve-cells and nerve-fibres, while the subconscious and the unconscious function with the help of nerve-cells only. If these nerve-cells and nerve-fibres should stop functioning due to physical or mental [abnormalities], then the conscious, subconscious and unconscious will also stop functioning. This cessation of functioning produces the state of senselessness.

Sleep: Due to excessive physical and mental labour, the nerve-cells and nerve-fibres become fatigued and demand relaxation, forcing the conscious mind to cease functioning and producing the state of sleep. Often the subconscious ceases also, leaving only the unconscious to continue the work of the brain. However, sometimes the nerve-cells begin functioning during the latter part of the night, due to sudden heat in the back portion of the cranium or to an upward movement of gastric wind. The subconscious mind accordingly starts thinking or remembering, producing dreams. In the absence of the functioning of the conscious mind, these products of the subconscious are accepted as true and practical. Sometimes the dreamer actually believes that he is flying, for the non-functioning of the conscious mind prevents him from perceiving this idea to be pure imagination. Some people become extremely frightened by their dreams and produce inarticulate mutterings of fear; at times dreamers even die of heart failure. To assist a person out of a disturbing dream it helps to bring the person’s hands or feet into contact with the ground, for this aids the conscious mind in beginning to function again.

Footnotes

(1) The conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds, also known as the crude, subtle and causal minds, are the three layers of the citta. –Eds.