Bhava samadhi

by Marinus Jan Marijs

Bhava samadhi (sublevel D)

General introduction

The word ‘bhava’ means ‘feeling’, and while it is sometimes used to denote ordinary emotions, the term ‘bhava samadhi’ always means a very high state of mystical experience.
(Bhava Samadhi: Superconscious state attained by intense divine emotions.)

Cross-culturally, bhava samadhi is known by many different names:

• Glorification in Christianity
• The Rainbow body in Tibetan Buddhism
• The transubstantiated body
• The immortal body of Light
• The diamond body in Taoism
• The solar body
• The radiant body in Neo-Platonism
• The divine body composed of supramental substance – by Aurobindo

Because so few mystics have attained these different stages of bhava samadhi, it is difficult to draw cross-cultural comparisons or rank them according to their stage.

In most cases, the following comparisons are therefore made on general grounds:

1. M. Bucke: “Cosmic Consciousness” [Cosmic consciousness is a non-religious term for mystical experience/consciousness. There are different levels of cosmic consciousness but Bucke’s experience of cosmic consciousness was on a low subtle level] low-subtle bhava samadhi;
2. Jakob Boehme [Evelyn Underhill; “Mysticism”, a study in the nature and development of Man’s spiritual consciousness. The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1911.] : at age 25 and at the age of 35, level unknown;
3. Blaise Pascal [Blaise Pascal; “Memorial”. 1654.]: at age 31, level unknown;
4. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah (6.3-4): low-causal bhava samadhi;
5. Paul’s Damascus experience: low-causal bhava samadhi [Acts, 26:13 “I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.” Paul and his companions would have been on a horseback. This makes it possible to size the light sphere at 14 meters.];
6. W Leadbeater: Arhat, low-causal bhava samadhi, drew this light body in his book “Man visible and invisible” (plate 26);
7. Mohammed’s Al Kadr: low- or high-causal bhava samadhi;
8. Gopi Krishna [Gopi Krishna; “Kundalini, The evolutionary energy in man”. Shambhala.1997]: at age 34, low-causal bhava samadhi; at 46, high-causal (wrote of a “melodious cadence”);
9. Krishnamurti [Mary Lutyens; “Krishnamurti; The Years of Awakening”, London, John Murray, 1975.]: at age 27, high-causal bhava samadhi (his brother noticed the “celestial music” when Krishnamurti was in this state);
10. Jesus’ Glorification: high-causal bhava samadhi.

The Conversion of St. Paul, 1767 by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie

There is a video on which a prominent philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig describes a bhava samadhi. At about 7 minutes:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRk7Q7S6Gyw

Another description of what seems to be a bhava samadhi is from a Canadian clinical psychologist and professor of psychology Jordan Peterson, at 2.24 → and 4.26 →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCV2mri89os&feature=youtu.be

In bhava samadhi, one becomes light. This is no ordinary astral body, but a light body composed of highly concentrated subtle energies of a much higher level than the astral. With the highest form of bhava samadhi, the light body is composed of high-causal subtle energy (see figure 2 here below for illustrations).

Since in most cases any form of bhava samadhi is far removed from familiar states, many mystics experiencing it will not be able to see this light body with its colors but only feel its energy as an extremely strong form of mystical ecstasy. But even if one cannot see its colors its spatial dimensions are clearly and unmistakably felt. One can feel this highly activated energy clearly stretching out towards a specific distance from the physical body.

Different forms of bhava samadhi

With sufficient experiences of bhava samadhi during one’s lifetime, it is possible to note that the state occurs at four different levels:

1. Bhava samadhi on a low-subtle level;
2. Bhava samadhi on a high-subtle level;
3. Bhava samadhi on a low-causal level;
4. Bhava samadhi on a high-causal level.

Since these bhava samadhi experiences are extremely rare, this differentiation between the different types is normally not given.

The intensity of these different forms of bhava samadhi is extraordinary. It is a higher form of mystical ecstasy, beyond imagination. People who have only experienced a low-subtle bhava samadhi, even for a few minutes – like Richard M. Bucke [Richard M. Bucke; “Cosmic Consciousness.” 1901.] – experience it as the most important experience of their lives.
See;
Low-subtle level bhava samadhi ,
High-subtle level bhava samadhi ,
Low-causal level bhava samadhi and
High-causal level bhava samadhi
for detailed phenomenological descriptions of the four forms of bhava samadhi.

In terms of subtle energies, low subtle bhava samadhi generates an ovoid (egg-shaped) light body about 2.00 meters wide and about 3.30 meters high. While this can be called a low-subtle aura, it should not be confused with emotional, mental -level aura fields, which are also egg-shaped but consist of lower-level subtle energies. The low-subtle bhava samadhi light body has five horizontal layers of different colors (see figure 2, No 2).

A High-subtle bhava samadhi generates a spherical light body six meters in diameter, with five concentric layers of different colors (see figure 2, No 3).

A Low-causal bhava samadhi generates a spherical light body 14 meters in diameter with five concentric layers of different colors,(see figure 2, No 4).

A High causal bhava samadhi generates a spherical light body 32 meters in diameter with five concentric layers of different colors. Inside these layers are rotating orbs, approximately 15 to 90 centimeters across, made up of concentrated subtle energies. They rotate around their own axes as well as orbiting the center of the total field. The movement of these smaller orbs generates musical harmonies, and this is actually what is denoted by the term “music of the spheres”, or “celestial music” (see figure 2, No 5).

The volumes of the different fields are in clear relation to one another. The volume of the high-causal bhava samadhi field is about 12 times bigger than the low-causal bhava samadhi field, which in turn is about 12 times bigger than the high-subtle bhava samadhi field, which is about 12 times bigger than the low-subtle bhava samadhi field (volume = 1/6 Pi x d x d x d ).

 

 

See Figure 2:

• No 1 Psychic level – nature mysticism
• No 2 Low-subtle level bhava samadhi
• No 3 High-subtle level bhava samadhi
• No 4 Low-causal level bhava samadhi
• No 5 High-causal level bhava samadhi

So where the volume of the low-subtle bhava samadhi field equals 1 then:

• high-subtle bhava samadhi field = 1 x 12
• low-causal bhava samadhi field = 1 x 12 x 12
• high-causal bhava samadhi field = 1 x 12 x 12 x 12
• The increment forms a logarithmical constant.

The connection between emptiness and bhava samadhi

Sublevel A of this developmental model goes from sensorimotor up to the nirvana of the Buddha. See
https://marinusjanmarijs.nl/mysticism/three-forms-of-mysticism/

Sublevel D is the genius level, the four highest in sublevel D are the four bhava samadhi’s.

There is a direct connection between the highest levels of emptiness and bhava samadhi. If a mystic temporarily experiences high-causal bhava samadhi, (sublevel D) – this state normally lasts between 15 minutes and two hours – the temporary jnana state will become a permanent nirvana stage of a Buddha (high-causal sublevel A). So a mystic only needs to experience a high-causal bhava samadhi state only once in order to remain in nirvana for the rest of his/her life without effort. On the page three forms of nirvana a more detailed description is given of an actual structure that a sublevel D bhava samadhi generates at sublevel A.

The same connection is to be found in the iconography of Indian religions and thangkas of Tibetan Buddhism where Parinirvana (high causal sublevel A) is depicted by the Rainbow Body (high causal sublevel D), which is constituted by the five rainbow colors, the five pure lights (see illustration below).
Notice the depiction of the rotating orbs of different magnitude within the field.

Similarly, if a mystic is temporarily in a low-causal bhava samadhi (sublevel D), then he/she will thereafter permanently attain the nirvana of the Arhat (low-causal sublevel A).

If a mystic is temporarily in a high-subtle bhava samadhi, then he/she will permanently become an Anagamin (high-subtle sublevel A).

And if he/she has experienced temporarily a low-subtle bhava samadhi, then he/she will permanently become a Sakridagamin (low-subtle sublevel A).

If a mystic experiences nature mysticism, then he/she will become a Srotapatti.