________________
MYSTICISM IN INDIA
23
absence in all vividness and at an instant's
in its notice.
The next and Seventh stage is Dhyana or absorption, i..., the entire fixing of the mind on the object thought of to the extent of making it one with it. In fact the mind should at the time be conscious of itself and the object. Proceed a step further and we come to the eighth stage Samadhi. The absorption is to be carried to the extent of forgetting the act and of becoming the thing thought of. This state of Samadhi implies two distinct states of consciousness unified in one. The first which is trapce proper is the forgetting of all idea of the act, and the second the more important factor is the becoming the object thought of. Mere passive trance is a dangerous practice as it leads to the madness of irresponsible mediumship. It is therefore necessary to lay stress upon the .-ond part of the connotation of the term Samadhi. The three stages, contemplation, absorption and trance-Samadhi are in fact the stages of contemplation, for the thing thought upon, the thinker and the instrument (together with other things which are attempted to be excluded, are all present in the first, iol., contemplation, all except the last are present in the second and nothing but the thing is present in the third. This trance-Samādhi however is not complete Yoga, for it is only conscious Samadhi having something to rest upon. As compared with the highest or unconscious Samadhi, conscious Samadhi is a
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
