29. There Is No Ranking In Enlightenment

Samadhi is the state of enlightenment. It is an irreversible experience, which signifies the union of the individual Self with the collective consciousness.

Samadhi in Sanskrit refers to the state that is our natural and original state, the state of divinity.

Make no difference or distinction between different states of samadhi as superior or inferior. There is no substitute to the ultimate experience.

A small story:

Three thirsty strangers come to a tank in the middle of a village. They are about to enter the tank, when one person asks the others, 'Is this drinking water? I am thirsty.'

Another one replies, 'I don't know about water. But I know this is pani(water in Hindi language).'

Part 3: Take one a day and be in Bliss. Bliss Bytes Vol.3_English_part_3.md

The third man says, 'I know this is thanni (water in Tamil language).'

The fourth man, the local villager, is upset with all these names that he hears. He says, 'This is neeru (water in Kannada language). I know it because my grandfather built this tank.'

Even before entering the tank, the four men start fighting with each other. Before anyone could stop them, they hurt each other. Had they been patient and entered the tank, they would have realized that they were all speaking about the same thing!

With a little bit of patience and understanding, anyone can drink the water; anyone can experience the bliss. Once we have experienced the bliss, we can also supply it to everyone around us. What a wonderful gift this experience can provide! We can continue to experience the bliss and radiate it to everyone else. Bliss has no other meaning or name.

Enlightenment is not about verbiage. It is not about concepts, principles and philosophies. It is the awareness of the ultimate truth. It is an experience.

It has been said by all great masters that one who has experienced cannot express that experience and one who expresses could not have had the experience. All these people who endlessly argue about the states and stages of enlightenment and samadhi, have no idea what they are talking about. They misunderstand and mis-communicate the words of great masters who have hinted about their ultimate experiences.

Enlightenment, be it samadhi, satori, moksha, kaivalya, or nirvana is just one ultimate experience. It cannot be graded. It is eternal bliss - THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.