Before experiencing this state of "mindlessness," I didn't quite understand the concept of pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) in yoga. Pratyahara, simply put, is as follows:
Pratyahara means "to turn and gather." It is about restraining the mental energy that wants to go outward and freeing it from being a slave to the senses. (From Swami Vivekananda's "Raja Yoga")
By experiencing this "void," I was able to understand this more clearly. In the past, I could understand this intellectually, but I didn't have a sense that I could actually do it in reality. In yoga, there are stages of pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). I won't go into detail about each of these here, but before experiencing this "void," I was in a vague state where I could sort of understand the differences and states, but not really.
Therefore, when I experienced this "void," I thought, "This must be pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)." Perhaps it could also be called dharana (concentration), but these four seem to be continuous and essentially the same thing.
■Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), Samadhi (absorption)
Quoted from Swami Vivekananda's "Raja Yoga."
The senses are directed outward and come into contact with external objects. Placing them under the control of consciousness is called pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). It means to gather them towards the self. Concentrating the mind on the lotus of the heart, or on the center of the head, is called dharana (concentration).
According to this definition, what I wrote before:
"3. The stage where you can stop the mind's chatter by focusing on the breath and return to observing the breath." is pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses).
"4. The stage where you can continue to focus only on the breath for at least 5 seconds without any mind's chatter." is dharana (concentration).
According to Swami Vivekananda's same book:
Based on the one-pointed concentration of dharana, a certain kind of mental wave arises. These waves gradually become more prominent, and as everything else recedes and eventually disappears, they are absorbed into other types of waves. Next, these numerous waves give way to one, and only one wave remains in the mind. This is dhyana (meditation).
When all the mind becomes one wave, one form, that is called samadhi. Only the meaning of that thought exists.
It says: This is probably what I wrote above, "5. The waves of thought have subsided sufficiently, or, by the power of will, the waves of thought are suppressed, and the entire body is enveloped in the darkness of silence." It also feels a little different from Swami Vivekananda's explanation. Is my meditation method wrong? I once heard from a Vedic teacher that there must be an "object" or concept for meditation, so maybe I'm not setting any objects, which is why I feel this way. If that's the case, it's a natural consequence, and maybe it's okay this way. It's a bit difficult when there's no guru in such situations. I should also keep in mind the possibility that something is wrong because I'm hearing the anahata sound. The spiritual world has many pitfalls, so we must always be careful.
■ Are Pratyahara (withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption) essentially the same?
There are descriptions related to these four stages in the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika" by Swami Vishnu-Devananda, which is a fundamental text of yoga, from the perspective of Hatha Yoga. I will quote it for reference.
(Explanation of Chapter 4, verse 2) There are eight steps in Raja Yoga. ~ (omitted) ~ From the perspective of Hatha Yoga, when prana stays in the Sushumna for a certain amount of time, it is called Pratyahara (withdrawal), and if it stays a little longer, it is called Dharana (concentration). If it stays for a longer time, it is called Dhyana (meditation). If it stays for an even longer period, it is called Samadhi (absorption).
Returning to Swami Vivekananda's "Raja Yoga," it says:
If the mind can concentrate on that center for 12 seconds, it is Dharana, 12 such Dharanas (concentration) (about 2.5 minutes) is Dhyana (meditation), and 12 such Dhyanas (meditation) (about 30 minutes) is Samadhi.
There is a difference in perspective between Hatha Yoga, which controls prana, and Raja Yoga, which controls the mind, but the difference between these four is essentially the length of time, which is interesting.
I felt that the anahata sound seems to come around when Pratyahara (withdrawal) is the foundation and Dharana (concentration) is exceeded. In that sense, it might be acceptable to say that it is heard during Dhyana (meditation), as generally said.
By the way, "Meditation and Mantra" describes the distinctions as follows:
For a trained yogi, the distinctions between sensory withdrawal (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and the beginning of a supernormal state (samadhi) are blurred. When one sits for meditation, all processes occur almost simultaneously, and one enters a meditative state very quickly.
Therefore, it can be interpreted as being quite similar. For explanation or for practitioners, it is a process of practicing step by step.
■Jada-samadhi and Laya-samadhi
In "Tantra Yoga Meditation" (by Swami Jyotirmayananda), there are descriptions of two similar states related to the silence and darkness that I experienced.
- - "In ancient times, this 'unconscious' realm was known as Jada-Samadhi, and in Yoga, it is also called the realm of Tamas. This can cause intense confusion on a physical and mental level. This stage is the most dangerous. At this stage, there is a risk of easily falling into 'unconsciousness.' The further one progresses in this stage, the greater the danger. And the practitioner often falls into this 'unconsciousness.'"
- "The next stage of 'unconsciousness' is called Laya-Samadhi, and it can even lead to the heart stopping. At this stage, symbols (such as images of the deity) automatically appear, and whether or not that image is continuously maintained is a crucial point."
Then, since I haven't seen any elephants, it seems that what I experienced was the former type of Jada-Samadhi. When I search on the internet, the former type includes emptiness and silence, while the latter type is characterized by absolute bliss. This seems to be a major difference. However, as mentioned before by Ramana Maharshi, the "Nada sound leads to Laya (a state of emptiness where the mind temporarily ceases)." Therefore, it can also be interpreted as Laya-Samadhi. Which one was it?
If the former type is a trap, even the latter type, according to Ramana Maharshi, is a deceptive illusion that can mislead seekers, and both seem to be transitional stages. Whether it was the former or the latter, I was able to grasp the sensation of Pratyahara for the first time after experiencing the darkness of silence, so it seems that I shouldn't stay in this state for too long, regardless of which type it was. However, I think that this stage is something that one must inevitably go through. In my case, it is only for a very short time, so it is not an experience that is exaggerated enough to be called Samadhi. In any case, since the point is that one should not stop, it seems that I should just keep moving forward.