Is it even possible to describe enlightenment or samadhi?
Surprisingly, people from different countries, different eras and different spiritual traditions, who have never met each other, very often describe the same experience in similar words. Why is this happening?
Almost all Eastern masters have warned that samadhi cannot be described in words. Zen has a famous saying: "The finger that points to the moon is not the moon." That is, any description is only indicative. It will never replace the experience itself. Ramana Maharshi often responded with silence rather than explanations. Papaji said: "It cannot be explained. It can only be discovered."
Longchenpa, the master of the Dzozen, wrote that the nature of the mind is so close to each person, that is why it is the most difficult to pay attention to. We are constantly looking for something extraordinary, while it is present in the most ordinary experience of the present moment. And yet people continue to struggle to find words. And what is particularly interesting is that their descriptions are often surprisingly similar. Some say: "It's a ringing silence." Others: "It's like everything has become incredibly alive." Someone says: "The feeling that you need to rush somewhere is gone." And someone in general stays silent for a long time... and just smiles.
Maybe the reason is that people don't describe different situations, but the same reality, seen through different characters, different languages and different cultures. Therefore, it is sometimes interesting to read not only ancient texts, but also modern stories of people trying to express similar experiences in their own words for the first time.
Recently I encountered just such a conversation, another attempt to express the inexpressible. A person is simply trying to find words for what he is experiencing at the moment. If you are curious to compare her description with how the masters wrote about it, we will leave a link in the comments. 🍀 Lord of the East