I have been meditating for 2 years and few times I experienced a deeper state. Upon doing meditation, sometimes I wept while meditating and I am unknowingly weeping while I am watching some emotional movie scenes or even while listening music.Recently after meditation I felt something different that I felt explosive happiness its like complete appreciation of whole universe (earth, trees, sky) and having a great sense of gratitude.Is this normal? What kind of state is this?
—Babji, Canada
Dear Babji,
The bliss that you describe in meditation comes from your soul as you reunite with your source, the Divine Presence also called God. From that place you are able to see this Presence vibrating at the center of all creation. This joy is not of the ordinary kind associated with having desires fulfilled. That conditioned happiness always comes to an end when circumstances in our lives change. Divine Bliss (referred to as Ananda in Sanskrit) is always present, but we must still our minds and wipe away clouds of indifference and agitated emotions so that it becomes apparent to us.
The goal of meditation is to reach this state and dwell there for longer and longer periods, finally finding yourself able to sustain this state of awareness whether in outer activity or meditative stillness. Gratitude is our soul’s natural response to becoming aware of this bliss. Gratitude is our openness and receptivity to this Presence and giving back to this Presence our heart’s love.
I encourage you to learn more about the spiritual path and to put your experience into a larger context. This will help you make further progress on your journey to Self-realization, that state of permanent union with the Divine. Please take a look at these resources.
Yogananda describes this state of union with the Divine in his poem, “Samadhi.” You can read this poem here. I encourage you to take the words into meditation.
If you have not received training in meditation, you might like to explore the meditation practices brought by Yogananda. We offer a number on online courses in meditation here.
Consider your experiences in meditation great encouragement to pursue your spiritual path. Please think about what would be best for your next step.
Many blessings,
Nayaswami Mukti
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