The bliss field of emptiness

Bliss

The moment we accept what’s happening to us, without any resistance, pain transforms into bliss. Bliss is available to us simply by letting things be as they are. This is why Tantric Buddhism talks about the indivisible union of bliss and emptiness (sukha-shunyata). In other words, the experience of emptiness, which is the same as the experience of unconditioned mind, is always and naturally experienced as a state of supernal bliss. This is a bliss that goes beyond the experience of both pain and pleasure. It’s the experience of unconditional bliss that cannot be characterized as the removal of pain, or even as an experience of somatic pleasure or emotional ecstasy. It’s the bliss that arises when we stop seeking and relinquish all demands for things to be different than they are. It’s the bliss we experience when we rest in the certain knowledge that what we’re experiencing cannot be enhanced or degraded, and cannot be taken away from us, by any change in our conditioned circumstances.

The word “bliss” may not be the best term to translate the Sanskrit word that’s used in Tantric Buddhism. In fact, in Indian nondual spirituality, there are many words for bliss. The two most common terms are sukha (which is mainly used by Buddhists) and ananda (which is mainly used in Hinduism). The reason there are many words for “bliss” is because in cultures that practices yoga and meditation there is a lot of bliss around! You might have noticed that most Indian swamis have the word bliss (ananda) in their names: Yogananda, Satchitananda, Jnanananda, and so on. The reason why some yogis and contemplatives live in a state of nearly constant bliss is because they have minimal needs and make minimal demands on the world and their bodies. Consequently, they’re easily, and normally, complete and satisfied.

In English the word “bliss” has several negative associations that can block resting in unconditioned mind. For a start, the concept of “spiritual bliss” has been degraded in the world of commerce and advertising, which speaks about the bliss of driving the latest model car, or the taste of a chocolate bar! In our own conversations we talk about how the chocolate mousse was pure bliss, that our vacation in Bali was pure bliss, that we are ecstatic about getting a promotion, or that it was sheer bliss not having to go to work in the morning! At the very least, these usages show that bliss is important to us.

But many of our associations are negative in some way. In particular we’re reluctant to acknowledge that our lives are driven by the search for unending bliss and contentment. Spiritual seekers can be embarrassed to acknowledge that they seek a state of permanent and transcendent bliss. We judge ourselves, or fear being judged by others, as being selfish, narcissistic or hedonistic. We place limits on the amount of pleasure we feel safe to enjoy. If we have too little we feel starved and cheated. If we have too much we worry that we’ll become addicted to pleasure and lose perspective on the rest of our lives.

The healing power of sensate bliss

The experience of unconditioned bliss is different from the experiences of sensate bliss that arise as a function of changes in our thoughts, feelings and body chemistry. Nondual work produces experiences of both sensate and unconditioned bliss.

Experiences of sensate bliss arise in the slipstream of unconditioned mind. They occur like clockwork when our thinking slows down and we move into more subtle states of consciousness. In the context of nondual work, these experiences can be profoundly healing, especially for people who deprive themselves of pleasure. They are medicine for the mind and the soul. They sooth our minds and repair the damage done to our nervous system by pain and trauma. We recognized their healing power and let people rest in these experiences for as long as they arise.

Energy and consciousness disciplines such as tai chi, yoga and meditation produce experiences of sensate bliss—the bliss that can be felt as ecstatic joy or as the somatic bliss that arises when our nervous system is perfectly integrated with our mind. The most powerful practices are those that are based on knowledge of the energy movements (prana) in our subtle physiology of energy pathways (nadi). Experiences of bliss, rapture, deep contentment, serenity and imperturbable peace arise like clockwork when people practice deep contemplation.

However, like all conditioned experiences, sensate bliss comes and goes. When people rest in healing-bliss, nondual teachers know that there is still further to go. We let these experiences do their work, and then gently ease people forward into the ultimate experience of unconditioned mind.