I am probably like you in that I have experienced many happy things in my life. Bliss, which is related to the last of the koshas that I’m discussing in this blog, has been more elusive in my life.
One experience I had in which I felt annandamaya kosha, my bliss body, was so unfamiliar to me that I actually became frightened.
At the time, I wasn’t reaching for some kind of out there, spiritual experience; it just happened. I think there is that element of serendipity to experiencing bliss. Maybe it helps if you clear the decks a bit, as in, be in a good setting, a good mood, and/or with good people.
In my bliss experience, my body felt like the cells in it sped up to the point where it feel lighter, and, as a result, I felt ungrounded. That scared me to the point of thinking about lunch, which got me out of the sensations quicker than you could say pappadum.
I believe that one of the reasons that we practice pranayama and meditation is so that we begin to familiarise ourselves with territories of mental clarity, levity and detachment. We do these practices so we can slip in and out of bliss states and still be in the world. I’m hoping the next time I catch a whiff of anandamaya kosha, I’ll be able to follow the fragrance better.
Regarding the statues featured in the above photo, I thought they look like PLU’s (people like us). I discovered them and much more this weekend at the Biennale at Cockatoo Island. Actually, there are a number of exhibits there that I would definitely say have a spiritual spin. Worth checking out. Remarkably, it’s all free, including the 15 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay.