Sahasrar is not a path. When we use the word “path”, it means a demarcated way, an established way. If there has to be demarcation, you need a physical space. Sahasrar is not a physical space. It has a presence in the geography of the body, but it does not represent a physical space. Because of this, there is no path.
There are any number of indications about this in the tradition but one dramatic example would probably be of Totapuri and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Ramakrishna, who was a bit too much into Sahasrar, wouldn’t have lasted long because that is not a space where one can hold on to the physical body and exist. As ecstatic and fantastic as it is, it is not a living space, it is a “going” space. Once in a way, you can touch it and be back. When someone stays there for too long, the body will not hold.
Sahasrar is not a physical space. It has a presence in the geography of the body, but it does not represent a physical space. Because of this, there is no path.
You may have heard of Totapuri taking a piece of glass and cutting Ramakrishna’s Agna to bring him down to clarity and knowing, rather than simply floating around in ecstasy. Is floating around in ecstasy not good? It is great but you cannot work and manifest something in that condition. That condition is like inebriation. It is wonderful and existentially fantastic, but in terms of human activity, you cannot be functional in those states. Even if you are functional, you are not very effective. It is a fuzzy world between physical and non-physical.
So, the less we say about Sahasrar the better because right now we are on a mission – we cannot afford fuzziness. Here and there, we party a bit – we have our Bhava Spandanas and satsangs, but then we want to be focused on what we need to do. That will not be possible if everyone is in Sahasrar. And if everyone starts inhabiting there, they will not be here for long, they will be gone.
About examples from the tradition – there is no such thing. You may have heard about Shiva being in ecstatic states, where he is inaccessible and unavailable. Someone who is so focused and intense is suddenly all oozy-woozy and not available. That is because these are “Sahasrar times”, when even someone as intense and focused as him is too drunk and inebriated for action.
Of all divine entities, Shiva is the most athletic. That means he signifies action, but even he gets woozy sometimes because he is in Sahasrar. So it is not a path. You go to Sahasrar because you want to get lost, not because you want to find yourself. When you feel like getting lost – Sahasrar. When you feel like finding yourself, you need to be on some path. Is there a tradition of getting lost? Yes there is, but you cannot make a form out of it.
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