Samadhi (Buddhism)
Encyclopedia
In Buddhism
, samādhi (Pali
/ Sanskrit
: ) is mental concentration or composing the mind.
of the Theravada
tradition and the related Āgamas of other early Buddhist schools
, samādhi is found in the following contexts:
In Buddhism, samādhi is traditionally developed by contemplating one of 40 different objects
(mentioned in the Pali canon, explicitly enumerated in the Visuddhimagga
), such as mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati) and loving kindness
(metta).
Upon development of samādhi, one's mind becomes purified of defilements
, calm, tranquil, and luminous. Once the meditator achieves a strong and powerful concentration, his mind is ready to penetrate and see into the ultimate nature of reality, eventually obtaining release from all suffering
.
In AN
IV.41, the Buddha identifies four types of concentration development, each with a different goal:
The Buddhist suttas mention that samādhi practitioners may develop supernormal powers (abhijna
, cf. siddhis), and list several that the Buddha developed, but warn that these should not be allowed to distract the practitioner from the larger goal of complete freedom from suffering.
, the Buddha explains that right concentration (Pāli: sammā-samādhi; Skt.: samyak-samādhi) involves attainment of the successively higher meditative states known as the four jhānas
.
, samādhi is the "proximate cause" to the obtainment of wisdom
.
This is reflected in the Heart Sutra
, a famous Mahāyāna discourse, in which Avalokiteśvara
gives a teaching in the presence of the Buddha after the Buddha enters "the samādhi which expresses the dharma called Profound Illumination," which provides the context for the teaching.
Likewise, the Samādhirāja Sūtra "declares its main theme to be a particular samādhi that is supposed to be the key to all elements in the path and to all the virtues and merits of buddhas and bodhisattvas. This state of mind, or spiritual practice, is called 'the samādhi that is manifested as the sameness of the essential nature of all dharmas' (sarva-dharma-svabhavā-samatā-vipañcita-samādhi). One may be tempted to assume that this refers to one particular form or state of contemplation; however, here the term 'samādhi' is understood in its broadest signification. This samādhi is at the same time the cognitive experience of emptiness, the attainment of the attributes of buddhahood, and the performance of a variety of practices or daily activities of a bodhisattva—including service and adoration at the feet of all buddhas. The word samādhi is also used to mean the sūtra itself. Consequently, we can speak of an equation, sūtra = samādhi = śūnyatā, underlying the text. In this sense the title Samādhirāja expresses accurately the content of the sūtra."
, the three trainings (or threefold learning) are presented in the Parable of the Lamp using the ancient form of a lamp made up of a dish of oil with a lighted wick. The table (or floor) is the body, the dish is the conscious mind, the oil is moral conduct (sīla), the wick is unperturbed contemplation (samādhi), and the flame is intuitive wisdom (prajñā). That which is a "lamp" does not exist without all of the parts present and functioning. If there is no oil then the wick is dry and the flame won't stay lit. If there is no wick then there is nothing for the flame to be centered upon and anchored to. If there is no flame then it is not actually a lamp but just a bowl of oil with a piece of string in it. The wick does not become a true wick until it is lit, and the flame has no place to light until it has a wick.
Because of this mutual identity of wick and flame, Huineng
, the renowned Sixth Ancestor of Chinese Chan (Zen), taught in Chapter 4 of the Platform Sutra
that samādhi and prajñā are not different:
In Zen, samādhi is the unified state of steady or unperturbed awareness. In Chapter 5 of the Platform Sutra
, Huineng described the role of samādhi in meditation practice as follows:
, samādhi is also viewed as serving as the basis for increasing intelligence. Wallace also maintains that Buddhist psychology suggests that concentration may be a factor in the emergence of extraordinary intelligence.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, samādhi (Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
/ Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: ) is mental concentration or composing the mind.
In the early Suttas
In the Pāli canonPāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the only completely surviving early Buddhist canon, and one of the first to be written down...
of the Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
tradition and the related Āgamas of other early Buddhist schools
Early Buddhist schools
The early Buddhist schools are those schools into which, according to most scholars, the Buddhist monastic saṅgha initially split, due originally to differences in vinaya, and later also due to doctrinal differences and geographical separation of groups of monks.The original saṅgha split into the...
, samādhi is found in the following contexts:
- In the noble eightfold pathNoble Eightfold PathThe Noble Eightfold Path , is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion...
, "right concentration" (samma-samādhi, S. samyak-samādhi) is the eighth path factor. - Similarly, samādhi is the second part of the Buddha's threefold trainingThreefold TrainingThe Buddha identified the threefold training as training in:* higher virtue * higher mind * higher wisdom - In the Pali Canon :...
: sīlaSilaŚīla or sīla in Buddhism and its non-sectarian offshoots, is a code of conduct that embraces self-restraint with a value on non-harming. It has been variously described as virtue, good conduct, morality, moral discipline and precept. It is an action that is an intentional effort...
(morality or virtue), samādhi, and paññaPannaPanna can refer to:* Aam panna, an Indian drink made from mangoes* Panna, Madhya Pradesh, a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India* Panna district, a district in Sagar Division of Madhya Pradesh, India* Panna National Park, in Madhya Pradesh, India...
(wisdom; S. prajña). - In the development of the four jhānas, the second jhāna (S. dhyāna) is "born" from samādhi (samādhija).
In Buddhism, samādhi is traditionally developed by contemplating one of 40 different objects
Kammatthana
In Buddhism, is a Pali word which literally means the place of work. Figuratively it means the place within the mind where one goes in order to work on spiritual development...
(mentioned in the Pali canon, explicitly enumerated in the Visuddhimagga
Visuddhimagga
The Visuddhimagga , is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive manual condensing the theoretical and practical teaching of the Buddha, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka...
), such as mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati) and loving kindness
Metta
Mettā or maitrī is loving-kindness, friendliness, benevolence, amity, friendship, good will, kindness, love, sympathy, close mental union , and active interest in others. It is one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism, and the first of the four sublime states...
(metta).
Upon development of samādhi, one's mind becomes purified of defilements
Kilesa
Kleshas , in Buddhism, are mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions. Kleshas include states of mind such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire, depression, etc...
, calm, tranquil, and luminous. Once the meditator achieves a strong and powerful concentration, his mind is ready to penetrate and see into the ultimate nature of reality, eventually obtaining release from all suffering
Dukkha
Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
.
In AN
Anguttara Nikaya
The Anguttara Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
IV.41, the Buddha identifies four types of concentration development, each with a different goal:
- a pleasant abiding in this current life - achieved through concentrative development of the four jhānas
- knowledgePrajñaPrajñā or paññā is wisdom, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation...
and the divine eyeAbhijnaAbhijñā has been translated generally as "knowing," "direct knowing" and "direct knowledge" or, at times more technically, as "higher knowledge" and "supernormal knowledge." In Buddhism, such knowing and knowledge is obtained through virtuous living and meditation...
- achieved by concentration on light - mindfulness and clear comprehensionSampajaññaSampajañña means "clear comprehension," "clear knowing," "constant thorough understanding of impermanence," "fully alert" or "full awareness," as well as "attention, consideration, discrimination, comprehension, circumspection."Sampajañña is a Pali term used in Theravada suttas; the equivalent...
- achieved through concentrative mindfulness of the rise and fall of feelingsVedanaVedanā is a word in Sanskrit and Pāli traditionally translated as either "feeling" or "sensation." In general, vedanā refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense organs come into contact with external sense objects and the associated...
, perceptionsSannaThe Sanna is a tributary of the Vistula in Poland. Its source is in the village of Wierzchowiska II in Lublin Voivodeship, Galicia. It flows westward through a rural area. Then, it turns northward for a few kilometers until flowing into the Vistula near the city of Annopol. It is about 50 km...
and thoughts. - the destruction of the taints - achieved through concentrative mindfulness of the rise and fall of the five aggregatesSkandhaIn Buddhist phenomenology and soteriology, the skandhas or khandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging and bases for a sense of self...
.
The Buddhist suttas mention that samādhi practitioners may develop supernormal powers (abhijna
Abhijna
Abhijñā has been translated generally as "knowing," "direct knowing" and "direct knowledge" or, at times more technically, as "higher knowledge" and "supernormal knowledge." In Buddhism, such knowing and knowledge is obtained through virtuous living and meditation...
, cf. siddhis), and list several that the Buddha developed, but warn that these should not be allowed to distract the practitioner from the larger goal of complete freedom from suffering.
Right concentration
In the Buddhist noble eightfold pathNoble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path , is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion...
, the Buddha explains that right concentration (Pāli: sammā-samādhi; Skt.: samyak-samādhi) involves attainment of the successively higher meditative states known as the four jhānas
Dhyāna in Buddhism
Dhyāna in Sanskrit or jhāna in Pāli can refer to either meditation or meditative states. Equivalent terms are "Chán" in modern Chinese, "Zen" in Japanese, "Seon" in Korean, "Thien" in Vietnamese, and "Samten" in Tibetan....
.
In the Theravada commentarial tradition
According to the VisuddhimaggaVisuddhimagga
The Visuddhimagga , is the 'great treatise' on Theravada Buddhist doctrine written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive manual condensing the theoretical and practical teaching of the Buddha, it is considered the most important Theravada text outside of the Tipitaka...
, samādhi is the "proximate cause" to the obtainment of wisdom
Prajña
Prajñā or paññā is wisdom, understanding, discernment or cognitive acuity. Such wisdom is understood to exist in the universal flux of being and can be intuitively experienced through meditation...
.
Indian Mahāyāna
In the Indian Mahāyāna traditions samādhi is used in the earlier sense, but "there also appear in Mahayana literature references to a number of specific samadhi, each with a name and associated benefits, and a number of which are associated with specific sutras. . . one notes the appearance of lengthy lists of samadhi names, which one suspects have acquired their own aura of magical potency. Thus we can find samadhi-name lists, some of considerable length, in the Aksṣayavamatinirdeśa, Bodhisattvapiṭaka, Daśabhhūmīśvara, Gaṇḍavyūha, Kāraṇḍavyūha, Mahāvyutpatti, and various Prajñāpāramitā texts. Section 21 of the Mahāvyutpatti records some 118 samādhi.This is reflected in the Heart Sutra
Heart Sutra
The Heart Sūtra is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.-Introduction:The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of...
, a famous Mahāyāna discourse, in which Avalokiteśvara
Avalokitesvara
Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
gives a teaching in the presence of the Buddha after the Buddha enters "the samādhi which expresses the dharma called Profound Illumination," which provides the context for the teaching.
Likewise, the Samādhirāja Sūtra "declares its main theme to be a particular samādhi that is supposed to be the key to all elements in the path and to all the virtues and merits of buddhas and bodhisattvas. This state of mind, or spiritual practice, is called 'the samādhi that is manifested as the sameness of the essential nature of all dharmas' (sarva-dharma-svabhavā-samatā-vipañcita-samādhi). One may be tempted to assume that this refers to one particular form or state of contemplation; however, here the term 'samādhi' is understood in its broadest signification. This samādhi is at the same time the cognitive experience of emptiness, the attainment of the attributes of buddhahood, and the performance of a variety of practices or daily activities of a bodhisattva—including service and adoration at the feet of all buddhas. The word samādhi is also used to mean the sūtra itself. Consequently, we can speak of an equation, sūtra = samādhi = śūnyatā, underlying the text. In this sense the title Samādhirāja expresses accurately the content of the sūtra."
Zen
In ZenZen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
, the three trainings (or threefold learning) are presented in the Parable of the Lamp using the ancient form of a lamp made up of a dish of oil with a lighted wick. The table (or floor) is the body, the dish is the conscious mind, the oil is moral conduct (sīla), the wick is unperturbed contemplation (samādhi), and the flame is intuitive wisdom (prajñā). That which is a "lamp" does not exist without all of the parts present and functioning. If there is no oil then the wick is dry and the flame won't stay lit. If there is no wick then there is nothing for the flame to be centered upon and anchored to. If there is no flame then it is not actually a lamp but just a bowl of oil with a piece of string in it. The wick does not become a true wick until it is lit, and the flame has no place to light until it has a wick.
Because of this mutual identity of wick and flame, Huineng
Huineng
Dajian Huineng was a Chinese Chán monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies...
, the renowned Sixth Ancestor of Chinese Chan (Zen), taught in Chapter 4 of the Platform Sutra
Platform Sutra
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch , is a Buddhist scripture that was composed in China. It is one of the seminal texts in the Chan/Zen schools. It is centered on discourses given at Shao Zhou temple attributed to the sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng...
that samādhi and prajñā are not different:
Learned Audience, in my system Samadhi and Prajna are fundamental. But do not be under the wrong impression that these two are independent of each other, for they are inseparably united and are not two entities. Samadhi is the quintessence of Prajna, while Prajna is the activity of Samadhi. At the very moment that we attain Prajna, Samadhi is therewith; and vice versa. If you understand this principle, you understand the equilibrium of Samadhi and Prajna. A disciple should not think that there is a distinction between 'Samadhi begets Prajna' and 'Prajna begets Samadhi'. To hold such an opinion would imply that there are two characteristics in the Dharma.
In Zen, samādhi is the unified state of steady or unperturbed awareness. In Chapter 5 of the Platform Sutra
Platform Sutra
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch , is a Buddhist scripture that was composed in China. It is one of the seminal texts in the Chan/Zen schools. It is centered on discourses given at Shao Zhou temple attributed to the sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng...
, Huineng described the role of samādhi in meditation practice as follows:
When we are free from attachment to all outer objects, the mind will be in peace. Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure, and the reason why we are perturbed is because we allow ourselves to be carried away by the circumstances we are in. He who is able to keep his mind unperturbed, irrespective of circumstances, has attained Samadhi. To be free from attachment to all outer objects is Dhyana, and to attain inner peace is Samadhi. When we are in a position to deal with Dhyana and to keep our inner mind in Samadhi, then we are said to have attained Dhyana and Samadhi.
Intelligence
According to B. Alan WallaceB. Alan Wallace
B. Alan Wallace is an American author, translator, teacher, researcher, interpreter, and Buddhist practitioner interested in the intersections of consciousness studies and scientific disciplines such as psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and physics...
, samādhi is also viewed as serving as the basis for increasing intelligence. Wallace also maintains that Buddhist psychology suggests that concentration may be a factor in the emergence of extraordinary intelligence.