SAMĀDHI IN BUDDHISM As I have learned from different sources, people in the West have shown an increasing interest in Buddhism and particularly in samādhi. For this reason I feel it necessary for us t…
I. The Correct Way of Practicing Meditation Now, let us take a closer look at samādhi, which means–when interpreted in a simple way—the state of a steadfast mind. We remember well sammā-samādhi in the…
1. Samādhi for Mental Energy Many people are interested in the mental energy aspect of samādhi, in psychic power and marvels. If samādhi were good for these only, Buddhism would not have been born. In…
2. Samādhi for Happiness and Tranquillity Before talking about the last point on samādhi—clear mind, I would like to go over the use of samādhi for happiness and tranquillity. The use of samādhi as a …
3. Samādhi for Clear Mind and Cultivation of Wisdom The Threefold Training system gathers all important Dhammas under one roof. These Dhammas work together to proceed to the ultimate goal—the liberati…
Attendant Benefits Let us now look at some of the attendant benefits of samādhi which may be beneficial to the world in the present day. These are, however, only side benefits and cannot be considered…
II. Techniques to Prevent and Overcome the Potential Misuses of Samādhi It is stated in the scriptures that samādhi can produce both positive and negative effects. What negative effects can samādhi pr…
1. Maintaining the Five Controlling Faculties in Equilibrium The Five Controlling Faculties (indriya) are important Dhamma constituents in the practice. They are: faith (saddhā), effort (viriya), mind…
2. Attuning the Practice to Conform to the Threefold Training What has just been presented is a further explanation of the role of samādhi. We can see that samādhi is an important constituent in Buddh…
Contentment Contentment (santosa or santuṭṭhi) is an important factor which supports the development of samādhi. In fact, it does not support merely samādhi but also all other practices of Dhamma, inc…