What is Samadhi, concentration or stillness?

Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

"Concentration" is a very misleading translation of the Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu term samādhi. It literally means "the [mental] state of being firmly fixed."

Sam+ā+√ hā is the fixing of the mind [attention, the heart] on a single object. "One-pointedness of mind (cittass' ekaggatā), Ven. Visakha, this is called samadhi" (MN 44).

The English language term "concentration" connotes effort, struggle, control, and force, as if it is something achieved by grimacing, pressing one's temples, and strongly desiring in the heart. These are all antithetical to samadhi.

One enters with ease, calming down, letting go, directing and guiding the mind persistently but without force or frustration. Fixation might be closer, except that that usually involves strong craving.

Imagine a light in a dark room. It would not be difficult to notice. It might be the only external attraction with only internal distractions.

Coming back to it until the mind becomes fixed or fixated on it would be good, at least to the extent that it otherwise clears the mind and brings it into the present moment: this attention on this single thing.

While often very weak it is one of the seven mental concomitants inseparably associated with all consciousness. Compare with the terms nāma (name or mind) and cetanā (intention, motivation).

"Right stillness" (sammā-samādhi), as the last link of the Ennobling Eightfold Path (magga), is defined as the first four meditative absorptions (jhānas).

In a wider sense, comprising also much weaker states of attention, it is associated with all karmically skillful/wholesome (kusala) consciousness.

"Wrong attention" (micchā-samādhi) is attending associated with all karmically unskillful/unwholesome (akusala) consciousness.

Wherever in the texts this term is not differentiated by "right" or "wrong," "right" attention or stillness is meant.

In stillnes or attention one distinguishes three grades of intensity:

(1) "Preparatory stillness" (parikamma-samādhi) existing at the beginning of the mental exercise.

(2) "Neighborhood stillness" (upacāra-samādhi), that is, stillness "approaching" but not yet attaining the first meditative absorption (jhāna), which in certain mental exercises is marked by the appearance of a "counter-image" (patibhāga-nimitta).

(3) "Attainment stillness" (appanā-samādhi), that is, that stillness that is present during the absorptions (App.) For further details, see bhāvana, The Path of Purification (Vis.M. III), and Fund. IV.

Mental stillness connected with the four noble (enlightened) path-moments (magga), and fruition-moments (phala) is called supermundane (lokuttara), having nirvana as their object.

Any other attention, even that of the most sublime absorptions is merely mundane (lokiya).

According to DN 33, the development of stillness (samādhi-bhāvanā) may procure a fourfold blessing:

1. present happiness through the four absorptions;
2. knowing and seeing (knowledge and vision or ñāna-dassana, here probably identical with the "divine eye" (abhiññā) through perception of light (kasina);
3. mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajjana) through the clear knowledge of the arising, turning, and passing away of feelings, perceptions, and thoughts;
4. extinction of all cankers (āsavakkhaya) through understanding the arising and passing away of the Five Aggregates clung to as self (khandha).

Stillness is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (satta bojjhanga), one of the Five Spiritual Faculties and Five Powers (bala), and the last link of the Noble Eightfold Path.

In the threefold division of the Noble Eightfold Path (into the categories of virtue, stillness, and wisdom), stillness is a collective name for the three last links of the path (sikkhā).