The Sanskrit word samadhi means “concentration” or “to bring together.” The word is most often associated with meditation. As meditation, it is one of Buddhism’s three trainings, along with sila (morality or good conduct) and prajna (insight or wisdom). As Right Concentration, or Samyak Samadhi, it is the eighth part of the Eightfold Path. Samadhi can refer to both the activity of meditation and the absorbed state of mind of a meditating person.
At a deeper level, “samadhi” refers to meditative absorption or meditative stability, meaning the mind is one-pointed, still, and non-reactive. There are levels of samadhi that are characterized by deeper stillness and stability. In the deepest level of samadhi, there is complete merging of subject and object, and all sense of self-and-other disappears.
In Buddhism’s oldest teachings, the Pali Canon, samadhi is considered one of the “seven factors of enlightenment.”
Related Reading
The Eightfold Path: Right Concentration
When you’re in harmony with all the factors on the eightfold path, that is right concentration. A teaching by Bradley Donaldson.
What Is the Threefold Training?
Buddhist training falls into three categories: sila (discipline or ethical living), samadhi (concentration), and prajna (insight or wisdom).
Buddhism A–Z
Explore essential Buddhist terms, concepts, and traditions.