Samadhi

This article is about meditation. For other uses, see Samādhi (disambiguation).

An image of the Buddha in samadhi from Gal Vihara, Sri Lanka
Statue of a meditating Shiva, Rishikesh

Samādhi (Pali and Sanskrit: समाधि), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivation of Samādhi through various meditation methods is essential for the attainment of spiritual liberation (known variously as nirvana, moksha).[1]

In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path.[web 1] In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.[2][3] In Jain meditation, samadhi is considered one of the last stages of the practice just prior to liberation.[4]

In the oldest Buddhist sutras, on which several contemporary western Theravada teachers rely, it refers to the development of an investigative and luminous mind that is equanimous and mindful. In the yogic traditions and the Buddhist commentarial tradition, on which the Burmese Vipassana movement and the Thai Forest tradition rely, it is interpreted as a meditative absorption or trance attained by the practice of dhyāna.[5]

  1. ^ Pragya, Samani Pratibha (2017), Prekṣā meditation : history and methods, p. 82. PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London
  2. ^ "The eight limbs, The core of Yoga". Expressions of Spirit.
  3. ^ "8 Limbs of Yoga: Samādhi". Families.
  4. ^ Pragya, Samani Pratibha (2017), Prekṣā meditation : history and methods, p. 82. PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London
  5. ^ Sarbacker 2012, p. 13.


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