Samadhi represents concentrated mental stability and unification, developed through systematic practice to support insight into the nature of mind and reality.
Samadhi—concentrated mental stability where attention unifies on a single object—is fundamental to both Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Abhidharma Buddhist psychology. Patanjali describes samadhi as the culmination of yogic practice, where individual consciousness merges with universal consciousness. Abhidharma treats samadhi (samatha) as an essential mental factor and foundational basis for vipassana (insight). Buddhist psychology in depth recognizes that without stable concentration, the mind remains scattered and unable to perceive subtle patterns of conditioning and causality. Abhidharma delineates different samadhi states: access concentration, jhanic states with varying qualities of joy and equanimity, and formless absorptions. These are not mystical experiences but precisely describable mental states accessible through systematic practice. Samadhi training develops the mental strength necessary for sustained investigation, making it the indispensable foundation for penetrative insight into impermanence, non-self, and the mechanisms of suffering.
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