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Teacher: Rodney Smith
Date: 2012-02-21
Venue: Seattle Insight Meditation Center
Series
- Fundamentals of the Dharma 2012-01-10
Description
The Buddha once said that his teaching directed us toward three principles: sila (ethical conduct), panna (wisdom), and samadhi (firmness of mind). Samadhi is the fundamental principle of a steady and harmonious mind. During samadhi, consciousness is not wavering with each thought but firm and stationary, allowing attention to be bare and free for observation. There is a component of wisdom within samadhi since the mind is resolute and unperturbed by states of mind, yet there is a difference between samadhi and awareness. Awareness is not a state of mind and samadhi is a conditioned state that changes over time; awareness is more easily acknowledged when the mind is firm and steady.
Homework
Begin to understand the difference between concentration, the ability to focus the mind, and wise samadhi, steadiness of mind and mental harmony. When you are practicing concentration (on breath, listening, or focused on something interesting) what happens to your focus when the environment becomes chaotic or loud? Notice how concentration is dependent upon conditions. Samadhi has the ability to expand beyond and hold circumstances and remain steadfast. Practice simple exercises that prove this point. For instance, try reading a book in the middle of noise and commotion, and then look up and embrace the entire scene without demands. Which is concentration and which is samadhi? What is the value of each?
Video
Link to view on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/37400008
TalkID=928 SeriesID=45
