Rediscovering Right Concentration

We understand right concentration, or samma samādhi, or the four jhānā (used interchangeably in this interactive study guide) to be pleasant, embodied, pacified states of active discernment.

Not only are they the result of the successful establishment of one’s sati on the four satipaṭṭhānā, they also form the basis for the deepening, and continuation, of that very satipaṭṭhāna practice, leading the mind onwards to increasingly subtler levels of stillness, calm and happiness, borne of discernment, disenchantment, dispassion and relinquishment.

We also make the following assertions:

• Vitakka and vicāra mean thought and examination
• As such, there is thinking in the first jhāna
• One experiences the five senses while abiding in any of the four jhānā
• One can dwell in samma samādhi in any of the four postures, or while doing certain ‘basic’ activities
• Satipaṭṭhāna and jhāna operate in symbiosis, leading us to virtually equate the two terms, especially when they reach maturity
• Nibbāna can be attained from any of the four jhānā

This guide is an attempt to collate various suttas from the Pāli Canon, in a way that makes a compelling case for all of the above, and more.

As with any presentation of the Dhamma, students and practitioners should “come and see”, and evaluate for themselves, whether this approach leads to a lessening of greed, hatred, and delusion.