Re: Not Concentration

Dear Ven Kumara,

Thanks for your initial post, which has prompted such an interesting discussion. While I also like 'composure' as a translation of samadhi, I agree with others who have discussed how 'concentration' does not necessarily imply an imbalanced use of will-power. Can I also share a teaching on meditation that comes from my own tradition, which is the Triratan Buddhist Community (formerly known as Friends of the Western Buddhist Order). In our movement, many meditators have also found that wilfulness became a problem for them when they tried too hard to concentrate on the object of meditation. In order to counteract this, a distinction has been made between FOCUS and BREADTH in meditation. In order to have stable concentration, a meditator needs to have a broad basis of awareness, especially of the body. He or she can then develop the kind of focus on the object, for instance the breath, which leads to access concentration and jhāna, and hence to the possibility of effective insight reflection.

Good wishes,
Dhivan