Dear Sakyaputtiyo,
Op 15-jun-2011, om 15:03 heeft sakyaputtiyo het volgende geschreven:

> dhamma friends, can we have a discussion about sammaa samaadhi?
> What is sammaa samaadhi? Is it only jhaanas or is it only the
> concentration in magga cittas?...based on pali literature.

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N: As you suggest, sammaa samaadhi is of a great variety, it has
several meanings, depending on the context. It is actually a
cetasika, mental factor, arising with every citta, moment of
consciousness. It is called ekaggataa cetasika, one-pointedness.

Ekaggataa which has as function to focus on an object is translated
as 'one-pointedness' or concentration. When we hear the word
concentration we may believe that ekaggataa only occur in samatha,
tranquil meditation, but this is not so. It is true that when calm is
developed ekaggataa also develops, but ekaggataa does not only occur
in samatha. Ekaggataa accompanies every citta, although its quality
is different as it arises with different cittas.

Ekaggataa which accompanies akusala ciata is also called 'micchaa-
samaadhi', wrong concentration. Ekaggataa which accompanies kusala
citta is also called 'sammaa-samaadhi', right concentration. Samaadhi
is another word for ekaggataa cetasika. Although wrong concentration
and right concentration are both ekaggataa cetasika their qualities
are different. Sammaa-samaadhi focuses on the object in the right
way, the wholesome way. There are many levels of right concentration.

Sammaa-samaadhi is one of the jhaana-factors which are developed in
samatha in order to suppress the hindrances and attain jhaana. The
jhaana factors of applied thought (vitakka), sustained thought
(vicara), enthusiasm (piiti), happy feeling (sukha) and samaadhi have
to be developed together in order to attain jhaana. All the jhaana-
factors assist the citta to attain tranquillity by means of a
meditation subject.

Sammaa-samaadhi is one of the factors of the eightfold Path. When
pa~n~naa knows, for example, the visible object which presents itself
as only a ruupa appearing through the eyes or the seeing which
presents itself as only a naama which experiences visible object,
there is also right concentration at that moment: sammaa samaadhi
focuses on the object in the right way.
When sammaa-samaadhi accompanies lokuttara citta, sammaa-samaadhi is
also lokuttara and it focuses on nibbaana. Then sammaa-samaadhi is a
factor of the supramundane eightfold Path (lokuttara magga).

In the suttas right concentration is often defined as the four jhaana
stages, but not always. We have to study the context in each case.
Sometimes there is reference to samaadhi-bhaavanaa and this is the
knowledge of the destruction of the cankers of the arahat with jhaana
as basis (paadaka-jhaana). Thus in this case someone developed both
jhaana and vipassanaa and jhaana was the base for insight, he emerged
from jhaana and was mindful of the jhaanafactors and any reality that
appeared through the six doors.

Sammaa samaadhi can also refer to samaadhi that accompanies the
fruition-consciousness (lokuttara vipaakacitta that is the result of
the magga-citta) of the arahat. This is the highest level of calm
since all defilements have been eradicated.

Thus, there is a great variety of the quality of sammaa-samaadhi and
we have to study the different texts in order to understand the context.

Nina.




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