Samadhi meditation refers to the attempt to attain a state of consciousness in which the thought and being of the meditator become one with the object of contemplation. The attainment of samadhi meditation is considered a requirement to achieving enlightenment in Buddhism. Samadhi meditation has been taught by the Buddha using forty different objects of consideration, including the breath, reflection on the idea of living kindness, and various colors and elements. The development of samadhi, the unified state of consciousness, allows the meditator to temporarily be purified and free from defilements. The state of samadhi is described as being calm, luminous, and tranquil. Once the subject is able to achieve this powerful, focused form of concentration, the nature of reality and the way to release from all suffering become clear.
Samadhi is considered the pinnacle of meditative attainment. Beginners to meditation should not seek to attain this rarefied state. Very few who make the attempt ever succeed. Deliberation on samadhi is a difficult endeavor, requiring much preparation. When samadhi meditation is attained, it is not possible for the meditator to be affected by thoughts or normal consciousness. The individual is caught up in this state of rumination, overwhelmed by feelings of infinite bliss and peace. The course of samadhi meditation involves the complete loss of all identity. Those who obtain this special state become merged with the Divine energy that fills the world.
Seekers who have obtained samadhi can lose the ability to operate within the normal world. The joy of the state of samadhi meditation causes them to lose all desire to rejoin the rest of existence. In existence, so the Buddha teaches, there is suffering. Samadhi meditation takes the practitioner beyond the experience of suffering and into the realm of oneness with the universe. When the meditator comes out of the state of samadhi, he or she will often find that they have experienced a more enlightened perspective. This can cause a dramatic shift in their way of looking at the world. Samadhi meditation is the direct experience of the highest possible state of consciousness. All thought and mental noise is eliminated as the consciousness becomes submerged in the Divine essence. Samadhi is the perfect state of clear seeing, providing a feeling of peace with oneself, the Universe, and everyone in the world. Samadhi meditation is an important tool in reaching total enlightenment. Samadhi meditation and insight meditation have been called the two wheels of the chariot of the eightfold path to enlightenment.
By Kelly Cramer