The origins of the practice of dhyāna, which culminates in samādhi, are a matter of dispute.
See also: Dhyāna in Buddhism § Origins, and Dhyāna in Hinduism § Origins The Chinese Buddhist canon includes these, as well as other translations and transliterations of the term.Īccording to Rhys Davids the first attested usage of the term samādhi in Sanskrit literature was in the Maitri Upanishad probably composed in late 1st millennium BCE. Kumarajiva's translations typically use sanmei (三昧), while the translations of Xuanzang tend to use ding (定 "fixity"). sama, "equanimous" dhi, "buddhi or the intellect" Ĭommon Chinese terms for samādhi include the transliterations sanmei (三昧) and sanmodi (三摩地 or 三摩提), as well as the translation of the term literally as ding (定 "fixity").sam, "perfect" or "complete" dhi, "consciousness": a state of being where all distinctions between the person who is the subjective meditator, the act of meditation and the object of meditation merge into oneness.samā, "even" dhi, "intellect": a state of total equilibrium of a detached intellect.sam, "uniformly" or "fully" adhi, "to get established" : a state wherein one establishes himself to the fullest extent in the Supreme consciousness.sam, "together" ā, "toward" stem of dadhati, "puts, places": a putting or joining together.sam, "together" or "integrated" ā, "towards" dhā, "to get, to hold": to acquire integration or wholeness, or truth ( samāpatti).Usually understood as "state of the original balance" (at the time of creation) or "perfect balance" samā,"balance" ādi, "the first" or "the original".Various interpretations for the term's etymology are possible: A blissful super consciousness state in which a yogi perceives the identity of the individualized Soul and Cosmic Spirit. Paramahansa Yogananda: A soundless state of breathlessness.Shankman: an abiding in which mind becomes very still but does not merge with the object of attention, and is thus able to observe and gain insight into the changing flow of experience.Diener, Erhard & Fischer-Schreiber: samādhi is a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the observing object.Sarbacker: samādhi is meditative absorption, attained by the practice of dhyāna.