samadhi

Samadhi is a term used in several Indian religious and philosophical traditions to denote a state of deep meditative absorption in which the practitioner’s mind becomes fully absorbed in the object of meditation, often described as a sense of unity or nonduality that transcends ordinary discursive thought. Etymologically, it is from Sanskrit, commonly explained as a state of “putting together” or “placing in” a unified focus.

In the Yoga tradition, most notably in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, samadhi is the culmination of the eightfold path. It is described as a specialised form of concentration that follows the stages of dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation). Classical yoga theory often divides samadhi into sub-states, such as samprajnata samadhi (with seed or discriminative thought) and asamprajnata samadhi (without seed, a more formless absorption). Some later commentators distinguish further variants such as nirvikalpa and savikalpa samadhi, associated with different qualities of awareness and realization.

In Hindu and Buddhist contexts, samadhi is a central concept but is framed differently. In many Hindu schools, it represents a profound internal absorption that dissolves the sense of separate self and aligns realization with the true nature of reality. In Buddhism, the related states are described in terms of jhāna (dhyāna) and concentration practices that support insight (vipassana). Across traditions, samadhi is viewed as a necessary stage on the path to higher wisdom, stillness, or enlightenment.

A secondary, non-spiritual meaning exists in Indian languages: samadhi can also refer to a memorial shrine or tomb for a respected person, distinct from the meditative sense described above.