About the Course:

There is a wide range of views among teachers about the place of samādhi (concentration) in insight meditation.  Some stress the importance of concentration while others teach that insight arises through mindfulness alone and do not give concentration any particular emphasis.  Unraveling the mix of ideas about what proper concentration is and its place in dharma practice can be difficult.  Students may become confused about the degree or type of samādhi they should cultivate or how to incorporate it into their meditation practice.  

In this course, we will explore the various ways samadhi (concentration) and jhāna are presented in the foundational Pāli texts and the range of ways they are practiced and taught today.  We will explore how concentration is understood in relation to insight, and how they can be brought together in a mutually supportive way.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome to Samādhi and Jhāna in Buddhist Meditation

    1. Class 1 - Introduction

    2. Class 2 - Historical Context & Background

    3. Class 3 - Introduction to Samādhi

    4. Class 4 - Samādhi in Important Buddhist Lists

    5. Class 5 - Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta

    6. Class 6 - Ānāpānasati Sutta

    7. Class 7 - Jhāna

    8. Q&A Period

    9. Class 8 - Rapture & Pleasure

    10. Class 9 - Vitakka-vicāra

    11. Class 11 - 2nd, 3rd & 4th Jhāna

    12. Class 12 - Three Divergent Paths in Suttas After Jhāna

    1. Class 1 - Samādhi in the Visuddhimagga

    2. Class 2 - Three Levels & Signs of Concentration

    3. Class 3 Many Systems

    4. First Q&A

    5. Class 4 - Controversies Surrounding Samādhi

    6. Class 5 - Are Samādhi and Insight Two Paths or One?

    7. Class 6 - Is Jhāna necessary for Liberating Insight?

    8. Class 7 - Conclusion

    9. Second Q&A

    10. Class 8 - Four Stages of Enlightenment

    11. Third Q&A

    12. Class 9 - Guided Reflections

    1. One More Thing

About this course

  • Free
  • 26 lessons
  • 5 hours of video content

Instructor(s)

Richard Shankman

Richard Shankman has been a meditator since 1970 and teaches at dharma centers and groups nationally, including Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Society. He is a co-founder of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies and Mindful Schools. He is the author of "The Experience of Samadhi: An In-Depth Investigation of Buddhist Meditation" and "The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation: Mindfulness, Concentration, and Insight".