སྙོམས་པར་འཇུག་པ། | Glossary of Terms

A kind of meditative concentration.

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level,” whereas it may be intended as sam-āpatti, with a meaning similar to “samādhi” or “concentration,” but also to “completion.”

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of being “equal” or “level,” whereas it may very well be, like “samādhi,” sam-āpatti, with the similar meaning of concentration, but also of completion.

One of the synonyms for the meditative state, in tems of both the state itself and the various meditative states that serve as attainments along the path. The Tibetan translation interprets it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level;” however, it can also be parsed as sam-āpatti, in which case it would have the sense of “concentration,” or “absorption,” much like “samādhi,” but with the added sense of “completion.”

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level,” whereas it may very well be like “samādhi,” sam-āpatti, with the same meaning.

One of the synonyms for the meditative state. The Tibetan translation interpreted it as sama-āpatti, which brings in the idea of “equal,” or “level,” whereas it may very well be like “samādhi,” sam-āpatti, with the similar meaning of concentration. Unlike samādhi, however, it also occurs with the meaning of “completion,” “attainment,” and “diligent practice.”

A technical term referring to a meditative state attained through the practice of concentration.

A technical term referring to a meditative state attained through the practice of concentration. Usually a reference to the nine gradual attainments (navānupūrvavihārasamāpatti, mthar gyis gnas pa’i snyoms par ’jug pa dgu) that include the four attainments of the form realm, the four formless attainments, and the attainment of the state of cessation. (The word “attainment” is also used here to translate non-technical words that have the sense of “obtain” or “acquire.”)

A state of one-pointed mental equilibrium.

A technical term referring to a meditative state attained through the practice of concentration. (The word “attainment” is also used here to translate non-technical words that have the sense of “obtain” or “acquire.”)

A state of one-pointed mental equilibrium.

“Absorption” has been translated as “meditation,” “contemplation,” “attainment,” etc., and any of these words might serve. The problem is to establish one English word for each of the important Sanskrit words samāpatti, dhyāna, samādhi, bhāvanā, etc., so as to preserve a consistency with the original. Therefore, I have adopted for these terms, respectively, “absorption,” “contemplation,” “concentration” and “realization” or “cultivation,” reserving the word “meditation” for general use with any of the terms when they are used not in a specific sense but to indicate mind-practice in general.

A state of mental equilibrium derived from deep concentration.

A state of mental equilibrium derived from deep concentration.

A state of mental equilibrium derived from deep concentration.

A state of mental equipoise derived from deep concentration.

Meditative equipoise or evenness of mind. Another synonym for meditation, this also refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

Meditative equipoise or evenness of mind. Another synonym for meditation, this refers to a category of advanced meditative attainments.

May refer to the “four formless absorptions” and/or the “nine serial absorptions.”

One of several common terms that are used to describe meditative states. The four states of meditative attainment refer here to the states of infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor absence of perception.