Richard, Gassho,

In the Digha Nikaya the eights are as follows: samma-ditthi; samma-sankappa; samma-vaca; samma-kammanta; samma-ajiva; samma-vayama; samma-sata; samma-samadhi. Or, right view; thought; speech; action; livelihood; effort; mindfulness; concentration.

Samadhi in Pali is most often taken to mean concentration as a necessary condition to the attainment of higher wisdom and emancipation. It is also written that samadhi is the intent of mind and meditation. This may be found in the Satipatthana Sutta in the Digha Nikaya.

Some sources (people, not texts) say that the first seven lead to right concentration ... and that concentration is itself the High Path aka maggam uttaman. It is quite clear however in the Digha Nikaya that concentration is not itself maggam uttaman, and that concentration is only one aspect of maggam uttaman. Maggam uttaman is the Eightfold Path ... and one will not attain higher wisdom and emancipation by concentration alone.

Meditation is adhicitta or annupubba, and is taken to mean reflection and introspection of thought. It would seem that Buddha meant concentration rather than meditation ... otherwise he would not have used the term samadhi.

Panna is a class of indriya and is the faculty of cognition or understanding and is one of many aspects of samadhi. Janana has the similar meaning of cognition, recognition, to attain knowledge, and the ability to learn.

As for potatoes ... If all individuals thought alike and had no individuality, then you could teach, or end all suffering, by just one method, or one passage, or one word. The potatoes are in a kettle, like one large vessel ... one large vessel is like the one truth. People are each in their own vessel ... if they recognized the truth of one large vessel, then they would already be Buddhas and they would not be in need of finding the path because they would already be there. Since they are each in samsara they must be addressed as individual potatoes until they recognize on their own that there is no one potato (ie. no self).

With Metta,

Jim

Responses:

1. Thank You JIm for the straight answer. , posted by Richard , 03/09/03, 05:49:07.
2. Potatoes , posted by Ann , 03/09/03, 07:36:26.

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