Question: What is the difference between sati and samādhi?
Than Ajahn: Sati is ‘cause.’ You need a cause before you can get an effect. So, sati is the cause that will make the mind become calm and peaceful (samādhi).
Sati is mindfulness or the ability to control your thoughts, to stop your thoughts. It’s mindfulness. If you cannot stop your thoughts, you cannot have samādhi because in order to have samādhi, the mind has to stop thinking. So, first you have to develop the ability to stop your thoughts which is developing sati.
The way to develop sati is to focus your mind on one thing, such as a mantra. If you’re moving around or doing things, you can use a mantra to stop your thoughts. For example, if you’re running, jogging, walking or not doing anything that require thinking, but yet you still keep thinking about this and that, then you use a mantra to stop your thoughts. Recite: ‘Buddho, Buddho, Buddho.’ Then, you will not be able to think about this or think about that.
But in order for the mind to become perfectly still, you have to sit down. When you sit down, you can continue on with your mantra if you like. If you get tired of using a mantra, you can watch your breath. Focus your attention at the tip of your nose. Keep watching your breath that comes in and goes out. Don’t think about other things. If you can continue with this, eventually, your mind will stop thinking. It’ll become perfectly still, happy and neutral. There is no emotion left in the mind. No love, hatred, fear or delusion. This is samādhi.
In order to get to samādhi, you need sati which is the ability to stop your thoughts. If you have the ability to stop your thoughts, you don’t need to have a mantra. As soon as you know you’re thinking, you can stop it right away. Then, you don’t need a mantra.
Dhamma in English, Sep 7, 2018.
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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