The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
18 March 2023
Question: Can you explain the difference between sati (mindfulness) and samādhi (concentration)?
Than Ajahn: Sati is the cause that will make the mind become concentrated. Before the mind can become concentrated, become still, become samādhi, you need to stop your thought because your thought will make your mind not still and not concentrated. So, you have to force your thought to think of only one thing, like repeating a mantra, ‘buddho, buddho, buddho’.
When you keep reciting the mantra, ‘buddho, buddho, buddho’, then you cannot think about your wife, your children, your friends, your money, your business or places where you want to go to take a holiday.
So, when you stop thinking about all these things, your mind will then become calm, peaceful, and still.
Actually, the word, ‘samādhi’ is the result of concentrating your mind with mindfulness. When you use mindfulness, you are concentrating your mind on only one object like a mantra. And when your mind is concentrated on only one object, it will become still. When it becomes still, we call it ‘samādhi’.
Samādhi is the stillness or calmness of the mind. Samādhi is analogous to an automobile that comes to a stop and doesn’t move. When the automobile is moving, it’s not samādhi. When the automobile stops, then it is samādhi. The mind is like an automobile. It keeps thinking on and on. Think about this thing.
Think about that thing. It will never stop until you apply the brake. If you want to stop your automobile, you have to apply the brake. Once you use the brake, then the automobile will stop.
Mindfulness is like the brake you use to stop your thought. When you can stop your thought with mindfulness, then the mind will become still and happy. This is called ‘samādhi’. So, in conclusion, sati is the cause, that will make samādhi arise. Without mindfulness or sati, you can never have samādhi or stillness of the mind.
Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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