What Is Samadhi Meditation?

Samadhi meditation is an advanced form of concentration that its practitioners say allows a person to reach the highest state of consciousness. It is considered to be total and complete meditation. In the Yoga Sutras, samadhi is explained as a state of complete control over the body and mind. Samadhi means "one" or "same" and characterizes a state in which the meditator becomes one with the object of meditation. Buddha taught this type of meditation using 40 objects of consideration, including the breath, various colors and reflection on the idea of living kindness.

In Hinduism, samadhi is described as being aware of your existence without thinking. The meditator becomes one with the universe and aware of the nature of reality. Samadhi meditation is considered to be the highest level of concentrated meditation.

The altered state of samadhi meditation is one of joy and bliss, in which the meditator is released from the illusory layers of self, such as the body and ego. It is a state of surrender in which one is free of suffering and totally aligned with universal consciousness. In samadhi, the meditator is said to be free of thought and any attachment. There is no illusion or separation in this meditative state. It is said to be the joy of pure oneness, in which individual consciousness merges with the universal consciousness.

Beginners in meditation are advised not to attempt to attain the level of concentration necessary to reach samadhi meditation. It is very difficult to achieve, and much preparation is necessary before attempting to reach this meditative state. Very few meditators succeed in attaining samadhi meditation. Meditators who do reach samadhi are said to merge with the divine universal energy and experience total peace. According to practitioners, people who reach this state might lose the desire to return to normal existence after experiencing the total bliss of samadhi meditation.

Samadhi meditation is considered a perfect state of consciousness and a step to reaching enlightenment. It allows the meditator to see everyone and everything more clearly, and it can change the way the meditator perceives himself or herself and the world in which he or she exists. Samadhi meditation is considered to be a state of pure peace, beyond suffering and separateness, in which all doubt disappears and only the pure consciousness of the true nature of self remains.