Key Terms/dhyāna

ध्यान dhyāna

meditative absorption

བསམ་གཏན་

bsam gtan

禪,禪那,靜慮

chán,\ chánnà,\ jìnglǜ

Sanskrit - Noun

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1. Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, dhyāna (T. bsam gtan) refers to states of one-pointed concentration where the mind is withdrawn from external sensory awareness and remains absorbed in an ideational object. While it involves the power to control the mind, it does not in itself entail enduring insight but prepares the mind for the direct realization of truth and the destruction of afflictions (kleśa). It is standardly classified into:
   • The four meditative absorptions of the realm of subtle materiality (rūpāvacaradhyāna), characterized by the presence or absence of factors such as applied thought (vitarka), sustained thought (vicāra), joy (prīti), bliss (sukha), and equanimity (upekṣā).
   • The four meditative absorptions of the immaterial realm (ārūpyāvacaradhyāna): infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.
   • Together with the absorption of cessation (nirodhasamāpatti), these are often termed the "nine successive abidings."
2. Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna, dhyāna is practiced as the fifth perfection (dhyānapāramitā). It is defined as a virtuous one-pointed mind that acts as a basis for special insight (vipaśyanā). The "Perfection of Meditation" is traditionally classified into three types:
   • Meditation that establishes the body and mind in bliss (T. lus sems bde ba la gnas par byed pa'i bsam gtan).
   • Meditation that achieves qualities such as the superknowledges (T. yon tan mngon par sgrub pa'i bsam gtan).
   • Meditation that works for the benefit of sentient beings (T. sems can gyi don byed pa'i bsam gtan). Mastery of this perfection is typically correlated with the fifth bodhisattva ground, sudurjayā (the "Difficult to Conquer").
3. Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, dhyāna refers to the specific meditative stabilizations used during the generation stage (utpannakrama) to visualize the deity and its maṇḍala, and during the completion stage (sampannakrama) to manipulate the subtle winds, channels, and drops. It often refers to the union of "calm abiding" (śamatha) and "special insight" (vipaśyanā) focused on the non-dual nature of mind.
4. Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, formal dhyāna is often refined into a state of "non-meditation" (T. sgom med), which is the effortless resting in the natural, unfabricated state of mind (rigpa). Rather than a deliberate effort to concentrate, it is the recognition of the primordial clarity and emptiness that has been present from the beginning.
5. Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, jhāna refers to the deep states of absorption reached through the cultivation of tranquility (samatha). These are essential for strengthening the mind's focus so that insight (vipassanā) can effectively penetrate the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
6. East Asian Buddhism Context: Dhyāna is the root of the term "Chan" (China) and "Zen" (Japan). While it originally referred to meditative absorption, in these traditions it came to represent a broader approach to direct, intuitive realization of one's own nature, often transcending formal meditative structures or conceptual study.

In other languages

Tibetan

བསམ་གཏན་

bsam gtan

samten

Sanskrit

ध्यान

dhyāna

Chinese

禪, 禪那, 靜慮

chán, chánnà, jìnglǜ

Japanese

zen, zenna, jōryo

Korean

seon, seonna, jeongryeo

How translators render it

meditative absorptionBuddha-nature Standard

Term type

Noun

Source language

Sanskrit

Topic

dhyāna

Alternate spellings

jhāna, bsam gtan, བསམ་གཏན་, meditative stability

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