MN 20, MN 119: samādhi is dynamic, lucid, discerning in all postures and activities, not a frozen stupor

 

MN 119 samādhi while doing kāya-gatā-sati

kāya = physical body.
kāya-gatā = immersed in the body
sati = "mindfulness" = R.A.D. = remembering and applying Dharma every moment
MN 119 has all the same exercises of kāya-anupassana (seeing body as body) of famous satipaṭṭhāna sutta,
but with an emphasis of having 4 jhāna quality of samādhi while doing those satipaṭṭhāna exercises
in all postures and activities.

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, subhūmiyaṃ catu-mahā-pathe ājañña-ratho	“Suppose there were a chariot on level ground at four crossroads,
yutto assa ṭhito odhasta-patodo;	harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with whips lying ready,
tamenaṃ dakkho yoggācariyo assa-damma-sārathi	so that a dexterous driver, a trainer of tamable horses,
abhiruhitvā vāmena hatthena rasmiyo gahetvā dakkhiṇena hatthena patodaṃ gahetvā	might mount and—taking the reins with his left hand and the whip with his right—
yen'-icchakaṃ yadicchakaṃ sāreyyāpi paccāsāreyyāpi;	drive out & back, to whatever place & by whichever road he liked;
evameva kho, bhikkhave,	in the same way,
yassa kassaci kāyagatāsati bhāvitā bahulīkatā,	when anyone has developed & pursued remembering immersed in the body,
so yassa yassa abhiññāsacchikaraṇīyassa dhammassa cittaṃ abhininnāmeti abhiññā-sacchi-kiriyāya,	then whichever of the six higher knowledges he turns his mind to know & realize,
tatra tatreva sakkhibhabbataṃ pāpuṇāti sati satiāyatane”.	he can witness them for himself whenever there is an opening.

MN 20 samādhi in a 4 jhāna context

This sutta gives you 5 methods to remove unwanted verbal thoughts, 

to move from first jhāna to second jhāna.

MN 20 Master of thought 

ayaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhikkhu	A monk [skilled in these 5 methods] is called
vasī vitakka-pariyāya-pathesu.	a master of the ways of thought.

thinks what he wants, 

yaṃ vitakkaṃ ākaṅkhissati	Whatever thoughts he wishes [to think],
taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati,	he thinks those thoughts.

doesn’t think what he doesn’t want

yaṃ vitakkaṃ n-ākaṅkhissati	Whatever thoughts he does not wish [to think],
na taṃ vitakkaṃ vitakkessati.	he doesn’t think those thoughts.

What's the take away? What's the lesson here?

People tend to think of samādhi and jhāna as only a quiescent state that can only happen in a static posture.
But those two excerpts in particular from MN 119 and MN 20 show that 4 jhāna quality of samādhi
happens in dynamic, active situations in any posture, any activity, under duress. 

samādhi = Undistractability

Samādhi means one masters the ability to think only what one wants to think, 
and not think what one doesn't want to think.
Like the simile of the master chariot driver,
he exercises 4 jhāna quality of samādhi and goes wherever he wants to go,
whenever he wishes, effortlessly, without any difficulty.

In the kāyagatā, satipaṭṭhāna contexts, Samādhi does not mean one is in a disembodied frozen stupor where volition, will power,  have been suspended for a predetermined amount of time.

For the stubborn blind faith following holdouts who continue to believe heretical teachers like Ajahn Brahm and systems based on Visuddhimagga, 

read MN 20 and MN 119 carefully and ask yourself how those suttas make any sense if jhāna is "stillness" of a frozen disembodied stupor, 

and why is the Buddha asking you to do all of those activities while in 4 [heretical] "jhāna",

that are clearly impossible?

ekagga citta = singular focus of mind

Ekagga citta is often used as a synonym for samādhi.

If you study the suttas carefully, 

you see that both terms refer to a practical, straightforward, timeless, universal principle.

Be single minded;

Have a singular focus;

not having attention distracted by stimuli counterproductive to the single goal;

Focus on the task at hand (parimukha), without getting distracted.

bad translation: ekagga citta "one pointed mind"

What does that even mean, to have a "one pointed mind"?
It has no connection to what the Buddha is asking you to do in MN 119 and MN 20.
How did this weird senseless translation even come about?
Visuddhimagga, with a heretical interpretation of jhāna,
try to characterize ekagga citta as being "one pointed",
because they have a heretical agenda;

they want to redefine jhāna as a mindless frozen stupor.
To enter this state,
one focusses on "one point" at the nostril, until a visual image appears,
or staring"one pointedly"  at a mentally conjured image of a color kasina,
until you enter a disembodied frozen stupor. 
Only one in a million earnest full time meditators succeed in this barbaric practice.
What tends to actually happen for the vast majority of meditators,
when trying the Vism. style of [heretical] "jhāna",
is hypertension, headaches, psychosis, frustration.

If they had dedicated the same time and effort into following MN 20 and MN 119

with a correct understanding of samādhi and ekaggata,

they would surely see improvement in real life, practical skills in 

training the mind to be undistractible, singular in focus,

capable of lucidly seeing reality clearly and abandoning suffering.

Conclusion

People usually only think of samādhi and jhāna as mystical, esoteric exalted states of mind.

However, within the 4 jhāna context which can be done in any posture, any activity, 

samādhi has a very practical, timeless universal meaning.

Practical Samādhi (4 jhāna spectrum) works in any spiritual or worldly application, any religion.

Samādhi means one masters the ability to think only what one wants to think, 

to do only what one wants to do.
Samādhi = undistractability in all postures and activities while doing 4 jhāna satipaṭṭhāna practices, 

with all 5 senses operational (in 4 jhāna context)
ekagga citta = singular focus of mind, all 5 senses operational (in 4 jhāna context)

sammā samādhi = right undistractible lucidity, one lucidly sees reality as it truly is (yathā bhūta = lucidity).

In the suttas, in almost all contexts when the Buddha uses single term "samādhi", 

"sammā samādhi" is implied,

hence I always translate samādhi as "undistractible-lucidity".

● MN ²⁰ Vitakka-saṇṭhāna: relaxing [unwanted] thoughts

5 ways to remove unwanted thoughts: replace, see danger, forget, slow down, mind crush.


MN ²⁰ – MN 20 Vitakka-saṇṭhāna: thought-composition
    MN ^20.5 (Adhi­citta = syn.of samādhi, 5 nimittas are methods to remove unwanted thoughts)
        MN ^20.5.1 (Replace unskillful with skillful thought ↔ fine peg replace coarse one)
        MN ^20.5.2 (Seeing danger in un-skilful ↔ wear carcass around neck)
        MN ^20.5.3 (Forget, give no attention ↔ close eyes, don’t see)
        MN ^20.5.4 (Progressive slow down ↔ walking, standing...lying)
        MN ^20.5.5 (Mind crush mind ↔ strong man crush weak one)
    MN ^20.10 (conclusion)
        MN ^20.10.1 (brief summary of 5 methods)
       

 MN ¹¹⁹ Kāya-gatā-sati: remembering and applying ☸Dharma while immersed in the [physical] body

Sati and Jhāna done simultaneously in all 4 postures!
Same 7 kāya-anupassana meditations as in MN 10 and DN ²², but instead of sati refrain for each, there is a samādhi jhāna refrain.
also see 4sp📚: for all the parallel EBT suttas/sutras.


MN ¹¹⁹ – MN 119 kāyagatā-sati: body-immersed-remembering
    MN ^119.1 – (kāya-gatā-sati: body immersed remembrance, first 6 same as in MN 10 except with jhāna concurrent)
        MN ^119.1.1 – (16 APS first 4 steps)
        MN ^119.1.2 – (Four postures)
        MN ^119.1.3 - (3. S&S remembering and lucid-discerning)
        MN ^119.1.4 – (31asb: asubha, 31 body parts)
        MN ^119.1.5 – (Four elements)
        MN ^119.1.6 – (9siv: 9 cemetary contemplations)
            MN ^119.1.6.1 – (3 days old, festering)
            MN ^119.1.6.2 – (various animals devour)
            MN ^119.1.6.3 – (skeleton with flesh)
            MN ^119.1.6.4 – (skeleton bloody)
            MN ^119.1.6.5 – (skeleton)
            MN ^119.1.6.6 – (skeleton bones scattered all directions)
            MN ^119.1.6.7 – (very white bones)
            MN ^119.1.6.8 – (pile of bones 4 years old)
            MN ^119.1.6.9 – (white powder)
        MN ^119.1.7 – (4 jhānas + similes)
            MN ^119.1.7.1 – (first jhāna ↔ bathman making ball of soap powder)
            MN ^119.1.7.2 - (second jhāna ↔ lake with spring)
            MN ^119.1.7.3 - (third jhāna ↔ lotus fully submerged in pool)
            MN ^119.1.7.4 - (fourth jhāna ↔ man covered with white cloth)
    MN ^119.8 - (Fullness of Mind, similes of Māra not able to invade)
    MN ^119.9 - (An Opening to the Higher Knowledges, similes of tank full of water)
    MN ^119.10 - (10 benefits)
        MN ^119.10.1 – (Conquer displeasure and delight)
        MN ^119.10.2 – (Conquer fear and dread)
        MN ^119.10.3 – (Resistent to cold, heat, hunger, ...)
        MN ^119.10.4 – (Attains 4j, jhānas easily)
        MN ^119.10.5 – (6Ab#1: supernormal powers)
        MN ^119.10.6 – (6Ab#2: divine ear)
        MN ^119.10.7 – (6Ab#3: mind reading)
        MN ^119.10.8 – (6Ab#4: recollect past lives)
        MN ^119.10.9 – (6Ab#5: divine eye, sees rebirth according to kamma)
        MN ^119.10.10 – (6Ab#6: destruction of āsavas, arahantship)