Right Concentration

Photo by Mitchell Griest

Right Concentration, the eighth and last factor in the Noble Eightfold Path, is made up of the four jhanas or deep meditative states that the Buddha experienced leading up to his enlightenment. They are ever more intimate states of meditative absorption whose purpose is the development of insight into the nature of the self and reality.

As the Buddha said, Right Mindfulness, the seventh factor in the Noble Eightfold Path, is remaining focused on the body, on feelings, on mind, and thoughts or “mental qualities.” In other words, being mindful means being aware of the totality of human experience, in order to see whether our actions create suffering or alleviate it.

This talk was given by Zuisei Goddard.

Explore further

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01 : Right Concentration

02 : The Four Jhanas by Henepola Gunaratana

03 : Working with Thoughts translated by Thanissaro Bikkhu