The Fifth Paramita: Meditation

The fifth of the Six Paramitas is meditation, or dhyana. In the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, there is the phrase: "Don't abide in dharmas, abide in prajnaparamita." This means that one should not abide in any dharma (phenomenon), but that one should abide in non-scattered mind, one that has 'no taste.' A non-scattered mind does not abide in samadhi (deep meditative concentration), nor craves the bliss of samadhi. This is the. meaning of 'no taste.' It is important to understand that dhyana is not necessarily the same as samadhi, although it includes samadhi. Master Tsungmi talked about five levels of dhyana, including the dhyana practices of both the Indian and Chinese traditions. We will briefly describe the five levels without going into great detail.

First Dhyana Level